Less heralded than their collaboration with
Thelonious Monk (as documented on
Bags' Groove and
Miles Davis and the Modern Jazz Giants), this August 5, 1955 session with vibraphonist
Milt Jackson was
Davis' last all-star collaboration before the formation of his first classic quintet. It marked a farewell to an older generation of acolytes and fellow travelers;
Davis was entering a new era of leadership and international stardom, and generally he would only record with his working groups. Quintet/Sextet is notable for two compositions by
Jackie McLean: "Dr. Jackle" and "Minor March" (it appears on his famous 1959 Blue Note date
New Soil as "Minor Apprehension"). The former is a
Charlie Parker-ish line featuring a masterful
Milt Jackson symposium on the blues --
Davis' typically lyric approach, a tart, spacious flight from
McLean, and a soulful, dancing
Ray Bryant. The latter is a mysterious minor figure with jabbing rhythm breaks and a joyous bridge that recalls "Tempus Fugit."
McLean's vaulting cadences and fervent cry anticipate the rapture of his mature style, and
Bryant takes a harmonically adventuresome solo. Elsewhere, the group digs into the
Bud Powell-like changes of
Ray Bryant's low, slow "Changes" (over the rock-solid groove of
Percy Heath and
Art Taylor), and the quirky harmonies and angular melodies of
Thad Jones' "Bitty Ditty." "Changes" inspires a lovely muted statement from
Davis, and illustrates
Bryant's unique blend of blues, sanctified gospel, and bebop.
Davis and
Jackson combine for pungent voicings on the head to "Bitty Ditty," then demonstrate their elegant mastery of harmony and swing. Both are inspired by the shape of
Jones' line, and are completely unfazed by its intricacies.