Miles Davis
was in the process of forming his first classic quintet when he recorded this date, a
Prestige
set reissued by the audiophile label
DCC Compact Classics
. The trumpeter is featured on a quartet outing with pianist
Red Garland
, bassist
Oscar Pettiford
, and drummer
Philly Joe Jones
, playing four
standards
plus a
blues
(
"Green Haze"
) and
"I Didn't,"
his answer to
Thelonious Monk
's
"Well, You Needn't."
Garland
and
Jones
would soon be in
Miles
' group, although the fiery
Pettiford
proved too difficult for the trumpeter to handle and was quickly succeeded by
Paul Chambers
. The interpretations are generally lyrical and melodic; even
"A Night in Tunisia"
sounds a bit mellow. Likable if not essential music. ~ Scott Yanow