Porgy And Bess - Miles Davis (1LP Vinyl, NM/VG)

Porgy And Bess by Miles Davis.

Miles Davis and George Gershwin might seem an unlikely pairing on paper, but "Porgy And Bess" stands as one of the most inspired meetings of jazz interpretation and American songbook material ever committed to tape. This 180-gram audiophile mono LP presents a faithful reissue of the original mono version, letting the music breathe exactly as it was first intended, without the artificial spread of later stereo remixes.

The recordings were captured across four sessions in the summer of 1958: July 22, July 29, August 4, and August 18, all at Columbia's legendary 30th Street Studio in New York City. That cavernous converted church interior became something of a secret weapon for Columbia during this era, giving orchestral recordings a natural warmth and depth that engineers spent decades trying to replicate elsewhere. Pressed here in mono on quality 180-gram vinyl, this edition puts the focus squarely on the balance and detail of those original sessions.

Side A opens with "The Buzzard Song" before moving through the aching beauty of "Bess, You Is My Woman Now," the driving "Gone" and its companion "Gone, Gone, Gone," and one of the most famous readings of "Summertime" you will ever hear. The first side closes with the reflective "Bess, Oh Where's My Bess," a reminder of how much narrative weight Gershwin folded into these melodies and how deftly Davis draws it out through his horn.

The second side is equally rich, running from the reverent "Prayer (Oh Doctor Jesus)" and the atmospheric "Fishermen, Strawberry And Devil Crab" through the sorrowful "My Man's Gone Now" and the swaggering "It Ain't Necessarily So." From there the program glides through "Here Come De Honey Man," the tender "I Loves You, Porgy," and finally the buoyant "There's A Boat That's Leaving Soon For New York," sending the album out on a bright, forward-leaning note.

Throughout, Davis approaches these show tunes not as jazz standards to be dismantled but as fully realized settings, playing with a restraint and lyricism that makes every phrase feel considered. The arrangements give the material an orchestral scope while leaving ample room for that unmistakable trumpet voice to move through the melodies, sometimes muted and intimate, sometimes open and soaring.

This pressing carries catalog number CL 1274 on both the jacket and the labels, with catalog number 88765407571 printed at the bottom of the rear jacket and 88765407571S2 appearing on the front sticker. It is a handsome, well-documented edition of a genuine cornerstone of the Miles Davis catalog, and an essential addition for any serious jazz collection.

Pressing Details:
Cover variant to [r=4054718] without the series number and RSD logo on front sticker; 88765407571S2 on sticker

Catalog number CL 1274 on jacket and labels; catalog number 88765407571 on rear jacket bottom.

12" 180-gram audiophile mono vinyl LP

Reissue of the original mono version.

Recorded 7/22/1958, 7/29/1958, 8/04/1958, and 8/18/1958 at the Columbia 30th Street Studio in New York City.

Track Listing:
A1. The Buzzard Song
A2. Bess, You Is My Woman Now
A3. Gone
A4. Gone, Gone, Gone
A5. Summertime
A6. Bess, Oh Where's My Bess
B1. Prayer (Oh Doctor Jesus)
B2. Fishermen, Strawberry And Devil Crab
B3. My Man's Gone Now
B4. It Ain't Necessarily So
B5. Here Come De Honey Man
B6. I Loves You, Porgy
B7. There's A Boat That's Leaving Soon For New York

Artist: Miles Davis

Format: 1LP

Genre: Jazz

Label: Columbia

Catalog Number: CL 1274

Release Year: 2012

Country: United States

Condition: Used

Record grading: NM

Sleeve grading: VG+