Steamin’ With the Miles Davis Quintet

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CD > POPULAR MUSIC > JAZZ

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Steamin’ is the last of the classic albums Prestige Records released from various sessions trumpeter Miles Davis recorded between November 1955 and October 1956 with his historic “first” quintet, including tenor saxophonist John Coltrane, pianist Red Garland, bassist Paul Chambers, and drummer Philly Joe Jones. Together with Cookin’ (also available in an audiophile format), Relaxin’ (also available in an audiophile format), and Workin’ (also available in an audiophile format), Steamin’ completes a series of memorable recordings masterfully engineered by Rudy Van Gelder that remains a definitive manifesto from the hard-bop era. One dynamic that gave this quintet its distinctive edge is the contrast between Davis’s introspective playing on ballads (“When I Fall In Love,” “Something I Dreamed Last Night”) and Coltrane’s hard-blowing passion (“Salt Peanuts,” “Well You Needn’t”). Another is the interplay between Garland, Chambers, and Jones, who are not only consummate accompanists, but all-star soloists as well. The version of “Surrey with the Fringe on Top” here is a quintessential performance by this remarkable quintet. –Mitchell Feldman