About

The famed extended recording sessions of the Miles Davis Quintet, wherein they taped the band's basic repertoire (and what a marvelous mixture of jazz originals and standards) in the manner of nightclub sets rather than the repetition of the usual studio takes.

Cookin' was the first to be released and it excited listeners not only with its contents but with its promise of more to come. Davis, Coltrane, Garland, Chambers, and Philly Joe: one of the classic groups in the history of jazz. It established a level of excellence that was to foster a long, successive line of outstanding Davis quintets and sextets through the Fifties and Sixties.

From the muted eloquence of "My Funny Valentine," through the fingerpoppin' "Blues by Five," to the urgent swing of "Airegin" and "Tune-Up," Cookin' has the ability to thrill the listener no matter how many times it is played–the mark of an all-time great performance. – Press Release

Musicians:

Miles Davis, trumpet

John Coltrane, tenor sax

Red Garland, piano

Paul Chambers, bass

Philly Joe Jones, drums

Tracklist:

A1 My Funny Valentine      

A2 Blues By Five    

B1 Airegin 

B2 Tune Up / When Lights Are Low

“The immediate yet somewhat understated ability of each musician to react with ingenuity and precision is expressed in the consistency and singularity of each solo as it is maintained from one musician to the next without the slightest deviation. "Blues by Five" reveals the exceptional symmetry between Davis and Coltrane that allows them to complete each other's thoughts musically. Cookin' features the pairing of "Tune Up/When Lights Are Low" which is, without a doubt, a highlight not only of this mammoth session, but also the entire tenure of Miles Davis' mid-'50s quintet. All the elements converge upon this fundamentally swinging medley. Davis' pure-toned solos and the conversational banter that occurs with Coltrane, and later Garland during "When the Lights Are Low," resound as some of these musicians' finest moments.” – Allmusic

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