Coltrane

by Miles Davis

Product Description:

All tracks on 58 SESSIONS were previously released: "On Green Dolphin Street," "Fran Dance" and "Stella By Starlight" on the JAZZ TRACK LP; "Love For Sale" on the BLACK GIANTS compilation LP; and "Straight, No Chaser," "My Funny Valentine" and "Oleo" on JAZZ AT THE PLAZA, VOLUME 1 LP.

Personnel: Miles Davis (trumpet); John Coltrane (tenor saxophone); Julian "Cannonball" Adderley (alto saxophone); Bill Evans (piano); Paul Chambers (bass); Jimmy Cobb (drums).

Producer: Teo Macero.

Compilation producer: Mike Berniker.

Recorded in New York, New York on May 26, 1958 and live at The Plaza Hotel, New York, New York on July 28, 1958. Includes liner notes by Ira Gitler.

In the period following the historic MILESTONES sessions, Miles Davis made some significant personnel changes, documented here in a studio session from May of 1958, and a live gig at The Persian Room of the Plaza Hotel in July. Originally released as parts of JAZZ TRACK, BLACK GIANTS and JAZZ AT THE PLAZA, VOL. 1 respectively, '58 SESSIONS chronicles the transition from the brawny agitation of MILESTONES, to the cerebral tranquility of KIND OF BLUE.

From Bill Evans' first rhapsodic, impressionistic chords on "On Green Dolphin Street," to Jimmy Cobb's buttery brush groove behind Miles, it's clear that a different aesthetic is now in place. The trumpeter has his flotation device in place, but Coltrane and Cannonball come out smoking, doubling and tripling up their syncopations over Paul Chambers transparent counterpoint, as Evans and Cobb toll away lazily. The contrast between hot melodic variations and cool, laid back swing gives the whimsical "Fran Dance," the romantic "Stella By Starlight," and the jumping "Love For Sale" their elemental tension.

The live sides kick off with Monk's "Straight, No Chaser" taken at a brisk tempo, and though Jimmy Cobb lacks Philly Joe's technocratic flair, he and Paul Chambers just lock in, as the horns launch into whirlwind solos. Evans catches onto a tag line at the end of Cannonball's solo, and rides it for all it's worth, scattering Bud Powell-like clusters to the wind. "My Funny Valentine" is stately and serene, while "Oleo" jumps along at a wild Paul Chambers tempo, as Evans' fluid orchestral voicings suggest multiple key centers, and the horns bop until they drop.