Miles Davis: Footprints

Miles Davis great mid-'60s quintet was at the height of their powers when they recorded Miles Smiles in the fall of 1966. The band had been together for over two years and had developed a rapport that has yet to be surpassed in the ensuing four decades. On "Footprints," Davis masterfully develops his solo from a series of riffs, gaining focus and momentum with the help of the ferociously rhythmic Tony Williams and Ron Carters rock-solid bass line. Shorters approach is remarkably similar, developing a driving statement from tiny melodic kernels. The saxophonist abstracts freely, sustaining high and honking low register notes over the furiously bubbling rhythm section before handing off to Hancock.