Customer Reviews

Cookin' With the Miles Davis Quintet (20 Bit Mastering)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

When Miles Davis formed his classic 1st Quintet, he negotiated a record deal with Columbia records. Before he could release anything through Columbia, however, he had to fulfill recording obligations for the indie label Prestige. In two marathon sessions (May and October '56), the Quintet recorded enough material for four albums: Cookin', Relaxin', Workin' and Steamin'. Cookin' was the first to be released and despite its brief running time (33 minutes), features the strongest material and the best song selection. The two bop tunes, two blues and one ballad provide a balance that isn't really present on the other three albums. "My Funny Valentine" is a quintessential Davis ballad performance, with the mute trumpet and gently swinging rhythm section. "Airegin" and "Tune Up", on the other hand, feature the Quintet at its tightest and most intense - none of the other bop tunes from these sessions come close. Since live recordings of this group aren't easy to come by, Cookin' and the other 3 may be the best taste of what this great group sounded like in person.

This recording is one of the best by this quintet. The set of albums recorded by the Miles Davis Quintet in the late 50's is quintessential Miles Davis--but the other members' performances are just as wonderful. Red Garland is perhaps at his best on these recordings--especially on the last track. His solo there is magnificent.

The recordings also provide a unique opportunity to hear John Coltrane as he develops into a great jazz master.

Definitely a must-buy.

A landmark recording. The Miles Davis quintet was a definite milestone in Davis's long career and this recording was one of the best. A Great bebop performance. Davis lets other musicians in the quintet take lead and they shine through. John Coltrane's performance is brilliant as well as the others in this ensamble. This is just one in a series of the quintents best work. Check out Steamin, Workin, Relaxin and Walkin as well. This recording as with the other recordings during the quintet years will be a fine addition to any Jazz enthusiasts collection.

You've probably read from many other people that Cookin' is one of Miles Davis's best albums, and thus one of the best jazz albums ever. This is all true. What I can add is that this reissue sounds absolutely fantastic. The original OJC CD was a good CD transfer for its day, but on this reissue the sound is much more immediate and sensual. This is just about the best sounding jazz CD from the era that I have heard.

The packaging is the now-standard jewel box plus redundant cardboard cover. No new notes, no bonus tracks, just the classic album in new glory.

More, please, Fantasy - not just from Prestige, but from Riverside and your other great jazz labels!

This is a must for any jazz fan. From the opening tune, My Funny Valentine, Miles and his quintet take you on a sophisticated, and sometimes whimical jazz journey. Cookin' is part of a four recording (Cookin' Steamin' Relaxin', and Workin') set by Prestige. I realy feel that this four recrding set contains Miles' greatest work. Coltrane and Miles achieve an incredible dynamic on tunes such as Valentine, yet seem to enjoy themselves on Airegin.

This is one of the great albums, but in my opinion, Relaxin' was the best of the four. Nonetheless, the jazz fan will not be disappointed with this album.

Some people on here are commenting negatively about the saxaphone soloing in the prestige series... but it didn't bother me. I thought this album was really great and it got me back into jazz.

This is the punchiest of the last recordings of this quintet, which were all named with verbs. This one is the most fun to listen to and also has the coolest picture on the front. There isn't too much to explain, except you probably won't be disappointed if you know anything about these musicians. There's a ballad, a blues, and two burners. Oh yeah WHY COULDN'T "WHEN LIGHTS ARE LOW" BE A SEPARATE TRACK? That doesn't make any sense because there's a clean break between tune up and the last song, and the two are entirely distinct, but they are one track.

Oh well i guess i could stop complaining and split the track myself because otherwise this is a fine and finely balanced performance by miles and trane and those other guys

...but I don't like it as much as Workin', and as I've said in previous reviews, these Prestige recordings aren't much to write home about. I definitely think if they took the four records from this group and 'downsized' them to two records with the best tracks, we would have some great releases. Unfortunately, these recordings were rushed, and on this particular album, there are only two tracks that I really enjoy, while the rest just seem to drag on.

One of my favorites here is the hard-swinging Sonny Rollins original, 'Airegin' which also appears on BAGS GROOVE by Miles Davis. This version has more feeling, and really showcases Philly Joe Jones on drums and Red Garland on piano. My only complaint is the solos could be a bit longer, with the song only clocking in at a short [4:22]. This is a letdown, especially after 'My Funny Valentine' and 'Blues by Five' which are bland, and tend to drag on. The other highlight is 'Tune-up/When the Lights Are Low,' which is also classic be-bop. It has some of the most intense trumpet playing I've heard from Miles from these pre-Columbia Records days. Paul Chambers also shows his skills in mastering harmonies with some of his walking-style bass lines.

This is a decent record, but it has a short playing time. I don't enjoy this as much as Workin', but it's worth checking out if your a Miles fan. Most of this early prestige Miles is boring, because he had not yet evolved into his modal playing we hear on records like KIND OF BLUE or Coltrane's GIANT STEPS.

this Disc is all that&more.The Quintet is Cooking all the way thru.Hearing a Fresh John Coltrane is a must alone.the music never lets up.You Feel Genius all the way thru.this is one of Miles Many Great Albums but this is a Must Right away.