Throughout
a professional career lasting 50 years, Miles Davis played
the trumpet in a lyrical, introspective, and melodic style,
often employing a stemless Harmon mute to make his sound
more personal and intimate. But if his approach to his instrument
was constant, his approach to jazz was dazzlingly protean.
To examine his career is to examine the history of jazz
from the mid-'40s to the early '90s, since he was in the
thick of almost every important innovation and stylistic
development in the music during that period, and he often
led the way in those changes, both with his own performances
and recordings and by choosing sidemen and collaborators
who forged new directions. It can even be argued that jazz
stopped evolving when Davis wasn't there to push it forward.
The
tracks on this album were recorded in the early to mid 50s
and display his very personal style of improvisation and
also feature some of the great musicians of the time including
Benny Green on trombone, Sonny Rollins on Tenor Sax, Chalres
Mingus on bass, Max Roach and Art Blakey on Drums.
