Personnel: Miles Davis (trumpet); Sonny Stitt (alto & tenor saxophones); John Coltrane (tenor saxophone); Wynton Kelly (piano); Paul Chambers (bass); Jimmy Cobb (drums).
Recorded live at the Concert Hall, Stockholm, Sweden on March 22 & October 13, 1960. Includes liner notes by Jan Lohmann.
Digitally remastered by Torbjorn Samuelsson (Digitalfabriken).
The Swedish label Dragon released two Miles Davis Quintet live shows in their entirety on this deluxe three-CD set. This was a unique time for Miles--his music was in the transitional period between playing standards over given chord patterns ("On Green Dolphin Street") and improvising more freely with the modal approach ("So What,""All Blues") that would be so influential in '60s and '70s jazz and experimental rock.
John Coltrane was nearing the end of his stay with Miles' band. Many would try to fill his shoes, including alto & tenor sax legend Sonny Stitt. The fact that this line-up would never record in the studio makes this set all the more valuable. All the players are at their peaks here, and the sound quality, though not up to today's digital standards, is excellent (you can feel Chambers' bass playing). Fans of Miles, Trane, Stitt and outstanding jazz rejoice!
