There have been quite a few alluring MILES DAVIS box sets over the last decade or so but the forthcoming ‘The Complete Miles Davis Columbia Album Collection’ beats them all. A veritable behemoth of a boxset, it contains every single long player that the iconic jazz trumpeter released for Columbia Records during the 1950s, ’60s, ’70s and early ’80s – that adds up to a whopping 52 LPs spread over 70 CDs with each album housed in a mini replica LP sleeve. Some of the albums have rare bonus tracks appended to them while Miles’ legendary performance from the 1970 Isle Of Wight Festival – a single 40-minute track that the trumpeter titled ‘Call It Anything’ – receives its first official audio release. The collection also contains a DVD featuring previously unseen footage of the Miles Davis Quintet performing in Europe during 1967. Add to this an 11,000 word essay, rarely seen photos together with detailed discographical information and you truly have a box set to end box sets. The monster package is unleashed by Sony Music’s Columbia/Legacy imprint on November 30th and will retail in the UK at around £160 – better start writing that Christmas list now then!
Talking of MILES, there’s also a French exhibition dedicated to the trumpet maestro called ‘We Love Miles.‘ Chronicling Davis’ life and times, it opens at the Museé de la Musique in Paris on October 16th and runs until January 17th 2010. Catch it if you can….
