Miles Davis - At Newport 1958 (LP)

In 1955, Miles Davis formed his first of two "Great Quintets" that would grow to be the most important pillars of his illustrious career. Apart from a few changes here and there, this quintet featured John Coltrane on tenor sax, Red Garland on piano, Paul Chambers on bass, and Philly Joe Jones on drums. In '58, Davis added drummer Jimmy Cobb, pianist Bill Evans, and altoist Cannonball Adderley, technically changing the quintet into a sextet.

The group's performance at the Newport Jazz Festival 1958 marked the live debut of this new formation, and it's clear that Davis knew something the world didn't yet: that this group was capable of reaching larger-than-life heights. The set is played with such voraciousness, almost as if they're telling the world to get ready for an evolution of jazz. In hindsight, this might be an easy claim to make, but about six months after this performance this exact group indeed changed the trajectory of jazz forever by creating the masterpiece Kind Of Blue.

In 1964, part of this concert was released together with two performances by the Thelonious Monk Quartet at Newport '63, and years later, in 2001, the full concert was released on CD.

At Newport 1958 is available in its entirety on vinyl, and officially licensed by Sony Music for the first time, including an insert with liner notes by Bob Blumenthal. 

50s jazz

The small print:
• Due to rights restrictions, this item is only available for customers in Europe.