1 Stablemates
12" LP: Prestige 7014, Prestige P-012 (12 LP), Analogue Productions APJ 035 (5 LP), Analogue Productions APJ 7014, Analogue Productions AJAZ 7014 (45 rpm), Analogue Productions APJ 035-45 (10-45 rpm), Victor SMJ-6531, Victor VIJ-5090/5101 (12 LP)
CD: Fantasy OJC-006, Prestige 8PCD-012, Prestige PRCD4-4444, DCC GZS-1100, Analogue Productions APJSA 7014, Victor VICJ-23602, Victor VICJ-40225/32, Victor VICJ-60302, Victor VICJ-2050, Victor VICJ-41154, Universal UCCO-5064, Universal UCCO-9039, Universal UCCO-9264, Universal UCCO-90425

2 How Am I to Know?
12" LP: Prestige 7014, Prestige P-012 (12 LP), Analogue Productions APJ 035 (5 LP), Analogue Productions APJ 7014, Analogue Productions AJAZ 7014 (45 rpm), Analogue Productions APJ 035-45 (10-45 rpm), Victor SMJ-6531, Victor VIJ-5090/5101 (12 LP)
CD: Fantasy OJC-006, Prestige 8PCD-012, Prestige PRCD4-4444, DCC GZS-1100, Analogue Productions APJSA 7014, Victor VICJ-23602, Victor VICJ-40225/32, Victor VICJ-60302, Victor VICJ-2050, Victor VICJ-41154, Universal UCCO-5064, Universal UCCO-9039, Universal UCCO-9264, Universal UCCO-90425

3 Just Squeeze Me
45 rpm: Prestige 45-268
12" LP: Prestige 7014, Prestige P-012 (12 LP), Analogue Productions APJ 035 (5 LP), Analogue Productions APJ 7014, Analogue Productions AJAZ 7014 (45 rpm), Analogue Productions APJ 035-45 (10-45 rpm), Victor SMJ-6531, Victor VIJ-5090/5101 (12 LP)
CD: Fantasy OJC-006, OJC-6017, Prestige PRCD 6019, Prestige 8PCD-012, Prestige PRCD4-4444, DCC GZS-1100, DCC GZS-1044, Analogue Productions APJSA 7014, Victor VICJ-23602, Victor VICJ-40225/32, Victor VICJ-60236, Victor VICJ-41438, Victor VICJ-60302, Victor VICJ-2050, Victor VICJ-41154, Universal UCCO-5064, Universal UCCO-9039, Universal UCCO-9264, Universal UCCO-90425

4 There is No Greater Love
12" LP: Prestige 7014, Prestige P-012 (12 LP), Analogue Productions APJ 035 (5 LP), Analogue Productions APJ 7014, Analogue Productions AJAZ 7014 (45 rpm), Analogue Productions APJ 035-45 (10-45 rpm), Victor SMJ-6531, Victor VIJ-5090/5101 (12 LP)
CD: Fantasy OJC-006, Prestige PRCD 6019, Prestige 8PCD-012, Prestige PRCD4-4444, DCC GZS-1100, Analogue Productions APJSA 7014, Victor VICJ-23602, Victor VICJ-40225/32, Victor VICJ-60302, Victor VICJ-60818, Victor VICJ-41437, Victor VICJ-2050, Victor VICJ-41154, Universal UCCO-5064, Universal UCCO-9039, Universal UCCO-9264, Universal UCCO-90425

5 Miles' Theme
12" LP: Prestige 7014, Prestige P-012 (12 LP), Analogue Productions APJ 035 (5 LP), Analogue Productions APJ 7014, Analogue Productions AJAZ 7014 (45 rpm), Analogue Productions APJ 035-45 (10-45 rpm), Victor SMJ-6531, Victor VIJ-5090/5101 (12 LP)
CD: Fantasy OJC-006, Prestige 8PCD-012, Prestige PRCD4-4444, DCC GZS-1100, Analogue Productions APJSA 7014, Victor VICJ-23602, Victor VICJ-40225/32, Victor VICJ-60302, Victor VICJ-2050, Victor VICJ-41154, Universal UCCO-5064, Universal UCCO-9039, Universal UCCO-9264, Universal UCCO-90425, Victor VICJ-41122

