Personnel: Miles Davis (trumpet); John Coltrane (tenor saxophone); Milt Jackson (vibraphone); Red Garland, Thelonious Monk (piano); Paul Chambers, Percy Heath (bass); Philly Joe Jones, Kenny Clarke (drums).
Recorded at the Van Gelder Studio, Hackensack, New Jersey on December 24, 1954 and October 26, 1956. Originally released on Prestige (7150).
Recorded in 1954, as Miles Davis was just beginning his 1950's peak with the Prestige label, MODERN JAZZ GIANTS is aptly named. Miles, his horn clear and crisp, is joined by three-fourths of the original Modern Jazz Quartet as well as bebop piano innovator Thelonious Monk. Oddly enough, Monk and Miles mixed like oil and water, but one can't tell from the recorded results--they're all at at the top of their game in a seminal session rich with inspired soloing and elegant swing. Davis was just starting to hone his mature style, maintaining his beautiful lyricism while cutting down on the number of notes played.
