Miles Davis - Seven Steps

Miles completists will covet this massive 7-CD box set because, at long last, it fully captures the evolution from his first great late-’50s quintet featuring John Coltrane and Bill Evans to his second great mid-to-late-’60s quintet featuring Wayne Shorter and Herbie Hancock. With 47 sprawling studio and live tracks (eight of them previously unissued), the correct chronological sequencing of the material and a 92-page booklet lovingly detailing every session, this set (like the others in Columbia’s Miles reissue series) sets the standard for comprehensiveness and packaging, and it chronicles an oft-neglected, startlingly creative phase of Miles’ career. More casual fans will simply revel in the interplay of the revolving cast of musicians, as Miles successfully makes musical history—again. In 18 short months, he took his music in a completely new direction. It wouldn’t be the last time, but the genius of Miles Davis shines through in every blue note.