Biography
The quintet Miles Davis led from 1955 to 1957 earned lasting recognition as one of the most compelling bebop groups of its decade despite its brief span. Within the band, divergent artistic temperaments did not merely coexist but actively reinforced and motivated one another. The front line paired Davis with John Coltrane, whose intense and fervent tenor saxophone stood in marked contrast to the trumpeter’s restrained, understated phrasing and cool tonal palette. Davis, whose Birth of the Cool sessions of 1949-1950 established the cool-jazz aesthetic and whose economical approach served as Chet Baker’s chief model, avoided superfluous notes, while Coltrane’s improvisations typically unfolded at greater length. Even so, these contrasting personalities produced a consistently unified ensemble sound.
Davis assembled the unit in 1955, engaging Coltrane and a firmly anchored rhythm section of bassist Paul Chambers, drummer Philly Joe Jones—distinct from the earlier swing-era drummer Jo Jones—and the lyrical pianist Red Garland. The 1955-1956 studio dates produced four Prestige albums—Cookin’, Relaxin’, Workin’, and Steamin’—along with Round About Midnight on Columbia. Although the quintet formally disbanded in early 1957, its members reconvened briefly in 1958 to form a sextet that incorporated alto saxophonist Cannonball Adderley and yielded the Columbia release Milestones. Davis and Coltrane continued their association through 1959, the year of the influential modal landmark Kind of Blue, but in 1960 Coltrane launched his own ensemble and departed the trumpeter’s group permanently.
Davis assembled the unit in 1955, engaging Coltrane and a firmly anchored rhythm section of bassist Paul Chambers, drummer Philly Joe Jones—distinct from the earlier swing-era drummer Jo Jones—and the lyrical pianist Red Garland. The 1955-1956 studio dates produced four Prestige albums—Cookin’, Relaxin’, Workin’, and Steamin’—along with Round About Midnight on Columbia. Although the quintet formally disbanded in early 1957, its members reconvened briefly in 1958 to form a sextet that incorporated alto saxophonist Cannonball Adderley and yielded the Columbia release Milestones. Davis and Coltrane continued their association through 1959, the year of the influential modal landmark Kind of Blue, but in 1960 Coltrane launched his own ensemble and departed the trumpeter’s group permanently.
Albums
Live
