Of Miles Davis's many bands, none was more influential and popular than the quintet with John Coltrane, Red Garland, Paul Chambers, and Philly Joe Jones. Davis's muted ballads and medium-tempo standards endeared him to the public. The horns' searing exposition of classics like "Salt Peanuts" and "Well, You Needn't" captivated musicians. The searching, restless improvisations of Coltrane intrigued listeners who had a taste for adventure. The flawless rhythm section became a model for bands everywhere. Steamin' With The Miles Davis Quintet is, in many respects representative of the total work of the quintet, it affords an excellent opportunity to examine just what this remarkable music was and how it was made. Such chemistry is inexplicable, and so, apparently, is the personality of the man who generated it.
This compilation is taken from the masterful and wondrous box set issued late in the year 2000. It is assembled with the kind of care only producers such as Bob Belden and Michael Cuscuna could muster. Featuring nine selections, it begins with the first recorded appearance of the new Miles Davis Quintet in 1955 that featured the two principals, Red Garland, Paul Chambers, and Philly Joe Jones....
One of Analogue Productions' most successful and collectible projects has been the Miles Davis Quintet/The Great Prestige Recordings deluxe box set on 33 1/3 LP. Now, that beautiful five-album set is being reintroduced. And at 45 RPM, it's more stunning than ever! Featuring a 12" x 12" 16-page gorgeous booklet, packaged with the LPs in a deluxe, heavy-duty box, this set is the end-all of Miles' work for the legendary Prestige label from 1951 through 1956. Stereophile awarded the first incarnation of this set Recording of the Month in their March 1997 issue, giving it five stars for both music and sonics. That was at 33 1/3 RPM. Imagine these same records at 45 RPM!
Reissue with latest remastering. Comes with new liner notes. This cd is the second of 2 put out to chronicle Miles' stay at the Blackhawk in San Francisco in 1961. After a period of transition which included the sometimes uneven results of the "Someday My Prince Will Come" lp, Miles' working band of Hank Mobley on tenor sax, Wynton Kelly on piano, Paul Chambers, bass, and drummer Jimmy Cobb, were coming together as a tight unit. Both dates of the Blackhawk shows are prime examples of the greatness of this working group.
Reissue with latest remastering. Comes with new liner notes. The first of two sets recorded during a weekend in 1961 features the Miles Davis Quintet at a period of time when Hank Mobley was on tenor and the rhythm section was comprised of pianist Wynton Kelly, bassist Paul Chambers, and drummer Jimmy Cobb. What is most remarkable is the way Kelly fits into this particular blend of the Miles band. Kelly's interplay with Chambers is especially brilliant, because his sense of blues phrasing inside counterpoint harmony is edgy and large, with left-hand chords in the middle register rather than sharp right-hand runs to accentuate choruses.
Reissue with the latest remastering. Comes with liner notes. Extra material from the 1961 date at Carnegie Hall, an astounding live set that featured Miles in a transitional quintet with Hank Mobley, Wynton Kelly, Paul Chambers and Jimmy Cobb, and also with the Gil Evans Orchestra. The performance is rendered with a subtle grace, an excellent portrait of Miles at a pivotal point in his career, moving on from his early command of bop and explorations of the cool, but not yet exploding his sound altogether with the modal approach that he would soon adopt. Side one features "Concierto De Anranjuez", and side two features "Teo", 'Walkin" and "I Thought About You".
Reissue with the latest remastering. Comes with liner notes. Miles Davis at Carnegie Hall is a live album by American jazz musician Miles Davis, recorded on May 19, 1961, at Carnegie Hall and released by Columbia Records. Davis is captured with his transitional small combo featuring Hank Mobley, Wynton Kelly, Paul Chambers, and Jimmy Cobb, as well as with the Gil Evans Orchestra. It was one of only two concerts Davis and Evans performed together, and that alone makes the album necessary for collectors, but the music itself is terrific. Neither the small group nor large band performances offer any new revelations, but they both showcase a strong, powerful Davis, and the music is quite enjoyable.