Hot Stamper Pressings of the Music of Miles Davis Available Now
In 2018 we awarded this copy’s side two of Basic Miles our very special Four Plus (A++++) grade, which is strictly limited to pressings (really, individual sides of pressings) that take a recording to a level we’ve never experienced before, a level we had no idea could even exist.
We estimate that less than one per cent of the Hot Stamper pressings we come across in our shootouts earn this grade. As I write this there is not a single other record on the site that earned that grade on either side. You can’t get much more rare than that.
UPDATE 2026
- Our lengthy commentary entitled outliers and out-of-this-world sound talks about how rare these kinds of pressings are and how we go about finding them.
- We no longer give Four Pluses out as a matter of policy, but that doesn’t mean we don’t come across records that deserve them from time to time.
- Nowadays we most often place them under the general heading of breakthrough pressings. These are records that, out of the blue, revealed to us sound of such high quality that it changes our appreciation of the recording itself.
- We found ourselves asking “Who knew?” Perhaps a better question might have been “How high is up?”
Kind of Blue
Want to know how good our Hot Stamper Kind of Blue pressings sound? Listen to this very record. If you play the tracks that were recorded in 1958, the year before Kind of Blue, you will hear practically the same lineup of musicians.
That means Stella By Starlight and Little Melonae on side one, and Green Dolphin Street and Fran-Dance (Put Your Little Foot Right Out) on side two. We’re talking Bill Evans, John Coltrane and Cannonball Adderley in their prime, 1958, with top 1958 sound to match.
The nine-minute-plus Green Dolphin Street that opens side two is nothing short of amazing, some of the coolest jazz you will ever hear, on any record, at any price.
With Fran Dance on the same side, that gives you about 17 minutes of great sounding jazz by Miles’ classic Kind of Blue lineup.
Side one has the same cats playing for more than 12 minutes. By my calculation that’s close to another album’s worth of material from the group. The rest of this compilation is best seen as bonus material — maybe not essential, but never less than interesting.
Side One
A1 Budo
Bass – Paul Chambers
Drums – “Philly” Joe Jones
Piano – Red Garland
Tenor Saxophone – John Coltrane
A2 Stella By Starlight
Bass – Paul Chambers
Drums – Jimmy Cobb
Piano – Bill Evans
Tenor Saxophone – John Coltrane
A3 Sweet Sue, Just You
Arranged By – Teo Macero
Bass – Paul Chambers
Drums – “Philly” Joe Jones
Piano – Red Garland
Tenor Saxophone – John Coltrane
A4 Little Melonae
Bass – Paul Chambers
Drums – “Philly” Joe Jones
Piano – Red Garland
Tenor Saxophone – John Coltrane
A5 Miles Ahead
Orchestra – Gil Evans
Side Two
B1 On Green Dolphin Street
Alto Saxophone – Cannonball Adderley
Bass – Paul Chambers
Drums – Jimmy Cobb
Piano – Bill Evans
Tenor Saxophone – John Coltrane
B2 ´Round Midnight
Bass – Paul Chambers
Drums – “Philly” Joe Jones
Piano – Red Garland
Tenor Saxophone – John Coltrane
B3 Fran-Dance (Put Your Little Foot Right Out)
Alto Saxophone – Cannonball Adderley
Bass – Paul Chambers
Drums – Jimmy Cobb
Piano – Wynton Kelly
Tenor Saxophone – John Coltrane
B4 Devil May Care
Bass – Paul Chambers
Drums – Jimmy Cobb
Percussion – William Correa
Tenor Saxophone – Wayne Shorter
Trombone – Frank Rehak
Further Reading