This Craft Recordings vinyl is a superb introduction to vintage Miles Davis.
Miles Davis – The Best Of Miles Davis – Prestige (1955/1956)/Craft Recordings [3/13/2026] CR00931, 47:16 ****1/2:
(Miles Davis – trumpet; John Coltrane – tenor saxophone; Red Garland – piano; Paul Chambers – double bass; “Philly” Joe Jones – drums)
The career of Miles Davis has reached several crescendos. One of his earliest successes came in the mid 1950’s at Prestige Records. In one stretch (just under a year), Davis cut 32 tracks at Rudy Van Gelder’s Hackensack, New Jersey studio. This was the genesis of first Miles Davis Quintet featuring Red Garland (piano), Paul Chambers (double bass), Philly Joe Jones (drums) and John Coltrane (tenor saxophone/replacing Sonny Rollins). These cuts would appear on albums like The New Miles Davis Quintet Cookin’, Relaxin’, Workin’ and Steamin’.
This era of Miles Davis’ catalog has been reissued in various formats. Craft Recordings has released a new single vinyl, The Best Of Miles Davis. Eight tracks consisting of popular and jazz standards, are performed in hard bop and balladry arrangements. Side A opens with Duke Ellington’s “Just Squeeze Me”. Davis’ lyrical interpretation is glowing on muted trumpet. As the rhythm section anchors the jam with a deliberate tempo, Coltrane offers a forceful, restrained solo, before handing it off to Garland. His bluesy, expansive run is smooth. With bebop resonance, “Oleo” is propelled by Chambers’ lithe, percolating runs. Davis returns on mute with his trademark no-vibrato tonality. Coltrane cuts loose with abandon as the band matches the intensity, Garland percolates with left hand walking riffs. Davis returns with articulate notation and pushes the tonality.
A certain highlight is the creative version of Monk’s ‘’’Round Midnight”. Davis’ exquisite melodic lead captures the introspective melancholy of Monk. At the 2:33 mark, the ensemble shifts to gentle swing mode with Coltrane adding grittiness. A deft maneuver back to balladry concludes the number. As Davis was creating new jazz styles, he remained deeply rooted in bebop/swing. Sonny Rollins’ “Airegin” is explosive (up to 250 B.P.M.), as Garland, Chambers and Jones establish a frenzied groove. Davis and Coltrane begin with a bold harmonic intro as Garland adds a bluesy vamp. Davis (no mute) delivers an incendiary, bristling lead and solo. He hands it off to Coltrane for more dynamic improvisation. The arrangement is complex and the quintet’s cohesion is palpable.
Side B kicks off with one of Davis’ revered milestones, “My Funny Valentine”. This song was a Broadway show classic by Rodgers and Hart, and now is a jazz touchstone. After Garland’s sinewy intro, Davis enters gracefully on muted trumpet. He distills the moody essence of the piece with clarity and tenderness. At 2:23, the group shifts into finger-snapping cool swing with Garland exuding buoyancy and nimble elocution. Things slow back down for the second chorus, showcasing Davis’ technical expertise and artistic vision.
Another Monk composition (“Well You Needn’t”) is a celebration of hard bop aesthetics. This version is more melodic than Monk’s. After the rollicking opening with Coltrane, Davis glides on his brisk runs. Trane keeps up the intensity and Garland is “down ’n’ dirty” on piano. Chambers has an interesting bowed solo and the bridge has unique chord changes. Reprising slower aesthetics, “You’re My Everything” radiates a sensual feel, fueled by muted trumpet. There is a laid-back groove that Coltrane joins with a deft touch. Philly Joe Jones drives the quintet on the finale, “Four”. This is classic hard bop with Davis’ angular play injecting a raw urgency that is mirrored by Coltrane and Garland.
The Best Of Miles Davis is a bona fide introduction to a jazz icon. This new vinyl is excellent with very little surface noise. Van Gelder’s original meticulous sound is intact.
Highly recommended!
—Robbie Gerson
The Best of Miles Davis
TrackList:
Side A: Just Squeeze Me; Oleo; ‘Round Midnight; Airegin
Side B: My Funny Valentine; Well, You Needn’t; You’re My Everything; Four
