Best Of Miles Davis CD

Personnel: Miles Davis (trumpet); Dave Schildkraut (alto saxophone); Lucky Thompson, Sonny Rollins (tenor saxophone); John Richard Lewis (piano); Oscar Pettiford, Paul Chambers, Percy Heath (bass instrument); John Coltrane (tenor saxophone); J.J. Johnson (trombone); Horace Silver, Red Garland (piano); Kenny Clarke, Max Roach, Philly Joe Jones (drums).
Audio Remasterer: Ken Felton.
Liner Note Author: Eugene Holley, Jr.
Recording information: New York, NY (05/19/1953-10/26/1956); Van Gelder Studios, Hackensack, NJ (05/19/1953-10/26/1956).
Author: Miles Davis.
Photographer: Don Schlitten.
The Best of Miles Davis opens with a spectacular version of "A Night in Tunisia," with trumpeter Davis and pianist Red Garland circling around the melody and playing against Oscar Pettiford's bass and Philly Joe Jones' backbeat. The connection between the players and the edginess of the solos leave the listener with one fear: Will anything on the disc be able to equal "A Night in Tunisia"'s intensity? Despite the challenge, Davis and colleagues like tenor John Coltrane, pianist Horace Silver, and drummer Max Roach meet the high mark again and again. First there are pieces like "Doxy" and "Airegin" featuring tenor Sonny Rollins, Silver, bassist Percy Heath, and drummer Kenny Clarke. "Airegin" in particular, really cooks, with Heath's bass driving the horns forward for some stellar solo work. Then there are the pieces like "If I Could Write a Book," "Oleo," and "The Theme" with Coltrane, Garland, bassist Paul Chambers, and Jones. The rhythm section here has snap, providing an edge for the soloists to play against. The Best of Miles Davis closes with the sunny "When Lights Are Low" from 1953, offering a signpost to just how far Davis had traveled between 1953 and 1956. For anyone wondering what jazz's best-known trumpeter was doing in the mid-'50s, this disc should fit the bill. ~ Ronnie D. Lankford, Jr.
Miles Davis had so many phases over the course of his career (most of them groundbreaking) that ranking their importance seems futile, but one of the most significant was his tenure at Prestige (1951-1956). During this period, Davis refined his signature "cool" trumpet sound (characterized by his breathy tone and spare, spacious phrasing) and formed his first long-running quintet with drummer Philly Joe Jones, bassist Paul Chambers, pianist Red Garland, and John Coltrane on tenor saxophone.
THE BEST OF MILES DAVIS is a strong 10-song sampler of his Prestige work, featuring five tracks by the great quintet (the treatments of two Sonny Rollins tunes, "Airegin" and "Oleo," are especially noteworthy). The personnel on the other tracks--including Rollins himself on tenor sax, pianist Horace Silver, bassist Percy Heath, trombonist J.J. Johnson, and drummers Kenny Clarke and Max Roach--represent the cream of the jazz world at the time. The music ranges from simmering bop ("I'll Remember April") to lightly swinging balladry ("When Lights Are Low"), and is sophisticated, complex, beautiful, and among the best of its era. Though the individual Prestige albums are all important, THE BEST OF provides a fine introduction to this classic music.