The cover on top “Music for Your Vacation” is an easy listening lp from Columbia Records Argentina that shares the same stock photo as “Miles Ahead” below.

“Miles Ahead” by Miles Davis was released in 1957. This was the first album Davis recorded with Gil Evans, who combined the ten pieces that make up the album in a kind of suite, each following the preceding one without interruption. Davis is the only soloist on Miles Ahead, which also features a prominent horn section.

Miles was reportedly unhappy about the album’s original cover, which featured a photo of a young white woman aboard a sailboat. He made his displeasure known to Columbia executive George Avakian asking, “Why’d you put that white bitch on there?” Avakian later stated that the question was made in jest. For later releases of the record, the original cover-photo has been substituted by a photo of Miles Davis.

The album features Miles (on flugelhorn) and his band for the recordings consisting of Bernie Glow (lead trumpet), Ernie Royal, Louis Mucci, Taft Jordan, and John Carisi (trumpets); Frank Rehak, Jimmy Cleveland, and Joe Bennett (trombones); Tom Mitchell (bass trombone); Willie Ruff and Tony Miranda (horns, with Jimmy Buffington replacing Miranda on one session); Bill Barber (tuba); Lee Konitz (alto sax); Danny Bank (bass clarinet); Romeo Penque and Sid Cooper (flute and clarinet, with Edwin Caine replacing Cooper on one session); Paul Chambers (bass) and Art Blakey (drums). The album features songs from four separate recording dates each with slight modifications of the band members.

A fifth recording date involved Davis alone (re-)recording material to cover/patch mistakes/omissions in his solos using overdubbing. The fact that this album was originally produced in mono makes these inserted overdubbings rather obvious in the new stereo setting.

On the alternate take of “Springsville”, Wynton Kelly features on piano as part of a version that underwent a re-write for the next recording session. Only about 10 seconds of his playing is heard on this track, although about 5 seconds of this can be heard in the master track. Nevertheless, Kelly’s contribution to the album was left uncredited until the reissues came out. (Wikepedia)

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