This box set has recently come out:
http://www.concordmusicgroup.com/albums/Side-Steps/

Part of a three Prestige box set series along with Fearless Leader and Interplay.

When you listen to Coltrane's work for Prestige, Atlantic and Impulse, he was equal if not greater than Miles in terms of exploration and down right musical genius.  And Miles never entered the realm of the spiritual.

You can't go wrong with that, I remember an English teacher raving about the impact of the 'new thing' and Coltrane's 'My Favourite Things' back in the early '60's.  I think I was into U2 at the time, now I understand.  I also noticed one of my French teachers had a vinyl copy of Sketches of Spain in her class room, shame we were all too unhip to realise she had been where it was at back in the day.

Last edited by The Ace Face (2009-11-24 12:00:15)

Robert Motherwell painting behind him. Motherwell often painted whilst wearing Weejuns, as did Pollock. This is perhaps the single greatest Ivy themed picture ever? Sums it all up for me. Glamorous, abstract, uncompromising - my version of '1960' in a nutshell. The Guggenheim had only just opened. Do we live in diminished times or am I an old fart?

GG

'Trane has the edge in terms of execution and vocational mission .  Miles's best work is as a balladeer, his fusion stuff led back into heavy coke use, degeneration of style i.e. letting a woman dress you and eventually into those dreadfully dated '80's albums. He also liked to play pimps on television, just another negative stereotype.

Okay, they played different instruments, but they comparison is apt, and maybe we should bring in Art Blakey too. He had an equal influence on bringing young up and coming musicians through his apprentice scheme, just like Miles. 'Trane was different, a seemingly lone ranger with his singular vision, that was his alone.

Towards the end, 'Trane went to far, maybe he would have come back from the edge. Miles went over and burnt out, bad coke and even badder sun glasses.  There are splendours during this period, Agharta, Pangaea and We Want Miles, but most is too dense to really enjoy. 'Trane would have continued his vocation and music that may well have taken us to god and siddharta, either that or the holy-goof.

I've gone off him.

IMO the connection between Ivy and jazz has been overdone to fuck.  I should know, I was part of the cabal on here.