With this album, Miles Davis was pursuing, unknowingly (the term not existing yet), the inauguration of its period "Hard Bop" begun with "Walkin '" few months earlier. The program includes seven titles quintet, from two different sessions and bringing some sizes of the rising generation. For the June 29, 1954, Miles Davis had thus Assistant collaboration by Sonny Rollins on tenor sax, Horace Silver on piano, Percy Heath on bass and Kenny Clarke on drums. Of the four titles recorded that day, three are compositions of Rollins, "Airegrin", "Oleo" and "Doxy" Be Bop ranging from classic and modern Hard Bop, plus two doses of the Gershwin standard "But not for me ".
For session December 24 1954, Miles Davis was surrounded by Milt Jackson on vibraphone, Thelonious Monk on piano and again of Percy Health and Kenny Clarke. The quintet performed the title track "Bag's Groove", a minor blues Jackson, which sets in two successive taps, which soon will be the framework of aesthetics Hard Bop. Only weakness of the recording, the pianist does not play on the interventions of the trumpeter. In fact this last, not understanding the bizarre agreements of Monk, would have him purely and simply forbidden to play during his solos. According to legend, the two men in would even came to blows! What Monk replied, "if he had touched me, I would have killed !!!" And here we are willing to take his word ....
Therefore an excellent drive that takes its place at the heart of this brilliant trilogy promised to a beautiful descent: "Walkin '", "Bag's Groove" and "The Modern Jazz Giants." To consume without moderation.
