Workin' with the Miles Davis Quintet is an album by the Miles Davis Quintet which was released c. January 1960 through Prestige Records. It was recorded in two sessions on May 11 and October 26, 1956, that produced four albums: this one, Relaxin' with the Miles Davis Quintet, Steamin' with the Miles Davis Quintet and Cookin' with the Miles Davis Quintet. Track 2 is a composition written for Davis by Eddie Vinson (see Blue Haze for more details). "Trane's Blues" (also known as "Vierd Blues", a tongue-in-cheek reference to Blue Note founder Francis Wolff's heavily accented verdict on it), also credited to Davis, is in fact a John Coltrane composition (originally titled "John Paul Jones", and from an earlier session led by bassist Paul Chambers; before the closing statement of theme, Coltrane and Davis play a bit of Charlie Parker's "The Hymn").

Background

As his star rose in 1955, Davis formed a new quintet, featuring saxophonist John Coltrane, pianist Red Garland, bassist Paul Chambers, and drummer Philly Joe Jones. In order to fulfill contractual obligations, he recorded lengthy, spontaneous songs with the quintet, which were released over four albums—Workin, Cookin, Relaxin', and Steamin' with the Miles Davis Quintet.

Track listing

Prestige – LP 7166: All tracks recorded on May 11, 1956, except "Half Nelson", recorded on October 26.

Personnel