“Cookin’” represents the first installment in one of my favorite (and most impressive, although complicated) stories in the annals of jazz history.

In 1955, Miles Davis had a reputation that hampered his ability to kickstart a solo career. He was known to be difficult, and a raging drug habit made him seem like a bad bet, but an impressive performance at the Newport Jazz Festival caught the attention of George Avakian, an executive for Columbia Records. His band at the time consisted of Gerry Mulligan, Zoot Sims, Connie Kay, Percy Heath and Thelonious Monk, making Miles the least known member in his own band!

Avakian offered Davis a contract, only to learn that he was already signed with Prestige for another year and was obligated to deliver four more albums to the label. With uncanny skill at cutting a deal, Avakian managed to sign Davis anyway, with terms that prevented the release of any new recordings until his time with Prestige expired. Meanwhile, he paid Miles an advance and told him to put a group together, at which time he would arrange a recording session.

Now it was Davis’ turn to show uncanny skills. Rather quickly, he organized a team consisting of Red Garland (piano), Paul Chambers (bass), Philly Joe Jones (drums) and Sonny Rollins (tenor sax) and they went to work. The only problem was that Rollins may have been the busiest musician on planet Earth at that time, and eventually had to drop out due to commitments. At the suggestion of Jones, the relatively unknown John Coltrane was brought in as his replacement, and the first (and perhaps the best) great Miles Davis quintet lineup was intact. 

They entered Columbia Studios on October 26, 1955 and made their first recordings together (from this session, “A Leu Cha” eventually appeared on the first Columbia album, “’Round About Midnight”) and committed themselves to later dates to complete their Columbia debut. Now, all that remained was for the quintet to help Davis complete his four-album contractual obligation to Prestige. With virtually no forethought and no rehearsal to speak of other than their live performances together, the five musicians stepped into a studio in Hackensack, New Jersey on May 11, 1956 and put down fourteen tracks in quick succession.

They then continued work on their Columbia debut and by September 1956, “’Round About Midnight” was in the can, but they were unable to release it until they gave Prestige enough recordings for two more albums. On October 26, 1956, they returned and recorded another dozen tracks in the same manner as the first session. These twenty-six tracks (the property of Prestige) were divided up onto four albums and released at intervals over the next four years. “Cookin’” was the first of the four to be released, in July of 1957, followed by “Relaxin’” (1958), “Workin’” (1960) and “Steamin’” (1961). Just as Miles was steaming ahead to become the single most important figure in contemporary jazz, Prestige found themselves with a mother lode.

All the songs on “Cookin’” were culled from the October 26 session, meaning that the band had a few months to perfect not only the material but the empathetic nuances of their individual styles. Due to near continuous live performance, the band became virtually telepathic in their abilities to read each other. Great jazz bands come and great jazz bands go, but this may the single greatest collection of individual talent where each member played a distinct role as a crucial piece of a distinct unit. Listen closely as the exchanges between Coltrane and Davis play off one another, while Garland adds flourishes that make every track sound like syncopated deliberation. Meanwhile, Jones and Chambers move in and out of the action like professional sleuths, adding power and nuance in equal measure. It’s the type of playing that simply cannot be improved on. “Cookin’” may not have been groundbreaking but it was a near perfect example of intuitive interplay, and this was only part one! 

Featured tracks:

My Funny Valentine

Blues by Five

Airegin

Tune Up/When Lights Are Low

July 1957 – Billboard Did Not Chart