| Quintet/Sextet | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | August 1956[1] | |||
| Recorded | August 5, 1955 | |||
| Studio | Van Gelder (Hackensack) | |||
| Genre | Jazz | |||
| Length | 31:01 | |||
| Label | Prestige PRLP 7034 | |||
| Producer | Bob Weinstock | |||
| Miles Davis andMilt Jackson chronology | ||||
| ||||
Quintet/Sextet, also reissued asOdyssey!, is a studio album by the trumpeterMiles Davis and vibraphonistMilt Jackson released byPrestige Records in August 1956.[1] It was recorded on August 5, 1955.[2] Credited to "Miles Davis and Milt Jackson", this was an "all-star" session, and did not feature any of the members of Davis's working group of that time. Alto saxophonistJackie McLean appears on his own compositions “Dr. Jackle” and “Minor March”.
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After the release ofBlue Moods, a collaboration withCharles Mingus on which Davis only participated to pay back fees to Mingus,[3] Davis recorded with his new band in New York'sCafé Bohemia. That band included the youngSonny Rollins (tenor saxophone) as well as the rhythm section of pianistRed Garland, bassistPaul Chambers and drummerPhilly Joe Jones, whom Davis retained for theMiles Davis Quintet (with tenor saxophonistJohn Coltrane). This album’s August sessions did not feature Davis’ current working band, but an "All Star" lineup, withMilt Jackson (vibraphone), bassistPercy Heath and drummerArt Taylor. Davis also hired pianistRay Bryant, because he wanted abebop sound.
Together with Jackson and Heath, Davis recorded withThelonious Monk during the December 1954 session (Miles Davis and the Modern Jazz Giants).Art Taylor was then effectively a "house drummer" for thePrestige label. Sonny Rollins was replaced with the youngalto saxophonistJackie McLean, who composed and arranged the two pieces on which he played, "Dr. Jackle" and "Minor March", the latter the only up-tempo tune in that session. "Minor March" (renamed "Minor Apprehension") was later included on McLean’s 1959Blue Note albumNew Soil.
The tune "Dr. Jackle" shows McLean's connection with the blues as well as withCharlie Parker, Davis plays in a lyrical fashion and Ray Bryant plays in more rhythmic, soul-driven style. "Minor March" has rhythmicbreaks and abridge, that are similar toBud Powell's composition "Tempus Fugue-it"; McLean'scadentials, honks and screams anticipate the style of his future Blue Note recordings.
Miles Davis commented critically in his autobiography on the saxophonist's style:
I remember Jackie got so high he got terrified he couldn't play. I don't know what that shit was all about, but after this date, I never used Jackie again.
It was the last joint session by Miles Davis and Percy Heath as well as the only performance by pianist Ray Bryant on a Davis album. Bryant wrote "Blues Changes" (later renamed to "Changes"). Davis plays trumpet with amute on this track, which has a typical romantic-tranquil mood.Thad Jones' composition "Bitty Ditty" is characterized by Bryant's integration of blues,gospel and bebop.
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [5] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [6] |
| The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings |  [4] |
| The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide | [7] |
Quintet/Sextet received overall positive reception. Davis' biographer Peter Wießmüller said that this album is "way more straightforward and intensive thanBlue Moods, released four weeks prior", and "the pendulum in Miles' stylistical progression hits in the direction of the experimential workup ofbebop into a closedhardbop concept, and conservative as well as progressive elements are getting fused with each other; (...) the subtle arrangements ofBlue Moods are yielded towards a certain expressive hardness".[8]
Jackie McLean is encouraged by the other musicians to play markedly long and fantastic solos in the otherwise typical arrangements of "Dr. Jackle" and "Minor March". The short session is revived through "the excellent vibraphone playing by Milt Jackson and Jackie McLean's extroverted altophrasing, which emphasizesBird's heritage more than before, greatly revive the musical scene."[9]
CriticsRichard Cook andBrian Morton awarded the album 4 out of 5 stars inThe Penguin Guide to Jazz.Scott Yanow fromAllMusic stated that it was "one of the most obscure of [Davis's] Prestige recordings", but its quality is still "fairly high". He named "Dr. Jackle" and "Minor March" as his highlights.[5]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Dr. Jackle" | Jackie McLean | 8:55 |
| 2. | "Bitty Ditty" | Thad Jones | 6:37 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Minor March" | Jackie McLean | 8:18 |
| 2. | "Changes" | Ray Bryant | 7:11 |
| Total length: | 31:01 | ||
