Like Miles Davis, Vol. 1, this set features arrangements in the order that they were recorded. (
Vol. 2 contains the second Blue Note session, while Vol. 1 focused on the first and third.) This 1953 date was the most inspired, overtly beboppish of
Davis' three Blue Note sessions -- an ambitious showcase for modern jazz's greatest composers (
J.J. Johnson,
Ray Brown,
Bud Powell,
Jimmy Heath,
Walter Fuller, and
Dizzy Gillespie), and a remarkable rhythm section (drummer
Art Blakey, bassist
Percy Heath, and the obscure pianist
Gil Coggins). A dynamic front line of
Davis, trombonist
J.J. Johnson, and the bassist's brother
Jimmy Heath on tenor saxophone, gives each tune big-band weight and texture.
J.J. Johnson's lilting "Kelo" and tragic "Enigma" proceed from the orchestral tradition of Birth of the Cool, and his taut, velvety, tenor trombone counterpoint contrasts nicely with
Davis' burnished mid-range and brassy cry. Tenor man
Jimmy Heath seems to take the
Basie and
Gillespie big bands as the jumping-off point for his jazz classic "C.T.A.," and ends his own solo with an affectionate nod to
Lester Young.
Davis' ballad turn on "I Waited for You" is one of his most alluring performances, while his effortless swing on "C.T.A." and "Ray's Idea" sums up his innovations in blues phrasing. But his solo and arrangement on "Tempus Fugit" are simply transcendent. This
Bud Powell anthem for modernists generates a challenging set of symphonic variations, driven along by the emotional intensity of
Art Blakey. The joy with which
Davis and
Blakey morph between swing and Afro-Cuban rhythms, blues, and bop phrasing, is what jazz is all about.