Miles Davis – Bags Groove: Mono (AP33 Vinyl LP)

Cut from the analogue masters by renowned mastering engineer Kevin Gray

180-gram pressing by Quality Record Pressings

Deluxe high-gloss tip-on album jacket

“Analogue Productions has continued to push its own already high bar higher still. Its Quality Record Pressings plant is delivering the best vinyl discs to be found, its jackets and cover reproduction quality have hit new levels, and it continues to have the best in the biz — such as Kevin Gray for this series (25 mono LPs from the Prestige label’s exceptional late-50s run) cut lacquers from original analog master tapes. … The set crackles with energy and the sound is rather cool, yet it’s very clean and — like looking through a mountain stream — transparent. I also have AP’s 2002 45 RPM set, and this new release makes that one sound a bit thick and veiled by comparison.” — Wayne Garcia, The Absolute Sound, December 2015

There are a multitude of reasons why Bags’ Groove remains a cornerstone of the post-bop genre. Of course, says All Music Guide, there will always be the lure of the urban myth surrounding the Christmas Eve 1954 session — featuring Thelonious Monk — which is documented on the two takes of the title track. There are obviously more tangible elements, such as Davis’ practically telepathic runs with Sonny Rollins (tenor sax). Or Horace Silver’s (piano) uncanny ability to provide a stream of chord progressions that supply a second inconspicuous lead without ever overpowering.

Indeed, Davis’ choice of former Dizzy Gillespie Orchestra and concurrent Modern Jazz Quartet members Milt Jackson (vibes), Kenny Clarke (drums), and Percy Heath (bass) is obviously well-informed. This combo became synonymous with the ability to tastefully improvise and provide bluesy bop lines in varied settings. The up-tempo and Latin-infused syncopation featured during the opening of “Airegin” flows into lines and minor-chord phrasings that would reappear several years later throughout Davis’ Sketches of Spain epic. The fun and slightly maniacally toned “Oleo” features one of Heath’s most impressive displays on Bags’ Groove. His staccato accompaniment exhibits the effortless nature with which these jazz giants are able to incorporate round after round of solos onto the larger unit. Bags’ Groove belongs as a cornerstone of all jazz collections.