The Miles Davis Quintet: Relaxin' with the Miles Davis Quintet [PRESTIGE / OJC]

Why you'll love it

Relaxin' is one of the four legendary Prestige albums Miles Davis' first great quintet cut in two marathon sessions in 1956, with John Coltrane, Red Garland, Paul Chambers and Philly Joe Jones. Hard bop at its most relaxed and swinging.

This edition

• Single LP, 6 tracks
• Original Jazz Classics pressing
• Recorded at Rudy Van Gelder's studio

About the album

In 1956 Miles Davis had signed with Columbia but still owed Prestige four albums, so he took his quintet into Rudy Van Gelder's Hackensack studio for two sessions and basically played their live set, first takes, no fuss. Those sessions became Cookin', Relaxin', Workin' and Steamin', and they're some of the best small-group jazz ever recorded.

Relaxin' lives up to its name. Miles' muted trumpet on "If I Were a Bell" and "You're My Everything" is gorgeous, the young John Coltrane is already pushing the music forward, and Sonny Rollins' "Oleo" swings like crazy. You can even hear a bit of studio chatter between tunes. Essential for any jazz collection, and a great deal in this Original Jazz Classics pressing.

Also at Kops: more Miles Davis on vinyl · browse Classic Jazz

Tracklist

Listen

On Prestige / Original Jazz Classics, a reissue of the 1958 album.