Craft Recordings releases a great 3-LP re-mastered vinyl set of 1955 Miles Davis recordings.
Miles Davis 55: The Prestige Recordings (1955)/Craft Recordings [8/22/2025] deluxe180-gram 3-LP box set *****:
(Miles Davis – trumpet; Sonny Rollins – tenor saxophone; Red Garland – piano; Paul Chambers – double bass; Philly Joe Jones – drums; Oscar Pettiford – double bass; Milt Jackson – vibraphone; Ray Bryant – piano; Percy Heath – double bass; Art Taylor – drums; Jackie McLean – alto saxophone; John Coltrane – tenor saxophone)
By 1955, Miles Davis ascension to the jazz summit was fully underway. His first Great Quintet (Sonny Rollins, Red Garland, Paul Chambers and Philly Joe Jones) was formed. That year, Davis recorded three albums for Prestige, utilizing different ensembles. The music drew on hard bop aesthetics, but was evolving into more lyrical melodic arrangements. This period was integral to Davis’ captivating influence on the jazz world. Craft Recordings has released a re-mastered 180-gram 3-LP box set of these sessions for Prestige. The first LP is a mixture of original compositions and covers. Davis is joined by Garland, Oscar Pettiford and Jones. Side A opens with an original, “I Didn’t”. With Jones propelling the swing dynamics, Davis’ crisp, vibrato-free trumpet lines soar. Garland is equally brisk in his notation. “Will You Still Be Mine?’ also percolates. Again, Davis and Garland cut loose with near-frenetic energy and fluid notation. Miles creates a pristine tonality and mood changes. “Green Haze” is a bluesy jam, and gets kick-started by a compelling nuanced Garland solo. Davis seamlessly glides into the translation with artistic shading and detailed play. It is a soulful performance. Pettiford adds a sinewy bass run. In a change of pace, “I Saw Your Face Before Me” is a gossamer ballad, voiced by muted trumpet. He interacts gracefully with Garland who also showcases a deliberate tender resonance. Dizzy Gillespie’s ultimate standard, “A Night In Tunisia” swings with some of the exotic motifs and jaunty rhythms of bebop. Davis play is pointed and very colorful. The rhtyhm section stays in lockstep. Garland adds crescendos, and there are magnetic drum fills. “A Girl In Calico” (with Davis back on mute) is a cool, finger-snapping groove fest.
Fronting a different lineup ( Jackie McLean, Ray Bryant, Art Taylor and Milt Jackson), Sides C & D create a new musical tapestry. On “ Dr. Jackie”, Davis and McLean (who wrote this one) begin with harmonious interplay (maybe a touch of call and response) and Jackson’s solos are simply amazing. Davis manages to distill the melody, but maintains an idiomatic jazz expression. McLean’s alto is lively, with bits of stretching, but the tonality is always smooth. The group cover Tad Jones (“Bitty Ditty”) with syncopated timing, spontaneous chord changes and masterful soloing by Davis (two), Jackson and Bryant. This group plays with incendiary, stylish gravitas. “Minor March’ (another McLean tune) is intensely up-tempo and each instrumentalist articulates their unique tempo imprint. Davis’ extended runs are among his best work. “Changes” written by Bryant is a slowed-down bluesy translation. Jackson delivers with excellent timing. But it’s Miles Davis and his glowing muted solo that steals the show. The third disc features John Coltrane (who replaced Sonny Rollins in The Great Quintet) before his impending stardom. Side E commences with a Benny Golson number, “Stablemates”. Davis and Coltrane initiate a unison lead with a skipping bass and fine brush work. Davis’ trumpet is emotive… the listener can feel the music. Coltrane is fulsome with tonal flexibility. Things heat up on “How Am I To Know” with Miles (on mute) taking a pair of solos. A Duke Ellington piece (“Just Squeeze Me”) is a smoky eloquent blues translation. The final side consists of a melancholy, wistful pop reinvention (“There Is No Greater Love”) on muted horn, a soon-to-be Davis standard (“The Theme”) with a scintillating Chambers solo and a smoking hard bop celebration (S’posin’”).
Miles Davis 55: The Prestige Recordings is a superior vinyl box set. It reflects a turning point in jazz recording. The re-mastered sound (Paul Blakemore/CMG Mastering) is balanced and the instrumental tonality is vibrant. There is no surface noise on the 180-gram platters (Kevin Gray/Cohearant Audio), and no hisses or pops. Vinyl aficionados will appreciate the top-notch packaging (including a box with a lid, cut-out design and protective record sleeves), with dazzling art direction (Christopher Beckie). Additionally, the booklet notes by Ashley Kahn and Dan Morgenstern are incisive.
Highest recommended!
—Robbie Gerson
Miles Davis 55
TrackList;
Side A: I Didn’t; Will You Still be Mine?; Green Haze
Side B: I See Your Face Before Me; A Night In Tunisia; A Girl In Calico
Side C: Dr. Jackie Bitty Ditty;
Side D: Minor March; Changes
Side E:Stablemates; How Am I To Know?; Just Squeeze Me
Side F: There Is No Greater Love; The Theme; S’posin’.
