This compilation of classic Prestige tracks spans from 1951 to 1956 and focuses specifically on Davis's mixing of bebop's intricate rhythms and adventurous phrasing with traditional twelve-bar blues. Flanked by some of the best jazz men of the century (Art Blakey, Paul Chambers, John Coltrane, Thelonious Monk, Red Garland and Sonny Rollins among them), Davis blazes his way through these superb recordings with moods that alternate between the breakneck brilliance of "Blue n' Boogie" (replete with dazzlingly inventive solos by Davis and saxophonist Lucky Thomson) to the nonchalant cool of "Green Haze." Vibraharpist Milt Jackson's bright, swing-infected solos and Monk's trademark idiosyncracies create a nice counterpoint to Davis's astringent lines on tracks such as "Bag's Groove" and "Dr. Jackle."
