This came out in 2004 – or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):
Even geniuses have off-days. Case in point: Miles Davis in the early ’60s.
The era is generaloy regarded as a fallow period for the iconic jazz trumpeter, and no wonder. Stellar sax sideman John Coltrane had left his employ. He had all but boycotted the studio over a beef with his producer. And he was still a few years away from blending jazz with rock to create fusion. But even if Miles wasn’t at his commercial or creative peak, he was still making strong music, as evinced by Seven Steps, the latest in a series of gorgeous Davis box sets. Dominated by fiery live recordings from LPs like Four and More and Miles in Berlin, this set tracks Davis as he builds his second legendary quintet one piece at a time, adding young turks like nimble pianist Herbie Hancock, turbocharged teen-titan drummer Tony Williams and tenor sax man Wayne Shorter. Their vigor rejuvenates Davis — especially Williams, whose whiplash pacing and explosive syncopation remake classics like So What and Walkin’ (which ought to be retitled Sprintin’). But Davis still gets plenty of space to showcase his lyrical phrasing and tonal clarity on romantic ballads like My Funny Valentine. Bottom line: These cuts may not be a high point in Davis’s career, but he’s still head and shoulders above the competition.
DISCS: Seven.
TRACKS: 50.
YEARS COVERED: 1963 – ’64.
NEW STUFF: Eight previously unreleased tracks, and unedited versions of three other cuts.
EYE CANDY: Like the rest of this series, the packaging is magnificent. The discs — and a gorgeously designed 92-page booklet stuffed with exhaustive liner notes, previously unpublished photos and detailed recording info — are bound in a metal-spined book that slides snugly into a cloth-covered box.
DAMAGE: $125 — but worth it.
