.com This CD comes from the marathon 1956 Prestige sessions with the first of Miles Davis's great quintets: John Coltrane on tenor, Red Garland on piano, Paul Chambers on bass, and Philly Joe Jones on drums. The group recorded four LPs for Prestige, contemporaneous with the early Columbia material recently celebrated on the Davis-Coltrane Complete Columbia Studio Sessions. Relaxin' emphasizes Davis's concentrated ballad style, with his middle-register trumpet played through a Harmon mute very close to the microphone. What might be a mere buzz in lesser hands becomes restrained passion and detailed expression on the slow tempos of "You're My Everything" and "It Could Happen to You," while Davis conveys joy on the faster tempo of "I Could Write a Book." "If I Were a Bell," from Frank Loesser's then contemporary Guys and Dolls, is another melodic highlight. The boppish side of the band is heard on Sonny Rollins's "Oleo," a tour de force animated by Chambers's limber walking bass, and on Dizzy Gillespie's "Woody 'n' You," the only tune with Davis playing his trumpet with an open bell. Coltrane was entering a period of sustained musical growth, still beholden to Charlie Parker and Rollins, but with flashes of the convulsive power and incendiary questing that his work would soon attain. As different as the two horns are, they reflect the band's ineffable mix of hot and cool elements, from Garland's masterful vamps to the explosive power of Philly Joe Jones. Davis and his cohort were defining the modern mainstream, providing models that are still durable today. --Stuart Broomer
J**N
A great LP rendering, classic and not too experimental
Came as expected, sounds great on my Ion and my Bell turntable. I have been listening to this album for years on MP3 and I still don't have the CD. I play it on everything from my superior car stereo to my good home system and love it. I have many Miles Davis albums, all his standards that "everyone" buys to some rare 10" rereleased material, and I reach for this one often. It's great starter Davis for anyone who has never heard Jazz outside of "Kind Of Blue".
Q**E
Worthy follow up to DCC Gold Disc
I grabbed this SACD hybird because the Steamin-Workin-Relaxin-Cookin quartet series is some of my favorite jazz and favorite music ever. So, before I move onto the sound quality issue that will be important to the sacd crowd, let me reassure all others that this music cannot be recommended more highly. It is a wonderful combination of traditional jazz with familiar melodies and a soulful, intelligent bop playing style. Cookin' Workin' and Steamin' are every bit as good - it seems the only basis to choose between the 4 is particular favorite songs on one or the other.As for the sonics, I was curious to compare the SACD version to my out-of-print DCC Prestige Gold Disc version (cat no. GZS-1052). After I ordered, I did some research on various audiophile/jazz collector forums and learned that my Steve Hoffman-mixed DCC versions of the series (I am apparently in an enviable position to own all four in that format) are considered superior to all other CD releases before and after. Now, with the disclaimer that I by no means have done a critical listening A-B comparison of the two discs, my initial reaction was that this sacd version is a worthy alternative since the DCC's are expensive collectors items at this point. I certainly did not hear the usual improvement in detail, depth etc that one typically hears in sacd reissues over conventional CD's, but I did not hear an inferior mix as one might expect from the evaluations of aficionados stating that the Hoffman mix is superior. I am not disagreeing in the sense that the DCC's sound better than virtually any non-sacd CD issues from the late 50's early 60's jazz, and Hoffman's mixes are outstanding, but my point is simply that one is better served to buy these hybrid versions than to wait around for used DCC's to magically appear at a reasonable price in good condition.
N**R
Awesome!
Fantastic music, well pressed record, and it came with the fancy digital copy! What more could I ask for?
M**Y
Better than anything after 1959!!!!
As others have no doubt pointed out, this album was one of four (Cookin, Steamin, Relaxin, Workin') knocked out in short order by the Miles Davis Quintet back in 1956, in order to release Davis from a recording contract. But ya know... thank god for that. Because it gives us a peek inside the set list they had perfected at that time. I love Kind of Blue, but am lukewarm on all other Miles recordings, regardless of the esteem with which they are held. I suppose I just don't "get" the meaning or value of Bitches Brew or Sketches of Spain.But then a friend gave me an old, beatup vinyl of Cookin' With the Miles Davis Quintet... which I was mesmerized by. And then I went and bought Relaxin'. Cookin' is a bit better, but they are both cut from the same cloth. Both great. Thank god. I was thinking that (in terms of simpler musical appeal) that Miles was a one-album-wonder. I would recommend all four albums for sure.
J**I
Relaxing
Fills the air with pure joy. We all need some joy in these crazy times.
M**E
Great Album
Great Album
H**A
Muy Bueno!!
Muy contenta con mi compra. Y llego antes de lo que esperaba. gracias
G**D
Good purchase
Plays well, received quickly. I always recommend OJC
C**P
Good quality vinyl. Amazing album
This is from the DOL label which I believe is from Russia. DOL is one of many labels out there which is reproducing old albums. So I had my reservations but this LP has good quality and for the price, it’s a fair deal. The only thing bad about DOL is that the inner sleeves are normally too big, so getting the records in & out of the outer sleeve can be very irritating - maybe I'm just not doing it right but I don't have this problem with other labels - just DOL!The album music itself if you didn’t know (I presume you know if you’re searching this album) is simply fantastic - Miles’ legendary lineup includes Coltrane. It’s very “cool” and chilled. I think this quintet has some of the best music Miles has ever done.
A**R
Just what I needed
Damn near perfect.
M**Z
Excelente aquisição.
O álbum é tão bom quanto se poderia imaginar: com um line up incrível, incluindo Miles e Coltrane, os temas são executados à perfeição técnica e do bom gosto na interpretação. Trata-se de um álbum registrado em estúdio porém "ao vivo", isto é, há uma espécie de vitalidade na interpretação que o torna uma experiência irreproduzível. Ademais, o obra da capa e o textos no verso capa são obras cada qual com sua própria qualidade - eu particularmente gosto muito da obra da capa. Em suma - beira a perfeição..
C**N
Jazz
Très bon album
D**L
Warped Record
The record was warped when I received it. Now, when I play it on the record, it sounds a little off.
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