Miles Davis And the Modern Jazz Giants (Milt Jackson,Thelonious Monk a.o. )

Release date: 30-10-2014 (Originally released 1954)

2014 EU reissue vinyl LP -Here are four tracks from one of the classic sessions of all time when a combination of giants gathered in Rudy Van Gelder's studio on Christmas Eve afternoon and early dark, 1954. With Thelonious Monk and three quarters of the Modern Jazz Quartet (Jackson, Heath, and Clarke) as his accomplices, Miles Davis blends sophisticated harmonic knowledge with raw, spontaneous invention to produce extraordinary music. The two takes of "The Man I Love" are quite different within their basic similarity while "Round Midnight" was recorded by the great Davis Quintet of 1956 - Coltrane, Garland, Chambers, Philly Joe Jones.

Tracks:
A1. The Man I Love (Take 2)
A2. Swing Spring

B1. 'Round Midnight
B2. Bemsha Swing
B3. The Man I Love (Take 1)

Musicians:
Miles Davis (trumpet)
Milt Jackson (vibraphone)
John Coltrane (tenor saxophone)
Thelonious Monk / Red Garland (piano)
Paul Chambers / Percy Heath (bass)
Kenny Clarke / Philly Joe Jones (drums)

Including sessions recorded the same day as those on Bags Groove, this album includes more classic performances from the date that matched together trumpeter Miles Davis, vibraphonist Milt Jackson, pianist Thelonious Monk, bassist Percy Heath, and drummer Kenny Clarke. Davis and Monk actually did not get along all that well, and the trumpeter did not want Monk playing behind his solos. Still, a great deal of brilliant music occurred on the day of their encounter, including "The Man I Love," "Bemsha Swing," and "Swing Spring."

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Miles Davis and the Modern Jazz Giants (PRLP 7150) is an album by Miles Davis, released on Prestige Records in 1959. Most of the material comes from a session on December 24, 1954, featuring Thelonious Monk and Milt Jackson, and had been previously released in the discontinued ten inch LP format. "Swing Spring" was originally released on the 10"LP Miles Davis All Stars, Volume 1 (PRLP 196), and "Bemsha Swing" and "The Man I Love" (take 2) had been previously released on Volume 2 (PRLP 200).[4] "'Round Midnight" is newly released, and comes from the same sessions by Davis's new quintet in 1956 which resulted in Steamin' with the Miles Davis Quintet (PRLP 7200) and three other albums to fulfill Davis's contract with Prestige

The 1954 session is essentially Davis accompanied by the Modern Jazz Quartet, with Monk in place of John Lewis. Notable as the only time Thelonious Monk made a studio recording with Davis – the two men did not get on well, as Davis felt Monk ought to be "laying out" (refraining from playing) during the trumpeter's solos. Ira Gitler, who was present at the session and wrote the sleevenotes for the album, dispels the myth that the two men confronted each other physically, but there was argument throughout the session. The first take of "The Man I Love" has a false start caused by Monk asking when he should start playing, and an exasperated Davis telling engineer Rudy Van Gelder, "Hey Rudy, put this on the record, man – all of it!". In his autobiography, Davis recalls "When I heard stories later saying that me and him was almost about to fight after I had him lay out while I was playing on 'Bags' Groove,' I was shocked, because Monk and I were, first, very close, and second, he was too big and strong for me to even be thinking about fighting All I did was tell him to lay out when I was playing. My asking him to lay out had something to do with music, not friendship. He used to tell cats to lay out himself.