The Genius of Miles Davis (Box Set)

The Genius of Miles Davis - the most comprehensive and lavishly packaged collection ever dedicated to a single musical artist.

Luxuriously packaged in a custom built, limited-edition Martin trumpet case, The Genius of Miles Davis presents the artist's complete body of work recorded for Columbia Records between 1955-1985 in 8 deluxe box sets, documenting every important phase of Miles' musical life. Upon signing to Columbia Records in 1955, the restless genius embarked on a musical path that would find him spearheading every major musical movement of the second half of the 20th Century. No other musical artist would be as all-embracing, influential, and ever-changing.

Includes:

1x Trumpet / Carrying Case - An individually numbered, exact replica of Miles Davis Trumpet Case houses the collection.

8x Box Sets - 43 CDs include 384 recordings documenting in detail each of Miles clearly defined movement over the history of his years at Columbia Records

1x T-Shirt - Custom designed Trunk Ltd. t-shirt.

1x Lithograph - Previously unpublished fine art lithograph of one of Miles's most striking paintings.

1x Mouthpiece - Exact replica of the "Gustat" Heim 2 mouthpiece used by Miles during his career.

The Music Miles Davis (1926-1991) was the only musician of the 20th Century to shape eight, clearly defined movements over the history of an art form. During a 30-year tenure for Columbia Records, he released over 50 extraordinary albums which were at the very vanguard of the music world. This incredibly fertile period on Columbia Records (1955-1985) would constitute the core of his life's work and come to embody The Genius of Miles Davis. Between 1996-2007, Sony Music Entertainment released 8 deluxe Miles Davis box sets documenting in detail each of these very distinct musical movements. Each box came fitted with a custom-etched metal spine and a substantial book full of sweeping essays, testimonials from musicians, insightful analysis, discographical data, powerful, rarely-seen imagery, and endless amounts of previously unreleased music--all of which was meticulously remastered by Sony's leading engineers. This unparalleled series of box sets has been called the most ambitious reissue campaign in the history of the music industry, and received no less than 8 Grammy Awards.

The Music:

The Genius of Miles Davis presents all of these collections, which are no longer available.

Miles Davis & John Coltrane: The Complete Columbia Recordings 1955-1961

Miles Davis had just signed to Columbia Records and his star was fast on the rise. Assembling groups which would feature John Coltrane, Bill Evans, Cannonball Adderley, and Jimmy Cobb among others, it was during this period that Miles would create "the greatest jazz album of all time" - the epochal Kind Of Blue. Comes with a 116 page book

Miles Davis & Gil Evans: The Complete Columbia Studio Recordings

Gil Evans, the great arranger, had fallen in love with Miles Davis's haunting and melancholy, yet terribly seductive sound. He would craft a series of impeccable arrangements which were tailored to this unique sound. These recordings would take their place among the most important collaborations in all of music. Among them, the timeless masterpieces Sketches Of Spain, Porgy & Bess, and Miles Ahead. Comes with a 198 page book

Seven Steps: The Complete Columbia Recordings Of Miles Davis 1963-1964.

Comes with a 92 page book

The Complete On The Corner Sessions

The final and eighth box set in this collection finds Miles shifting his musical direction yet again. Miles plunges into the world of deep, hard, grooves and constantly shifting rhythms, taking his funk right to the streets. With distorted guitar lines, percolating, complex rhythms, and two-note bass riffs, On The Corner has been called "the most street album ever recorded by a jazz musician." Comes with a 120 page book

The Miles Davis Quintet 1965-1968: The Complete Columbia Studio Recordings

Miles and the Young Lions! The Second Great Quintet. In 1965, Miles Davis, for the first time in his life, assembled a band in which he was surrounded by younger musicians who he would propel into stardom, and who would push Miles into new musical frontiers. Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, and Tony Williams would fast become stars, and write the future of jazz from this point forward. Considered one of the greatest bands to ever exist, they would create the modern masterpieces, E.S.P., Miles Smiles, Nefertiti, and Sorcerer, among others. Comes with a 116 page book

The Complete Jack Johnson Sessions

Miles Davis was asked to write the soundtrack to a documentary film on the first African American heavyweight champion - the proud and flamboyant Jack Johnson--a figure who much like Miles, was outspoken, defiant, loved women and fast cars, and was simply the greatest. If Bitches Brew incorporated the rock and funk of the time, Jack Johnson put it front and center. Miles Davis, a boxer himself, created an album of ferocious, unrelenting power which perfectly captured the fighting style of the champion. This box set documents the creation of this masterpiece. Comes with a 120 page book

The Complete Bitches Brew Sessions

There was nothing ever created like Bitches Brew before it or after it. Bitches Brew featured new, young stars and the provocative, fiery, and passionate playing of Miles Davis. Another masterpiece far beyond category, it established Miles Davis as an artist who could assimilate the sounds of jazz, Sly Stone, Carlos Santana, and Karlheinz Stockhausen in creating something wholly new. And, it appealed to the masses of young rockers who were hearing something vaguely familiar, yet completely unique and powerful. Comes with a 148 page book

The Complete In A Silent Way Sessions

In 1969, Miles Davis recorded yet another masterpiece. With a completely new sound, concept, and band, In A Silent Way was an ethereal, mysterious, and shimmeringly beautiful album, and would point Miles in a new direction--a direction he would follow until the end of his life--The Electric Miles! This box set shines light on the musical process and methodology involved in the making of this masterpiece.Comes with a 96 page book.

Also included:

The Merchandise

Miles Davis was also an accomplished painter whose work has been consistently shown internationally, and has been the subject of numerous books. Now, a previously unpublished fine art lithograph of one of Miles's most striking paintings has been added to this deluxe collection. His dream-like vision of dancing women provides yet another facet of his extraordinary talent.

Also unique to this collection is an exact replica of the "Gustat" Heim 2 mouthpiece used by Miles during his career. Created exclusively for this collection by Kanstul, the custom-designed mouthpiece, with all of its original detailing, was the medium through which all of Miles's most haunting and beautiful sounds passed through.

The last bonus item to be included in The Genius Of Miles Davis is a custom-designed T-shirt manufactured exclusively for this collection by Trunk Ltd. Pictured against a rich black background is Miles Davis sporting his trademark shades and playing his one-of-a-kind Martin trumpet.

The Case

The Genius of Miles Davis is the most luxuriously packaged musical collection ever presented. Individually numbered to 1955, the year Miles singed to Columbia Records, the outer box is an exact replica of the trumpet case Miles used during his career. A special Miles Davis metal insignia adorns the outside cover. The interior is customized in lush blue velvet, and an iconic, noirish image of Miles adorns the inner wall. As the case is opened, there's Miles Davis in all his dark and mysterious beauty staring at you.