Picked up for a decent price in an HMV sale some years ago, this is a recording from one of Davis' 1950s sextets consisting of himself, Cannonball Adderley, John Coltrane, Red Garland, Paul Chambers and Philly Joe Jones. I was drawn to it after first hearing the title track covered by Barry Adamson on his Oedipus Schmoedipus album.
The album opens with Dr Jekyll, classic bebop jazz which never really settles on a melody while carrying a groove throughout. Sid's Ahead is much smoother and is a gentle interesting listen as the band cycle through their solos, but there still isn't really a hook since the opening bars. Dizzy Gillespie's Two Bass Hit feels more big band than earlier pieces until it strays a little more into free jazz territory by the middle of the piece. But the title track (originally just entitled Miles is really the high point as for the first time, there's a memorable melody for the band to excel around. Billy Boy is a traditional piece, with a piano lead which, if you can ignore the drum soloing, is enjoyable, and the album ends with Thelonius Monk's Straight, No Chaser, another classic jazz solo turn taking number, which despite a lively theme, tends to go on a bit longer than necessary. There are also three 'alternative versions' on the CD reissue, which may delight completists, but really act as filler here.
It's a fine album and a decent listen, but this one fails to draw me in as some of Davis' albums do, with a number of the pieces merely exhibiting virtuosity, and not really having a strong melody to latch on to, something Davis did so well over the ten years which followed this album.
3* - this feels like a transitional album for Davis, but there's a lot to enjoy.
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