This two-disc compilation of Miles Davis sessions in 1955 overflows with the optimism of the moment. Throughout these Prestige recordings, done seven decades ago with the legendary Rudy Van Gelder at his New Jersey studio, there are myriad and palpable post-war, baby-booming bouquets of bop mirroring brilliantly what was blooming in the jazz clubs across the river in NYC. Davis was just a few years away from igniting a modal revolution with his iconic Kind of Blue, and the trumpeter, here, is squarely in a phase of evolution intent on both honoring and pushing ahead of Charlie Parker’s legacy, precipitating a period when Davis would become a titan. 

It’s a pleasing, compact set that splits the 16 tracks evenly across the two spins. Leading an ensemble that featured giants of jazz- including John Coltrane, Paul Chambers, and Red Garland, to name just a few- Davis is in a fully confident mode, delivering assertive, bright, and melodic runs as punchy and sunny as any in his long career. He also authors three of the cuts, slotting them into a mix of poppish delights and contemporary nods to Dizzy (“A Night in Tunisia”) and Duke (“Just Squeeze Me”).

In the accompanying booklet, there is another illuminating essay by no less than the living authority on all things Davis (and Coltrane), Ashley Kahn, that details the sessions and time-period, alongside entries particular to each studio date. Essentially a follow-up to the 1954 set from last year, this collection provides a tightly-stocked comparative; back-to-back giving a very discernible picture of Davis and his accelerated movements over those 24 months. What followed was the monumental Davis quintet that produced a string of ground-shifting albums from 1956-1961, making this 70^th anniversary set from 1955 all the more revelatory, integral, and valued.