![thelonious monk with john coltrane thelonious monk with john coltrane](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81VAPnwNf1L._AC_SL1500_.jpg)
Such a revelation (that the giants were actually human!) speaks volumes about the value of Davis' tastiest trumpet phrasing and Coltrane's full-throttle search for a new tenor-sax language that would soon change the shape of jazz forever. Unfortunately, quite a few of the earliest featured tunes are unremarkable, cocktail party background filler, and Coltrane's playing unexpectedly takes some time to get off the ground. Updates on bebop classics (“Salt Peanuts,” “Woody 'n' You”) stew with the requisite fiery bounce, while other familiar compositions - the post-bop cookers (“Airegin,” “Tune Up”), ballads (“'Round Midnight,” “Diane”), and blues (“Trane's Blues,” “Ahmad's Blues”) - come across as dynamically rich today as they must have a half-century ago.
THELONIOUS MONK WITH JOHN COLTRANE PLUS
The 4-CD Davis compilation brings together previously issued titles from 1955-56, plus a disc of unreleased live tracks with a few cuts from 1958. Though these essential historic snapshots of the jazz giants actually demystify the iconic status of these giants, they also point out why the best of this material is some of the greatest music ever recorded. Take the two new box sets devoted to Miles Davis and Thelonious Monk's respective collaborations with John Coltrane. Just because an artist is legendary doesn't make him infallible.