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Some time ago, Dan wrote an article on his favorite Miles Davis album. Since then, I’ve wanted to chime in with my opinion of Miles’ body of work, and now seems as good a time as any.

Most people seem to prefer Miles’ later work after he delved into modal jazz and fusion. This includes his second great quintet which released Nefertiti, among other albums. I prefer his work which preceded the landmark album Kind of Blue, namely his first great quintet. They played a unique flavor of straight-ahead bop which I like because the focus is on the players and their solos. This first quintet included John Coltrane (tenor sax), Red Garland (piano), Paul Chambers (bass), and Philly Joe Jones (drums). They released six albums together, and four of these - Cookin’, Relaxin’, Workin’, and Steamin’ - were all recorded during the same two marathon sessions on May 11 and October 26, 1956. And there were no second takes. This is raw 50’s post-Bird jazz at its best.

Before continuing I need to briefly vent about Coltrane. In general I’m not really a fan of his. When compared to other greats, I think his playing lacks rhythmic variety and melodic structure. Sometimes it just sounds to me like he’s blowing hard and moving his fingers quickly without much thought as to where they actually land. And this is the opinion of someone who played the sax for 14 years. That being said, I enjoy his work with Miles because they have such wildly contrasting styles. At times you’re being serenaded by a thoughtful solo via Miles’ muted trumpet, then before you know it you’re being bombarded by sheets of sound, courtesy of ‘Trane’s tenor. Yet somehow it all fits.

Of the four albums mentioned above, Steamin’ is probably the weakest, which isn’t surprising when considering it was the last of the set to be released. Relaxin’ is my favorite. In addition to the music being of a slightly higher caliber than the others, it has a more personal feel. You can hear the musicians talking between some of the songs, and a false start is even included; it almost gives you the sense that you’re actually at the recording studio with the quintet. Another plus for this album is that Miles opts to mute his trumpet for five of the six tracks, so you get plenty of that signature sound of his. Lastly, it has the best version of Oleo I’ve heard – at times the piano and drums drop out completely to let the trumpet or sax groove with only the bass.

As far as small jazz groups are concerned, Miles’ first great quintet is one of the most influential. I consider their work a must-have if you’re a fan of Miles Davis or 50’s jazz, or if you simply have a penchant for music history.