'One of the most celebrated albums in jazz history...The steady mid-tempos and plaintive voicings on 'So What' and 'All Blues' establish further the weightless, haunting qualities of the music, which no collection, serious or casual, should be without.' (The Penguin Guide To Jazz)

Lyrical beauty, minimalist modal forms, spare but elegant vamps as tunes, and the whole coming across as a contemplative and hugely eloquent version of what, in 1959, jazz was about. Framing settings for group improvisation---saxists Julian Adderley/ John Coltrane, pianists Bill Evans/ Wyn Kelly, bassist Paul Chambers, and drummer Jimmy Cobb---Davis concentrates on modal scales rather than harmonic changes. The result is a music of resonant brilliance and deceptive simplicity---try "All Blues" and "So What." One of the most popular and timeless jazz albums ever, and absolutely essential for that Desert Island top ten. (Andrew Clark, Editor, Riffs & Choruses: A New Jazz Anthology. Continuum Publishing.)