Focusing on a transformative period in
Miles Davis
' career, the 2024 anthology
Miles '54: The Prestige Recordings
rounds up all of the tracks the legendary jazz trumpeter made for the label that year. Certainly, 1954 was an important time for
Davis
. The rising jazz star had just recovered from heroin addiction, a nagging habit he had struggled with on and off since the late '40s. Clean and fit (he had also started working out in a gym and boxing), he returned to the studio for a handful of sessions that showcased his strong trumpet chops, as well as a renewed creative approach that found him moving further away from bebop and embracing more of the spare lyricism and bluesy swagger that would come to define his work from the late '50s into the '60s. It was a style that took deep inspiration from the work of pianist
Ahmad Jamal
, whose classical-informed playing was a major catalyst for the cool jazz movement. While still evincing a cool atmosphere and often utilizing his distinctive Harmon mute played close to the microphone,
' playing in 1954 was more confident, a style imbued with the rhythmic grooves and bluesy harmonies that prefigured the sleek-edged hard bop and modalism to come. It was also a vibe that would come into full flower on his subsequent albums
Cookin'
,
Relaxin'
Workin'
, and
Steamin'
. Here, he surrounded himself with equally confident and forward-thinking luminaries, including players like pianist
Horace Silver
, saxophonist
Sonny Rollins
, bassist
Percy Heath
, and drummer
Kenny Clarke
, among others. These are tracks that were first released on such 10" LPs as
Miles Davis Quartet
Miles Davis Quintet
Miles Davis with Sonny Rollins
Miles Davis All Stars, Vols. 1
&
2
. Soon after, they were compiled on more well-known albums,
Blue Haze
Walkin'
Bags' Groove
Miles Davis and the Modern Jazz Giants
. Included are classic recordings like
' original versions of "Four" and "Solar," his iconic version of "Walkin'," and puckishly sparring collaborations with
Rollins
, including "Oleo" and "Doxy." All of these are considered essential recordings, and there is nothing but superb playing throughout the
Prestige
box. It also doesn't hurt that we get a nice book of photos and liner notes with writing by
Ashley Kahn
and
Dan Morgenstern
, all of which helps put the recordings in context. That said, given that
recorded some of the tracks on these albums in 1953, such as side A of
, those recordings are not included here. Furthermore, these are just his
sessions and do not include any of his similarly classic 1954 sessions for
Blue Note
. Still, this was arguably the year
came into his own as a bandleader and entered his first truly auteur period, something
spotlights nicely. ~ Matt Collar