6 S'posin'
45 rpm: Prestige 45-268
12" LP: Prestige 7014, Prestige P-012 (12 LP), Analogue Productions APJ 035 (5 LP), Analogue Productions APJ 7014, Analogue Productions AJAZ 7014 (45 rpm), Analogue Productions APJ 035-45 (10-45 rpm), Victor SMJ-6531, Victor VIJ-5090/5101 (12 LP)
CD: Fantasy OJC-006, Prestige 8PCD-012, Prestige PRCD4-4444, DCC GZS-1100, Analogue Productions APJSA 7014, Victor VICJ-23602, Victor VICJ-40225/32, Victor VICJ-60302, Victor VICJ-2050, Victor VICJ-41154, Universal UCCO-5064, Universal UCCO-9039, Universal UCCO-9264, Universal UCCO-90425

This is first Prestige studio session of the classic Miles Davis Quintet, although they had already recorded for Columbia three weeks earlier. Bob Weinstock agreed to let Davis go, but insisted that none of the Columbia material be released until after Davis had fulfilled his contract with Prestige. Two long Prestige sessions were scheduled for the following year.

Compared to subsequent recordings of this group, this is fairly predictable material. There are few ensembles and minimal arrangements; Coltrane is out on the slower-tempo titles; after an opening chorus, Davis solos, Coltrane solos, Garland solos, then the theme is re-stated and the tune ends. The Prestige sessions have a decidedly different feel to them than the Columbia sessions -- it has sometimes been said that the Prestige sessions are just live dates without an audience.

"Stablemates" begins with an ensemble chorus, then Davis solos (2x) and Coltrane (2x), and the tune closes with another ensemble chorus.

On "How Am I to Know?" Davis solos (3x, muted), then Coltrane (2x), then Garland (2x), followed by two more of Davis.

"Just Squeeze Me," a tune associated with Ahmad Jamal, features four muted choruses by Davis, two by Coltrane, three by Garland (channeling Jamal), and a closing chorus with Coltrane playing harmonies under Davis' muted trumpet.

Coltrane doesn't play on "No Greater Love" (Jamal played this tune as well, but the arrangement here is very different): Davis' muted solo (0:13-2:12) is pensive and sticks close to the melody; Garland's chorus (2:12-4:10) shows off his command of block chords and subtle harmonies, and Davis returns to re-state the doleful melody.

"The Theme" was familiar as a set-closer, but here it is given an extended treatment. Davis' approach to this motif, originally by Thelonious Monk from the early 1940s, is reminiscent of Dizzy Gillespie's "One Bass Hit" (as recorded, e.g., at Carnegie Hall in September 1947), where the stop-start, ascending-descending passages punctuate Ray Brown's bass solo. Like "One Bass Hit," this version of "The Theme" features a long bass solo. The melody is pared down to its last eight measures; Chambers then solos for two choruses, accompanied only by Jones. Davis has two open choruses, followed by another two by Coltrane, who at times (e.g. 3:50-4:00) sounds lost; Davis enters with the whole melody now, using the familiar trumpet/saxophone call-and-response. Jones takes a half-chorus solo and the tune ends.

Davis is muted again on "S'posin'" and the solos are by Davis (3x), Coltrane (2x), Garland (2x), and Davis again (1x), before the melody is re-stated.

"Just Squeeze Me" is listed on the cover of Cookin' with the Miles Davis Quintet (Prestige 7094), and Ira Gitler's liner notes refer to it a couple times -- e.g., "The only [tune] duplicated from a previous quintet recording is Just Squeeze Me, first heard on The New Miles Davis Quintet, Prestige LP 7014" -- but the tune has never been included on that record, except when it was mistakenly added to the 1993 DCC edition (GZS-1044).

Coltrane joined the Davis Quintet in late September at the Club Las Vegas in Baltimore. For the rest of the year they were quite busy: Club Las Vegas (September 27-October 2); Blue Bird Inn, Detroit (possibly October 4-9); Birdland, New York (October 13-16); Carnegie Hall, New York (Saturday, October 15, 8:30pm); Andy's Log Cabin, Gloucester Heights, NJ (October 17); Jazzarama, Boston (October 27-November 6); Cotton Club, Cleveland (November 7-13); Hudson Theatre, New York (Tonight Show, November 17); Basin Street, New York (November 18-19); Olivia's Patio Lounge, Washington DC (November 21-26); Birdland, New York (November 28-December 3); Blue Note, Philadelphia (December 5-10); Birdland Show Lounge, Chicago (December 21-January 1, 1956).

Nat Hentoff reviewed the one of the Birdland performances in Down Beat (November 30). He was not effusive: "Miles Davis' band made for a generally effective complimentary billing with [Jeri Southern]. Miles himself had not played as consistently and strongly in a New York club in some time, but the band as a whole is not cohesive yet."

I am grateful to Tommaso Urbano for help with this session.