Miles Davis enjoyed a long tenure with the annual Newport Jazz Festival. This four-disc set collects performances from that event, beginning with a 1955 all-star jam with Gerry Mulligan and Thelonious Monk, continuing through some classic straight-on concerts whose Davis-led lineups included Cannonball Adderley, John Coltrane and Herbie Hancock before launching into outer space with his 1969 appearance. By that time, Davis was pushing toward a more electric sound, an abstraction of rock and soul. A few of the tracks have been previously issued, but many of the concerts, complete with spoken intros and band warm-ups, have never been released. The collection includes an informative, illustrated booklet chockablock with quotes, often from sidemen, that help illuminate Davis’ thinking.
