Miles Davis ‎– The Prince Of Darkness

Miles Davis – The Prince Of Darkness

Miles Davis was one of the most influential figures in jazz, a trumpeter and bandleader whose restless creativity helped shape bebop, cool jazz, hard bop, modal jazz and jazz fusion. Renowned for his understated trumpet tone, melodic economy and instinct for assembling exceptional musicians, Davis continually pushed the music in new directions throughout a career spanning several decades.

The Prince Of Darkness brings together seventeen tracks rooted in the world of classic modern jazz, highlighting the repertoire, improvisational language and small-group interplay associated with the formative years of Davis's career. The selection includes familiar jazz standards and bebop favourites such as “That Old Devil Moon”, “Four”, “Lady Bird”, “Confirmation” and “A Night In Tunisia”, alongside titles including “Blue Haze”, “Woody N You” and “Scrapple The Apple”.

The programme offers a glimpse into the musical foundations that helped establish Davis as a leading voice in post-war jazz. Bebop's intricate melodies, fast-moving harmonic changes and rhythmic sophistication provided an important starting point for his development, while his distinctive phrasing and controlled use of space already set him apart from many of his contemporaries. The standards in this collection also reveal the importance of the shared jazz repertoire, where familiar themes became starting points for individual interpretation and spontaneous musical conversation.

Tracks such as “Four”, “Lady Bird” and “Confirmation” are particularly associated with the bebop and hard-bop tradition, rewarding listeners who appreciate inventive improvisation and the interplay between melody and harmony. “Blue Room”, “My Old Flame” and “Out Of Nowhere” bring a contrasting selection of established standards into the programme, while “The Squirrel (Short Version)” adds another distinctive title to the collection.

For listeners exploring Miles Davis's early musical development, this selection provides an accessible entry point into the standards and jazz vocabulary that informed his subsequent innovations. It will appeal to fans of bebop, classic jazz trumpet, small-group improvisation and the wider history of American jazz, as well as collectors interested in exploring Davis's extensive recorded legacy.

Tracklist

1. That Old Devil Moon

2. Four

3. Lady Bird

4. Blue Haze

5. Woody N You

6. The Squirrel (Short Version)

7. Blue Room

8. Confirmation

9. Down

10. Out Of The Blue

11. Move

12. Smooch

13. Moose The Mooch

14. My Old Flame

15. Out Of Nowhere

16. Scrapple The Apple

17. A Night In Tunisia