Today, when most people think of Miles Davis, they think of they guy who played on a lot of funky and way out electronic music, or if you know a bit of history, was the legendary leader on hard bop or post bop classics with John Coltrane on albums like Kind of Blue and ‘Round Midnight” , his sessions with his “Second Classic” Quintet on ESP and his orchestrations with Gil Evans. Very few even know of, let alone consider, his very early days as a proto-bopper. This two disc 49 song collection sets the record straight.
Davis was hired by Charlie Parker as a tonic foil to the leader’s torrid alto, supplying calm and plaintive yang to Bird’s Yin. Davis is actually teamed with the extroverted Dizzy Gillespie (on piano) for “Thriving From A Riff” while conparisons can be made with Davis on “Billie’s Bounce” to Diz’s “Now’s The Time”. Classic bebop standards are created on these Dial and Savoy labels singles such as “Moose The Mooche”, “Yardbird Suite”, “A Night In Tunisia” and “Donna Lee” with Davis holding his own. A gruff and muscular Coleman Hawkins on tenor embraces the modern sounds with Davis on “Bean-A Re-Bop” and “The way You Look Tonight”. There’s also a “live” All Star meeting with Parker, Al Haig/p, Tommy Potter/b and Max Roach/dr on a sizzling read of “Groovin’ High”.
Davis gets his chance at being a leader with Parker on tenor sax, Roach and pianist John Lewis with bassist Nelson Boyd on the original version of the cool toned “Milestones” which set the pace for his legendary Birth of the Cool sessions a few years down the read. Also featured are his debuts of tunes that were later part of his regular repertoire, “Little Willie Leaps” and “Half Nelson”, later to show up in a more hard bop vein.
The take away here is that Davis knew his limitations at the time, but turned them into his strength, already learning that playing two important notes is better than a flurry of unimportant ones. Here is the workshop and lab for the idea that put jazz in a new direction.