Cookin', Relaxin', Workin', and Steamin' – Miles Davis Quintet
You'll Hear It: Full Album Deep Dives with Jazz Musicians
Peter Martin
4.9 • 770 Ratings
🗓️ 20 April 2026
⏱️ 72 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Cookin', Relaxin', Workin', and Steamin' capture Miles Davis on one of music history's most remarkable upswings. He had recently become clean after a years-long heroin addiction that led to his exclusion from major record labels and clubs. And now, in 1956, he had a deal with Columbia - the Cadillac of record labels - and a band he loved: Red Garland on piano, Philly Joe Jones on drums, Paul Chambers on bass and John Coltrane playing the sax.
In this episode of You'll Hear It, jazz pianists Peter Martin and Adam Maness go through each album. They discuss the outsized influence of Ahmad Jamal, Red Garland's Red spread technique, the power of Miles's chatter on Relaxin' and whether this is the greatest rhythm section in the history of recorded music.
Whether this is your first introduction to Miles Davis, or you've been listening to these albums for years, you'll walk away from this episode with a new understanding of, and appreciation for, Miles and his first great quintet.
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Some Day My Prince Will Come: https://youtu.be/a_Ygq74SjvQ
Birth of the Cool: https://youtu.be/eEl9-z6G2tU
My Funny Valentine: https://youtu.be/-9mMbZMtyGs
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About You'll Hear It:
In this popular music series, Adam and Peter break down the greatest albums of all time. Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, Joni Mitchell, D'Angelo: Jazz is the foundation of the most GENIUS music in recent history. These seasoned jazz pianists bring their deep musical knowledge to every joyful episode to help you hear the hidden qualities that make music AMAZING. You'll never hear music the same way again.
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0:00 Miles Davis - Cookin', Relaxin', Workin' & Steamin'
0:47 The Comeback Story
5:17 Miles & Monk at Newport '55
8:54 "My Funny Valentine"
11:09 Miles to Red: 'Play Like Ahmad Jamal'
13:51 "Blues by Five"
17:39 BTS: Trane Comes Into His Own
21:06 Relaxin' with the Miles Davis Quintet
22:40 "If I Were a Bell"
29:59 "You're My Everything"
32:54 The POWER of Miles's Intro Chatter
36:40 "Oleo"
38:15 "It Never Entered My Mind"
41:58 "Four"
46:44 Steamin' with the Miles Davis Quintet
48:25 "Surrey with the Fringe on Top"
53:22 "Salt Peanuts"
55:08 "Well You Needn't"
55:30 "When I Fall in Love"
56:27 "If I Were a Bell" Over the Years
58:03 Desert Island Tracks
58:36 Apex Moments
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Miles Davis wasn't always an icon. |
| 0:06.4 | In the early 50s, he was at his lowest point personally and professionally. |
| 0:11.7 | Clubs didn't want the bother and no label would touch him, except one. |
| 0:16.5 | Then, in 1954, he got clean, formed what would become his first great quintet, and began to rebuild his life and his career. |
| 0:25.6 | He showed up at the Newport Jazz Festival, a last-minute addition to an all-star group. |
| 0:30.6 | A Columbia Records producer saw him and tried to sign him on the spot. |
| 0:35.6 | There was just one problem. |
| 0:39.9 | Miles still owed his label four albums. |
| 0:42.1 | So he gathered his amazing band, |
| 0:44.0 | went into the studio for two days, |
| 0:45.7 | and walked out a legend. |
| 0:48.3 | I'm Adam Manus. |
| 0:49.5 | And I'm Peter Martin. |
| 0:51.2 | And you're listening to the You'll Hear a podcast. |
| 0:52.6 | Music Explored. Explored., brought to today by Open Studio. |
| 0:54.8 | Go to Open StudioJadio.com for, oh, your jazz lesson needs, Peter. |
| 1:00.2 | Yes. |
| 1:01.1 | Good morning. |
| 1:02.0 | Good morning. |
| 1:02.9 | Good morning. |
| 1:03.9 | So we got a good one today because we're going to be checking out four different albums today. |
| 1:08.9 | And we've done similar episodes to this. We did this during Herbie Hancock's Headhunters run. We didn't do four complete records. No, no, no, no. And we probably won't listen to every track today, obviously. I'm going home. I'm going home. Don't depress me. Don't suppress me. Just chill, just chill. But we also did this during bill evans trio you know the waltz |
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