[SACD-R][OF] Miles Davis - Steamin’ With the Miles Davis Quintet - 1961/2014 (Jazz, Hard Bop)

Of Miles Davis's many bands, none was more influential and popular than the quintet with John Coltrane, Red Garland, Paul Chambers, and Philly Joe Jones. Davis' muted ballads and medium-tempo standards endeared him to the public. The horns' searing exposition of classics like "Salt Peanuts" and "Well, You Needn't" captivated musicians. The searching, restless improvisations of Coltrane intrigued listeners who had a taste for adventure. The flawless rhythm section became a model for bands everywhere.
All of the stylistic elements that made Miles Davis’ 1956 quintet one of the immortal bands in jazz history are on display in this collection. “Surrey with the Fringe on Top” and “Diane” are medium-tempo standards that highlight the contrast between the leader’s Harmon-muted horn, the explorations of John Coltrane’s tenor sax and Red Garland’s sparkling piano. “Salt Peanuts” and “Well, You Needn’t,” each a modern jazz classic, allow for intense swinging over the beat of Paul Chambers’ bass and Philly Joe Jones’ drums. And “Something I Dreamed Last Night” and “When I Fall in Love” give us vulnerable, visceral ballad playing by Davis that remains unsurpassed. This album was originally released in 1961.
"The end results are consistently astonishing. At the center of Steamin', as with most outings by this band, are the group improvisations which consist of solo upon solo of arguably the sweetest and otherwise most swinging interactions known to have existed between musicians...Although there is no original material on Steamin', it may best represent the ability of the Miles Davis quintet to take standards and rebuild them to suit their qualifications." -Lindsay Planer, allmusic.com