Miles Davis - This Is Jazz, Vol. 8: Miles Davis Acoustic (1996)

A wonderful 9 track sampler of Miles' work between the years of 1955-1965. Includes performances by John Coltrane, Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Cannonball Adderley, Tony Williams, Wynton Kelly, etc. True Miles' fanatics will notice the similarity of this album cover to that of Round About Midnight. If you only own one Davis CD, it should be Kind of Blue, but if you want to go beyond that classic, this would be a good starting point if it wasn't OOP (there's always iTunes, I guess). Heck, if you only own one jazz CD, it should be Kind of Blue.

Tracks:

1. 'Round Midnight (from the album 'Round About Midnight)
2. Stella By Starlight ('58 Sessions)
3. Springsville (Miles Davis/Gil Evans Complete Columbia Studio Recordings)
4. Summertime (Miles Davis/Gil Evans Complete Columbia Studio Recordings)
5. So What (Kind Of Blue)
6. Someday My Prince Will Come (Someday My Prince Will Come)
7. Seven Steps To Heaven (Complete Live At The Plugged Nickel 1965)
8. Walkin' (Complete Live At The Plugged Nickel 1965)
9. E.S.P. (ESP)

They're all top notch, of course. I may have my jazz card revoked for saying this, but I'm not the biggest fan of 'Round Midnight. That said, this version by Miles is my favorite of that particular standard. The sequencing of Springsville (track 3) next to Summertime (track 4) is a nice touch. My favorite track on the disc? It's a toss-up between So What and Someday My Prince Will Come.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: This particularly CD kept me company on many late night trips home after football games in El Maton. The music is relaxing but, fortunately, never sleep-inducing.