After two formative years in Charlie Parker's band, Miles sought an alternative to bebop and its endless soloing. Together with arranger Gil Evans and a core of musicians that included Gerry Mulligan and John Lewis, Davis developed a sound that integrated bop's improvisation with more controlled arrangements. Played with an expanded instrumental palette (French horn, trombone, tuba), the music ushered in the "cool school," and marked the first of several times that Miles Davis would change the face of jazz.

Tony Peltier