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This album is taken from two sessions in 1956. On one (which contributes a single track, “’Round Midnight”), Miles Davis is joined by John Coltrane on tenor saxophone, Red Garland on piano, Paul Chambers on bass and Philly Joe Jones on drums. On the other four tracks the “modern jazz giants” of the title are Thelonious Monk on piano, Milt Jackson on vibraphone, Percy Heath on bass and Kenny Clarke on drums.

“’Round Midnight” is the shortest track but quite exquisite. Davis takes an intro and the theme at the beginning. He reprises the theme at the end, this time on muted trumpet. In between there’s just enough time for one satisfying solo, which, coming from Coltrane’s intense tenor sax, contrasts neatly in tone with Davis’s trumpet.

On the other tracks, the most prominent roles are played by Davis and Jackson, who take the bulk of the solos. Monk is much quieter by comparison and is very much in the background in the ensemble passages. Davis and Jackson both have beautiful tones. Davis, as is his wont, times the pauses between notes brilliantly, as well as uses a mute quite often to change his tone.

Among other techniques used to introduce variety is the striking change of tempo on two different takes of “The Man I Love”. They start slow through an intro on vibraphone followed by the theme on trumpet. The pace picks up suddenly for a vibraphone solo, followed by the piano taking up the theme, and then a trumpet solo. The theme is played again at the end, at a slower pace, by trumpet, vibraphone and piano.

The brisk-paced “Swing Spring”, the longest track, features extensive solos on vibraphone, piano and trumpet. On this track, Clarke, whose work on the drums is impeccable, comes into the foreground for short bursts, as he does on the lively “Bemsha Swing”.

Two recording sessions in 1954 contributed to this album. On one, from which come the first two tracks, both long, Davis on trumpet has Jay Jay Johnson on trombone and Lucky Thompson on tenor saxophone for company in the front line. On the other, he has only David Schildkraut on alto sax, together with the rhythm section, which is common to both sessions and consists of Horace Silver on piano, Percy Heath on bass and Kenny Clarke on drums.

The first two tracks, the medium-paced “Walkin’” and the fast “Blue and Boogie”, are outstanding. Johnson, who was the greatest exponent of his instrument in the be-bop and hard bop genres, and Thompson not only put in sterling performances themselves but seem to bring out the best in Davis and Silver. All four of them offer long, outstanding solos on “Walkin’”, evidently relishing their turns in the spotlight. “Blue and Boogie” not only features, again, dazzling solos by the foursome, but it also has other kinds of pyrotechnics. It starts with a drum solo and later features a passage in which Thompson and the ensemble alternate in a call-and-response motif which is especially delightful. The much shorter three tracks from the second session suffer greatly by contrast. For one thing, which however is incidental, the recording sounds faint and muffled. Coming to the music proper, neither Davis nor Silver, who at this time was becoming recognised as a virtuoso pianist, is as inspired as on the first session. Together with Schildkraut, they don’t, or don’t have enough time to, come up with the kind of challenge round of soloing that would bring out the best in them. Only the fast-paced “Love Me or Leave Me” features satisfying solos by all three. It also offers a delectable series of exchanges between Davis and Clarke.

JAZZEBEL

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