Miles Davis 84th Birthday – May 26th, 2010 – Boxed Set, CD/DVD Releases & Much More!

Underscoring the festivities is
Bitches Brew, Miles’ groundbreaking double-LP of 1969, whose 40th
anniversary will be celebrated with two separate retail packages, both
released August 31st by Columbia/Legacy, a division of SONY MUSIC
ENTERTAINMENT:
Bitches Brew: Legacy Edition (a three-disc set,
comprising two CDs that contain the original 94-plus minutes of music,
in their original 8-track studio mixes unavailable on CD for many years,
plus several bonus cuts; and a DVD that contains a previously unissued
concert performance by the Miles Davis Quintet filmed in Copenhagen,
November 1969); and
Bitches Brew: 40th Anniversary Collector’s
Edition (the same three discs as above, plus a third CD comprising a
previously unissued performance by the new septet lineup at Tanglewood
in the Berkshires, August 1970; alongside a 54-page color booklet and a
180-gram vinyl double-LP gatefold replication of the original album).

(At
DSPs, consumers will be able to purchase both discs from Bitches Brew:
Legacy Edition, but the DVD will not be available. The same two discs in
Collector’s Edition will be available at DSPs but the third audio disc
and the DVD will only be available in the physical box set. Amazon and
other retail outlets will sell both titles, with a pre-order campaign
for Collector’s Edition launching at MilesDavis.com on his birthday, May
26th.)

In September, The Genius of Miles Davis will be unveiled.
A limited-edition box set designed as an actual trumpet case, the case
will house the eight deluxe multi-CD box sets that are the crown jewels
in the Miles Davis Series’ 15-year history. The distinctive gilt-edged
metal spines and the lavish packaging of those eight box sets have
placed them in a class by themselves:
Miles Davis & Gil Evans:
The Complete Columbia Studio Recordings
Miles Davis Quintet 1965-’68:
The Complete Columbia Studio Recordings
The Complete Bitches Brew
Sessions
Miles Davis & John Coltrane: The Complete Columbia
Recordings 1955-1961
The Complete In A Silent Way Sessions
The
Complete Jack Johnson Sessions
Seven Steps: The Complete Columbia
Recordings Of Miles Davis 1963-1964
The Complete On The Corner
Sessions

The eight heavyweight box sets ? with a cumulative total
of 43 CDS and eight Grammy Awards between them ? will now be gathered
in their original metal spine editions (except for The Complete In A
Silent Way Sessions, which did not originally appear with a metal spine)
in the 21-pound collection known as The Genius of Miles Davis. The
trumpet case will contain a number of additional items, including an
exact replica of the “Gustat” Heim 2 model mouthpiece used by Miles; a
previously unavailable fine art lithograph chosen by the Miles Davis
Estate; and a boutique-quality t-shirt manufactured exclusively for this
package by Trunk Ltd.

Starting on Miles’ birthday, The Genius
of Miles Davis will be available for pre-order at MilesDavis.com.

In
November, Miles’ 1959 classic Kind of Blue album will be released in
two separate vinyl configurations. Collectors will be able to choose
between a standard 180 gram vinyl single LP, or a 2-LP 180 gram set cut
at 45 RPM.

In 2010, Legacy’s presentation of the music of Miles
Davis on record joins a global campaign organized in conjunction with
the Miles Davis Estate and Miles Davis Properties LLC in
partnership/collaboration with Sony Music. Dominating the cultural
landscape is the colossal “We Want Miles: Miles Davis vs. Jazz” historic
exhibition of art and memorabilia at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts,
on view from April 30th through August 29th (following its illustrious
run at the Musee de la Musique in Paris from October through January).

The
first North American multimedia retrospective exhibition devoted to
Miles is divided into eight thematic sections ranging from his childhood
in East St. Louis to the final concert of his life, at La Villette in
Paris just weeks before his death in 1991. A wide range of exceptional
works of art, archival materials, and objects, many of which are on view
for the first time, chronicle Miles’ impact on the course of jazz,
including rare or previously unscreened concert film footage; original
musical scores; a selection of his trumpets and fellow band members’
musical instruments; original documents relating to his albums; stage
costumes; vintage record pressings, and more. 20 listening stations
throughout the 8, 600 square foot area permit visitors to immerse
themselves in the multiple musical currents reinvented by Miles: jazz,
rock, funk, and more.

In a unique partnership/collaborative effort
between the Miles Davis Estate and Sony Music, the MilesDavis.com
website has been completely redesigned. It is now the first unified and
regularly updated site highlighting all aspects of his life. The dynamic
web environment is not specific to Columbia/Legacy and Sony Music;
instead it will include events and product releases by other companies
as well. The website, featuring news and vital information, video
content, exclusive photography, and more, will also offer special daily
and weekly deals. The website already has four Miles t-shirts for sale
through the Threadshop store, with many more items slated to go up for
sale on his birthday.

One of the items for sale at MilesDavis.com
(and other general retailers) is the critically-acclaimed “Miles Davis
Tribute” high-performance in-ear headphones from Monster Cable. This is
the world’s first audio hardware product to bear Miles’ name and
signature and is available as a strictly limited edition item. Headphone
purchasers will receive a bonus copy of Columbia/Legacy’s Kind of Blue:
Legacy Edition 2CD set. Monster is offering a unique one-time Limited
Lifetime Replacement Guarantee with the Miles Davis Tribute headphones ?
even if users accidentally break the headphones themselves, Monster
will replace them once for no charge.