VIA PRESS RELEASE | This year marks the centennial of one of the 20th century’s most important cultural icons: trumpeter, bandleader, and composer Miles Davis.
To honor Davis’ enduring legacy, Craft Recordings announces The Best of Miles Davis, a brand-new collection produced in collaboration with the artist’s estate. Available March 13th exclusively on vinyl, the album draws from one of the most defining eras of Davis’ career—his esteemed “First Great Quintet.” With John Coltrane, Red Garland, Paul Chambers, and Philly Joe Jones alongside Davis, the collection highlights such seminal mid-’50s recordings as “’Round Midnight,” “Just Squeeze Me,” and “My Funny Valentine.”
In addition to the standard release on classic black vinyl, a limited-edition pressing of The Best of Miles Davis is currently available exclusively at Target, featuring Aqua Blue vinyl and, as a special bonus, a 5”x7” artist photo of Davis. Davis’ centennial will be celebrated throughout 2026 with a wide range of cultural initiatives, live events, brand collaborations, and archival releases—all overseen by the artist’s estate. For more information, visit MilesDavis.com.
Trailblazing trumpeter, bandleader, and composer Miles Davis (1926–1991) remains one of the most influential artists of all time, whose drive to innovate never slowed during his extensive career. That pioneering spirit could be heard in his earliest days as a bandleader. A native of St. Louis, Davis moved to New York in the mid-’40s to study at the prestigious Juilliard School of Music.
From there, he built a name for himself as a sideman for the likes of Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, and Coleman Hawkins, and assembled his first band—a nonet—whose recordings would eventually be released as The Birth of Cool (1957). But it was his first quintet, formed in 1955, that would forever change the musical landscape.
Featuring a then-relatively unknown line-up of tenor saxophonist John Coltrane, pianist Red Garland, bassist Paul Chambers, and drummer Philly Joe Jones, the formidable collective (known as “The First Great Quintet”) was instrumental in shaping the sound of hard-bop. With this ensemble, Davis established himself as a force to be reckoned with—both as a musician and a leader. The Best of Miles Davis focuses on this pivotal era.
Over the course of a year—from November 1955 to October 1956—the quintet recorded three marathon sessions at Rudy Van Gelder’s storied Hackensack studio, resulting in a string of classic albums for Prestige Records, including their 1956 debut, Miles: The New Miles Davis Quintet, followed by Cookin’ (1957), Relaxin’ (1958), Workin’ (1959), and Steamin’ (1961).
These sessions were largely comprised of pop and jazz standards, including Thelonious Monk’s “’Round Midnight” (off 1959’s Miles Davis and the Modern Jazz Giants), which would become a signature tune for Davis. The recording offers a strong example of the trumpeter’s pioneering use of the Harmon mute—a sound he embraced during this period and employed on introspective ballads such as “Duke Ellington’s “Just Squeeze Me” and the Richard Rodgers classic, “My Funny Valentine.” Another particularly emotive reading can be heard in the Harry Warren standard “You’re My Everything,” which features dazzling interplay with pianist Red Garland.
The Best of Miles Davis also finds the quintet tackling two now-legendary compositions by a young Sonny Rollins—“Oleo” and “Airegin”—alongside another Monk tune—the up-tempo “Well, You Needn’t.” The collection closes with a brilliant performance of Davis’ own “Four,” a track in which the band’s chemistry is palpable.
In the ensuing years, Davis—and many of his bandmates—would soar to international fame. Despite their brief time together, the quintet played a crucial role in shaping Davis as an artist, helping him come into his own as a bandleader and find his voice as a musician. Over the next three decades, he continued to innovate, shaping the sounds of post-bop and fusion while experimenting with electronic elements, funk, rock, pop, and African rhythms well into the late 1980s. Today, his vast catalog continues to have a far-reaching influence—extending well beyond the world of jazz.
