The Miles Davis Quintet The Legendary Prestige Quintet Sessions 180g 6LP

Stereophile March 2020 issue: Performance: 5 Stars / Sonics: 3 Stars

The 42 tunes that make up Miles Davis' famed quintet sessions – feat. John Coltrane, Red Garland, Paul Chambers and Philly Joe Jones - have nearly all become classics, and have resulted in several iconic albums. Originally released in 2006, this critically-acclaimed collection returns in vinyl format. Includes 6 LPs, plus a 20-page booklet with notes by Jazz historian Bob Blumenthal. The final LP contains audio recordings from eight TV and radio performances by the quintet.

In the summer of 1955, Miles Davis performed a noted set at the Newport Jazz Festival, and had been approached by Columbia Records executive George Avakian, offering a contract with the label if he could form a regular band. Davis assembled his first regular quintet to meet a commitment at the Café Bohemia in July with Sonny Rollins on tenor saxophone, Red Garland on piano, Paul Chambers on bass and Philly Joe Jones on drums. By the autumn Rollins had left, and at the recommendation of Jones, Davis replaced Rollins with John Coltrane.

In January 1951, Prestige Records owner and producer Bob Weinstock signed Davis to a one-year contract; Davis would continue to record for the label into 1956. Weinstock gave Davis an advance of $750, but the company's artists' contracts were often manipulative with low royalties, paying nothing for rehearsal time. With his success at Newport and the formation of the Miles Davis Quintet, Davis convinced Avakian to buy out his contract with Prestige. The terms of the deal between Avakian and Weinstock allowed Davis to record for Columbia but not release any of the material until Davis fulfilled his remaining duty to Prestige. Davis took the quintet into the studio for three marathon dates over a one-year period, meeting his contractual obligations efficiently. Prestige released the results of the first date for the album Miles in 1956, his second specifically for the twelve-inch LP format. The results of the 1956 sessions appeared on the quartet of albums with homophonic titles released from 1957 to 1961.

Davis took the quintet into the studio for three marathon dates over a one-year period, meeting his contractual obligations efficiently. Recording sessions took place at the studio of Rudy Van Gelder in Hackensack, New Jersey, on one date in 1955 and two in 1956. The songs were mostly pop standards, mixed with jazz standards that would have been commonly played by hard bop groups during the 1950s. Prestige released the results of the first date for the album Miles in 1956, his second specifically for the twelve-inch LP format. The results of the 1956 sessions appeared on the quartet of albums with homophonic titles released from 1957 to 1961, Workin', Relaxin', Steamin', and Cookin'.