Miles Davis ‎– The Musings Of Miles (LP)

This is the genesis of the Miles Davis Quintet – ‘The First Great Quintet’ – recorded just a month before Davis was signed by George Avakian for Columbia. It was Davis’ first session with Garland and Jones; John Coltrane and Paul Chambers would join shortly, as it was a condition of Columbia’s recording contract that Davis have a set, working group. Even then, Davis’ junkie past was hard to shake off, with Columbia having to act as guarantor for clubs and booking agents to enable the band to work.

Here, Miles, an avowed Ahmad Jamal fan, offers two numbers unashamedly taken from the pianist’s repertoire and broadly based on his arrangements, ’Will You Still Be Mine’ and ‘A Girl In Calico,’ (something he would increasingly do in the future). As a measure of Davis’ confidence as a player with just piano, bass and drums accompaniment – something he had previously done on record on the 19 May 1953 and 10 March 1954 dates for Prestige (released as a 10-inch album, Miles Davis with the catalogue number PR 161) – show him assured and his sure footed melodicism compelling, his tone full, round and unmistakably his own, and the construction of his solos, especially on the two numbers from Jamal’s repertoire eloquent: an object lesson in what can be achieved by rarely straying from the trumpet’s middle register. ‘A Night In Tunisia’ has Jones using sticks with tiny cymbals attached to the shaft, adding to the exotic flavour of the piece.

Label: Original Jazz Classics ‎– OJC-004

Country: Germany

Media Condition: Very Good Plus (VG+)
Sleeve Condition: Near Mint (NM or M-)

Plays fine but has some superficial marks.