''Workin' with the Miles Davis Quintet'' is a studio album by the
Miles Davis quintet
A quintet is a group containing five members. It is commonly associated with musical groups, such as a string quintet, or a group of five singers, but can be applied to any situation where five similar or related objects are considered a single ...
recorded in 1956 and released circa January 1960.
Two sessions on May 11, 1956, and October 26 in the same year resulted in four albums—this one, ''
Relaxin' with the Miles Davis Quintet'', ''
Steamin' with the Miles Davis Quintet'' and ''
Cookin' with the Miles Davis Quintet''.
Track 2 is a composition written for Davis by
Eddie Vinson
Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson (born Edward L. Vinson Jr.; December 18, 1917 – July 2, 1988) was an American jump blues, jazz, bebop and R&B alto saxophonist and blues shouter. He was nicknamed Cleanhead after an incident in which his hair was ...
(see ''
Blue Haze'' for more details). "Trane's Blues" (also known as "Vierd Blues", a tongue-in-cheek reference to
Blue Note
In jazz and blues, a blue note is a note that—for expressive purposes—is sung or played at a slightly different pitch from standard. Typically the alteration is between a quartertone and a semitone, but this varies depending on the musical c ...
founder
Francis Wolff's heavily accented verdict on it), also credited to Davis, is in fact a
John Coltrane
John William Coltrane (September 23, 1926 – July 17, 1967) was an American jazz saxophonist, bandleader and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music.
Born and raise ...
composition (originally titled "John Paul Jones", and from an earlier session led by bassist
Paul Chambers; before the closing statement of theme, Coltrane and Davis play a bit of
Charlie Parker's "The Hymn").
Background
As his star rose in 1955, Davis formed a
new quintet, featuring saxophonist
John Coltrane
John William Coltrane (September 23, 1926 – July 17, 1967) was an American jazz saxophonist, bandleader and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music.
Born and raise ...
, pianist
Red Garland, bassist
Paul Chambers, and drummer
Philly Joe Jones
Joseph Rudolph "Philly Joe" Jones (July 15, 1923 – August 30, 1985) was an American jazz drummer.
Biography Early career
As a child, Jones appeared as a featured tap dancer on ''The Kiddie Show'' on the Philadelphia radio station WIP. He wa ...
. In order to fulfill contractual obligations, he recorded lengthy, spontaneous songs with the quintet, which were released over four albums—''Workin'', ''
Cookin''', ''
Relaxin''', and ''
Steamin' with the Miles Davis Quintet''.
Track listing
Prestige – LP 7166:
All tracks recorded on May 11, 1956, except "Half Nelson", recorded on October 26.
Personnel
*
Miles Davis – trumpet
*
John Coltrane
John William Coltrane (September 23, 1926 – July 17, 1967) was an American jazz saxophonist, bandleader and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music.
Born and raise ...
– tenor saxophone (except 1)
*
Red Garland – piano
*
Paul Chambers – bass, cello
*
Philly Joe Jones
Joseph Rudolph "Philly Joe" Jones (July 15, 1923 – August 30, 1985) was an American jazz drummer.
Biography Early career
As a child, Jones appeared as a featured tap dancer on ''The Kiddie Show'' on the Philadelphia radio station WIP. He wa ...
– drums
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Workin With The Miles Davis Quintet
1960 albums
Miles Davis albums
Prestige Records albums
Albums produced by Bob Weinstock
Albums recorded at Van Gelder Studio