The First Classic Quintet

Miles Davis (right) and John Coltrane

Paul Chambers

In 1955, Davis formed his first classic Quintet. The band consisted of John Coltrane on tenor saxophone, Paul Chambers on bass, Red Garland on piano, and Philly Joe Jones on drums. Although they were only together for about three years, they produced a plethora of classic records that included 'Round About Midnight, Cookin', Relaxin', Workin', and Steamin'. What is so remarkable about the last four is that they were recorded in two days in May and October 1956. This was because Davis was still under contract to Prestige Records. He had an obligation to record four more albums for them before he could jump ship to Columbia, so he was obviously eager to get it over with. However,  the quality of the music did not suffer in the slightest, as these albums are considered luminous examples of 1950s jazz. This was a talented group. John Coltrane was not only immensely gifted, but he practiced obsessively-- by some reports, up to 12 hours a day. This gave him a technical proficiency that became the envy of other saxophone players. Coltrane would develop a style known as "sheets of sound" and became famous-- or infamous, depending on who you ask-- for playing solos that would last for a half hour or more. Paul Chambers was only 20 years old when he joined the band, but he was already a well-rounded and dependable bassist. Unfortunately, he too would develop addictions to heroin and alcohol and would die at the age of 33. Red Garland's melodic playing fit in nicely with Mile's style, and Philly Joe Jones was a dynamic and powerful drummer, who became Davis's all-time favorite. Miles would add alto saxophonist Julian "Cannonball" Adderley in 1958, and the newly-formed sextet would record Milestones in February and March of that year. This was a record that would end up being a turning point in Davis' career. Milestones would use modal scales instead of strict chord progressions, and this created more melodic and less restrictive music. Charles Edward Smith in his original liner notes for the album remarked: "...there is a solid swing in the strong dance tempo of Milestones-- one of the great jazz performances of 1958..." This would be the only record that this sextet would make, as Miles would add new players in the following months. However, Milestones opened the door to the future of his music. This includes Kind of Blue, regarded by many as his masterpiece, and a shining diamond in the history of recorded sound.