Album: Miles Davis Quintet

The performance which suggested that Davis was back on the case, following a couple of years' fragmentation and drift. This is the first knockings of the Second Great Quintet (with George Coleman on tenor sax prior to the advent of Wayne Shorter), anchored by Tony Williams, Herbie Hancock and Ron Carter. The set is standard fare on paper: "Autumn Leaves", "So What", "Stella", "Walkin'", "The Theme". The music is anything but. Most astonishing is the 17-year-old Williams, whose drums breathe, press and emote as much as any horn. An amazing debut by any standards. An essential purchase for Davis heads.

Download this: 'Autumn Leaves': Tony Williams puts it out there