Just as The Birth Of The Cool from 1949 and 1951 showed how effectively post-bop jazz and 20th century classical sounds could work together - and also how well Miles and arranger Gil Evans fit together - Miles Ahead was the album that brought this fusion and this team to full maturity. As the follow-up to Miles' 'Round About Midnight', it was as surprising as it was successful.Regardless of the notion of a fulfilled promise, the album stands on its own: careful harmonies performed by a generous woodwind and brass ensemble, a disarming emotional sophistication in the arrangements that stretches from tune to tune (the pieces are strung together like a suite), and a delicate balance of light and shade that Miles achieved as the only soloist on the album, playing only flugelhorn throughout.
