Miles Davis & John Coltrane – The Best of Miles Davis & John Coltrane (1955-1961) (2xLP)

Miles Davis & John Coltrane's The Best of Miles Davis & John Coltrane (1955-1961) gathers nine Columbia-era recordings from the partnership that helped reshape post-war jazz, spanning 1955 to 1961 and appearing on vinyl here for the first time. Rather than a career-spanning trawl, it focuses tightly on the years when Davis’s small groups placed Coltrane at the centre, moving from the after-hours intensity of 'Round About Midnight toward the modal breakthroughs of Milestones and Kind of Blue.

That arc is the real appeal. You hear the band evolving across some of the most discussed sessions in the catalogue, with Cannonball Adderley, Red Garland, Bill Evans, Wynton Kelly, Paul Chambers, Philly Joe Jones and Jimmy Cobb all part of the story. The selection is compact but well chosen: 'Round Midnight captures the early mood and poise, “Milestones” points to a new language for the group, and “So What” and “Blue in Green” show how far that language could open up.

As an introduction, it makes a strong case for just how much happened in these six years. This is not a substitute for the original albums, and it does not try to be; it works better as a sharply edited portrait of a collaboration whose chemistry kept changing while remaining unmistakable. For anyone curious about how Davis and Coltrane pushed each other in the studio, this is an easy record to recommend.

Features

• 2xLP, 33RPM, Black Vinyl
• First time on vinyl
• Nine-track selection from the duo's Columbia recordings, 1955-1961