The Best of Miles Davis opens with a spectacular version of "A Night in Tunisia," with trumpeter
Davis and pianist
Red Garland circling around the melody and playing against
Oscar Pettiford's bass and
Philly Joe Jones' backbeat. The connection between the players and the edginess of the solos leave the listener with one fear: Will anything on the disc be able to equal "A Night in Tunisia"'s intensity? Despite the challenge,
Davis and colleagues like tenor
John Coltrane, pianist
Horace Silver, and drummer
Max Roach meet the high mark again and again. First there are pieces like "Doxy" and "Airegin" featuring tenor
Sonny Rollins,
Silver, bassist
Percy Heath, and drummer
Kenny Clarke. "Airegin" in particular, really cooks, with
Heath's bass driving the horns forward for some stellar solo work. Then there are the pieces like "If I Could Write a Book," "Oleo," and "The Theme" with
Coltrane,
Garland, bassist
Paul Chambers, and
Jones. The rhythm section here has snap, providing an edge for the soloists to play against.
The Best of Miles Davis closes with the sunny "When Lights Are Low" from 1953, offering a signpost to just how far
Davis had traveled between 1953 and 1956. For anyone wondering what jazz's best-known trumpeter was doing in the mid-'50s, this disc should fit the bill. ~ Ronnie D. Lankford, Jr.