Tim Sandefur reminds us all that it was Miles Davis's birthday yesterday.

I totally forgot about it, of course. But I am a huge Miles Davis nut. I for one also like his electronic period, especially Bitches Brew. I've been assiduously collecting the Columbia box sets, but I've not yet got the Jack Johnson Sessions.

I would recommend most heartily Chronicle, which is a box set containing all of Miles Davis's Prestige recordings, including Relaxin', Cookin', and all the others. And of course the Blue Note Box Set- the Complete Miles Davis Blue Note, which includes Birth of the Cool, Miles Davis 1 & 2, and some other works as well.

In defense of Miles Davis's electronic period, I have this to say: it's totally different from anything else ever. And it's certainly an acquired taste. But I can tell you this: both Bitches Brew and In a Silent Way reward attentive repeat listeners, and make great atmospheric music. There's a searing heat in the trumpet that rises up suddenly to make simple telling points against the cool backdrop of muted rhythms.