Miles: The New Miles Davis Quintet

Background

In the summer of 1955, Davis performed a noted set at the Newport Jazz Festival, and had been approached by Columbia Records executive George Avakian, offering a contract with the label if he could form a regular band. Davis assembled his first regular quintet to meet a commitment at the Café Bohemia in July, by September the line-up stabilizing to John Coltrane on tenor saxophone, Red Garland on piano, Paul Chambers on bass, and Philly Joe Jones on drums.

Still under contract to Prestige, an arrangement dating back to January 1951, Davis convinced Avakian to buy out his contract with Prestige. The terms of the deal between Avakian and Weinstock allowed Davis to record for Columbia but not release any of the material until Davis fulfilled his remaining duty to Prestige. Davis took the quintet into the Columbia's studio first, on October 26, to record titles that would be issued on Round About Midnight. Three weeks later the quintet entered the studio of Rudy Van Gelder in Hackensack, New Jersey, yielding the six titles for this album. During the following year, Davis and his quintet would record enough material over two Van Gelder sessions to yield "Cookin'", "Relaxin'", "Workin'", and "Steamin'" and fulfill their contractual obligation to Prestige.

Content

The songs were a mix of pop and jazz standards, items familiar enough to present few problems to the fledgling band, given the Prestige policy of offering no compensation for rehearsal time. "The Theme" would continue to be Davis' standard set closer, and Coltrane does not play on "There Is No Greater Love."

Personnel