Amazon.com essential recording
The first
great Miles Davis quintet included John Coltrane, Red Garland, Philly Joe Jones, and Paul Chambers, a group whose every record, honestly, is worthy of attention. The string of LPs, recorded in a blistering artistic marathon in 1956 and released originally on Prestige, is collected on the magnificent eight-CD
Chronicle: The Complete Prestige Recordings and draws from their exceptional nightly club repertoire.
Cookin' opens with "My Funny Valentine," just as Davis often did on gigs during this period. It gets a slight edge over the other Prestige titles of this group only because it offers a nice balance of ballads, blues, and hard-bop warhorses. Coltrane at this point lacked the consistency and otherworldly inspiration of his later work, but he was playing with a force and even a recklessness that contrasted with Davis's quiet ruminations. But on this record Davis is inspired and witty, and Coltrane matches him all the way. Meanwhile, an all-star rhythm section follows them at every step, helping create an organic unity among equals that was unprecedented in jazz before this group.
--John Szwed
Album Details
Trumpeter Miles Davis (along with tenor-saxophonist John Coltrane, pianist Red Garland, bassist Paul Chambers and drummer Philly Joe Jones) are heard on this CD reissue performing such tunes as My Funnny Valentine (Davis's earliest version of this standard), Blues by Five, Airegin and a medley of Tune Up and When Lights Are Low. From the OJC/ Prestige label.
