Milestones

There are so many late-‘50s classics in the Miles Davis catalog that you can be forgiven for overlooking this extraordinary and aptly named 1958 effort. It was the first time that Cannonball Adderley and John Coltrane recorded together under Davis, and the only time this sextet (also including pianist Red Garland, Paul Chambers, and the soon-to-depart Philly Joe Jones) would record. The album is also famous for its title track, the trumpeter’s first foray into the modal approach—and it sounds like it could have been cut at the later *Kind of Blue* session, even if the tempo is a bit peppy. The rest of the songs are blues variations coming from various composers. Highlights include the fast and furious “Dr. Jekyll,” with Davis channeling his inner Dizzy Gillespie. The strutting “Sid’s Ahead” is a real treat, with Coltrane working his magic on this blues. Davis is famous for his version of Monk’s “’Round Midnight,” but here he does a midtempo version of “Straight, No Chaser” with excellent results. Along with the six original cuts are three alternate takes that only sweeten the pot.

What is immedately noticeable upon listening to Miles Davis' classic first -- and only -- album with his original sextet is how deep the blues presence is on it.