40th Anniversary: A Definitive Milestone

Biji – Sonny Rollins
from the album Sonny Rollins + 3 on Milestone (1995).

The Kicker – Joe Henderson
from the album The Kicker on Milestone (1967).
Both also available on Sonny Rollins Milestone Profile (2006)

Orrin Keepnews had already contributed to the jazz idiom as the producer for many indispencible recordings for Riverside before that label went backrupt in 1964 thanks to his partner (Bill Grauer). Keepnews rebounded beautifully though in starting Milestone Records in 1966 with the intention of providing a label for straight ahead jazz players while many of the more venerable labels were switching their focus to the more commercial crossover sound. To celebrate the label’s 40th anniversary, Milestone has released a set of 5 CDs each comemorating one of the label’s biggest artists (Sonny Rollins, Joe Henderson, McCoy Tyner, Jimmy Smith, and Jimmy Scott).

I get asked about where people should start to learn about jazz and build their collection. I’m happy to hear folks my age consider this is an essential part of intellectual fulfillment, but I guess new listeners can be overwhelmed by such a large and well documented genre. Typically I just start loaning albums and encouraging people to buy buy buy and discover their own taste. Personally, I tend to stay away from compilations and retrospectives in favor of the albums themselves for the obvious advantages of cohesiveness and overall album vision the artist may have had. However, if you don’t own any Sonny Rollins, 1) SHAME ON YOU, and 2) this disc isn’t a bad place to start. Rollins joined Milestone in 1973 when it was purchased by Fantasy and he released a slew of beautiful records on the lable. “Biji” is one of my favorite Rollins tracks of all time with Rollins extended sax verses fitting together seamlessly with Tommy Flanagan’s piano from start to finish. Rollins has been an amazingly consistent and innovative musician for ages with nearly 50 years of recordings and counting for the Saxophone Colossus. NOTE: seeing him live in San Francisco a couple of years ago was also the greatest concert experience ever for me.

Packaged with each of the Milestone Profiles artist CDs is a bonus disc that has selections from 8 different Milestone artists (different from the ones found on the aritst’s discs). Joe Henderson’s late bop stomper “The Kicker” is featured on this disc. This bonus disc of disparate artists and styles is almost like a blog post in its scattered-ness but ability to introduce you to a bunch of artists at once essentially for free. However, an odd decision was made to have the same bonus disc packaged with each of the profiles CDs…who would need 5 copies of the same CD?