The Legendary Prestige Quintet Sessions

Miles Davis

So which was the greater Miles Davis quintet, the legendary postbop band of the '60s featuring Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Tony Williams and Ron Carter or the proto-bebop unit of the '50s featuring the emerging John Coltrane? As properly celebrated as the former is, a strong argument can be made for the latter, which in pouring out five albums' worth of material for Prestige in three marathon sessions (to fulfill a contract) took the group aesthetic to dazzling heights--and has been endlessly imitated ever since. Driven by the rhythm section of Red Garland, Paul Chambers and Philly Jones, this band was a remarkable blend of whiplash power and airy emotion--not always perfect or polished, but with the sublimely contained Davis and fiercely uncontainable Coltrane playing off each other, always eventful. (The familiar songs include "Oleo," "If I Were a Bell," "Four" and "My Funny Valentine.") To entice those who already own Chronicles: The Complete Prestige Recordings (1951-1956) or the individual quintet albums (including "Cookin'" and "Relaxin'"), The Legendary Prestige Quintet Sessions offers a bonus disc featuring previously unrecorded radio and TV performances from 1955-58 of acceptable sound quality. Two tracks are from a 1955 installment of The Tonight Show with Steve Allen (whose hipster reputation is retroactively diminished by his painfully square remarks). An intriguing later track, pointing toward Kind of Blue, features Bill Evans at the piano. The enhanced portion of disc four includes transcriptions of five Davis solos. Though the package's cover painting by Davis won't make anyone forget Picasso, the 40-page booklet boasts characteristically incisive notes by Bob Blumenthal. --Lloyd Sachs

More Miles Davis

Walkin'
Chronicle: The Complete Prestige Recordings (1951-1956)
Prestige Profiles
Kind of Blue
The Complete Bitches Brew Sessions
The Complete Columbia Recordings, Miles Davis & John Coltrane