Workin' with the Miles Davis Quintet
Encyclopedia
Workin' with the Miles Davis Quintet is an album recorded in 1956 by Miles Davis
. Two sessions on 11 May 1956 and 26 October 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
(see Blue Haze
for more details). "Trane's Blues" (also known as "Vierd Blues", a tongue-in-cheek reference to Blue Note
founder Francis Wolff
's heavily-accented verdict on it), also credited to Davis, is in fact a John Coltrane
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".)
On "Half Nelson", Paul Chambers
plays the bassline on a cello
.
All tracks recorded on May 11, 1956, except "Half Nelson", recorded on October 26.
Miles Davis
Miles Dewey Davis III was an American jazz musician, trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. Widely considered one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Miles Davis was, with his musical groups, at the forefront of several major developments in jazz music, including bebop, cool jazz,...
. Two sessions on 11 May 1956 and 26 October in the same year resulted in four albums—this one, Relaxin' with The Miles Davis Quintet
Relaxin' with the Miles Davis Quintet
Relaxin' with The Miles Davis Quintet is an album recorded in 1956 by Miles Davis. Two sessions on 11 May 1956 and 26 October in the same year resulted in four albums—this one, Steamin' with The Miles Davis Quintet, Workin' with The Miles Davis Quintet and Cookin' with the Miles Davis Quintet...
, Steamin' with The Miles Davis Quintet
Steamin' with the Miles Davis Quintet
Steamin' with the Miles Davis Quintet is an album recorded in 1956 by Miles Davis. 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, Workin' with The Miles Davis Quintet and Cookin' with the Miles Davis Quintet...
and Cookin' with the Miles Davis Quintet
Cookin' with the Miles Davis Quintet
Cookin' with the Miles Davis Quintet is an album recorded in 1956 by the Miles Davis Quintet. Two sessions 11 May 1956 and 26 October in the same year resulted in four albums—this one, Relaxin' with The Miles Davis Quintet, Steamin' with The Miles Davis Quintet and Workin' with The Miles Davis...
. Track 2 is a composition written for Davis by Eddie Vinson
Eddie Vinson
Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson 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 accidentally destroyed by lye contained in a hair straightening product.-Biography:Vinson was born in Houston, Texas...
(see Blue Haze
Blue Haze
Blue Haze is an album recorded in 1953 and 1954 by Miles Davis for Prestige Records. The first track on the album is from the 3 April 1954 session which resulted in half of the album Walkin...
for more details). "Trane's Blues" (also known as "Vierd Blues", a tongue-in-cheek reference to Blue Note
Blue note
In jazz and blues, a blue note is a note sung or played at a slightly lower pitch than that of the major scale for expressive purposes. Typically the alteration is a semitone or less, but this varies among performers and genres. Country blues, in particular, features wide variations from the...
founder Francis Wolff
Francis Wolff
Francis Wolff was a record company executive, photographer and record producer....
's heavily-accented verdict on it), also credited to Davis, is in fact a John Coltrane
John Coltrane
John William Coltrane was an American jazz saxophonist and composer. Working in the bebop and hard bop idioms early in his career, Coltrane helped pioneer the use of modes in jazz and later was at the forefront of free jazz...
composition (originally titled "John Paul Jones", and from an earlier session led by bassist Paul Chambers
Paul Chambers
Paul Laurence Dunbar Chambers, Jr. was a jazz bassist. A fixture of rhythm sections during the 1950s and 1960s, his importance in the development of jazz bass can be measured not only by the length and breadth of his work in this short period but also his impeccable time, intonation, and virtuosic...
. Before the closing statement of theme, Coltrane and Davis play a bit of Charlie Parker
Charlie Parker
Charles Parker, Jr. , famously called Bird or Yardbird, was an American jazz saxophonist and composer....
's "The Hymn".)
On "Half Nelson", Paul Chambers
Paul Chambers
Paul Laurence Dunbar Chambers, Jr. was a jazz bassist. A fixture of rhythm sections during the 1950s and 1960s, his importance in the development of jazz bass can be measured not only by the length and breadth of his work in this short period but also his impeccable time, intonation, and virtuosic...
plays the bassline on a cello
Cello
The cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
.
Track listing
- "It Never Entered My MindIt Never Entered My Mind"It Never Entered My Mind" is a show tune from the 1940 Rodgers and Hart musical Higher and Higher , where it was introduced by Shirley Ross.-Notable recordings:...
" (Richard RodgersRichard RodgersRichard Charles Rodgers was an American composer of music for more than 900 songs and for 43 Broadway musicals. He also composed music for films and television. He is best known for his songwriting partnerships with the lyricists Lorenz Hart and Oscar Hammerstein II...
) – 5:26 - "Four" (Miles DavisMiles DavisMiles Dewey Davis III was an American jazz musician, trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. Widely considered one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Miles Davis was, with his musical groups, at the forefront of several major developments in jazz music, including bebop, cool jazz,...
) – 7:15 - "In Your Own Sweet Way" (Dave BrubeckDave BrubeckDavid Warren "Dave" Brubeck is an American jazz pianist. He has written a number of jazz standards, including "In Your Own Sweet Way" and "The Duke". Brubeck's style ranges from refined to bombastic, reflecting his mother's attempts at classical training and his improvisational skills...
) – 5:45 - "The Theme" [take 1] (Davis) – 2:01
- "Trane's Blues" (a.k.a "Vierd Blues") (John Coltrane) – 8:35
- "Ahmad's Blues" (Ahmad JamalAhmad JamalAhmad Jamal is an innovative and influential American jazz pianist, composer, and educator. According to Stanley Crouch, Jamal is second in importance in the development of jazz after 1945 only to Charlie Parker...
) – 7:26 - "Half Nelson" (Davis) – 4:48
- "The Theme" [take 2] (Davis) – 1:03
All tracks recorded on May 11, 1956, except "Half Nelson", recorded on October 26.
Performers
- Miles DavisMiles DavisMiles Dewey Davis III was an American jazz musician, trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. Widely considered one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Miles Davis was, with his musical groups, at the forefront of several major developments in jazz music, including bebop, cool jazz,...
– trumpet - John ColtraneJohn ColtraneJohn William Coltrane was an American jazz saxophonist and composer. Working in the bebop and hard bop idioms early in his career, Coltrane helped pioneer the use of modes in jazz and later was at the forefront of free jazz...
– tenor saxophoneTenor saxophoneThe tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor, with the alto, are the two most common types of saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B, and written as a transposing instrument in the treble... - Red GarlandRed GarlandWilliam "Red" Garland was an American hard bop jazz pianist whose block chord style, in part originated by Milt Buckner, influenced many forthcoming pianists in the jazz idiom.-Beginnings:...
– piano - Paul ChambersPaul ChambersPaul Laurence Dunbar Chambers, Jr. was a jazz bassist. A fixture of rhythm sections during the 1950s and 1960s, his importance in the development of jazz bass can be measured not only by the length and breadth of his work in this short period but also his impeccable time, intonation, and virtuosic...
– bass, celloCelloThe cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is... - Philly Joe JonesPhilly Joe JonesJoseph Rudolph Jones was a Philadelphia-born United States jazz drummer, known as the drummer for the Miles Davis Quintet.Philly Joe Jones was often confused with another influential jazz drummer, Jo Jones...
– drums