condition (record/cover): NM / VG+ (light ring wear on front)

The first Columbia album, and the moment the first great quintet was formally introduced to the world. Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Red Garland, Paul Chambers and Philly Joe Jones, recorded across 1955 and 1956 and released in 1957, and every element of the band's identity is already fixed: Miles muted and conversational, Coltrane hard and searching underneath him, Garland's block chords, Philly Joe's rim shots landing exactly where they should. The Monk title track, arranged by Gil Evans and announced by that famous muted statement, is one of the great openings on any jazz record. Marvin Koner's red-tinted cover photo did not hurt either.

Japanese CBS/Sony pressing, laminated sleeve. The Japanese Columbia pressings from this era are consistently superb and this one is no exception.