Given that Round About Midnight was Miles Davis' debut Columbia recording, it was both a beginning and an ending. Certainly the beginning of his recording career with the label that issued most if not all of his important recordings; and the recording debut of an exciting new band that hadwithin its ranksPhilly Joe Jones,Paul Chambers, pianistRed Garland, and an all but unknown tenor player namedJohn Coltrane. The title track was chosen because of its unique rendition with a mutedtrumpet, debuted at the Newport Jazz Festival the summer before to a thunderous reception.The date was also an ending of sorts because by the time of the album's release, Davis hadalready broken up the band, which reformed withCannonball Adderleya year later as a sextet, butit was a tense year. Musically, this sound is as unusual and as beautiful as it was when issued in1956. Davis had already led the charge through two changes in jazz -- both cool jazz and hard bop -and was beginning to move in another direction here that wouldn't be defined for another two years.Besides the obvious lyrical and harmonic beauty of "Round About Midnight" that isarguablyitsdefinitive version even overMonk's own, there are the edges ofCharlie Parker's "Au LeuCha" with its Bluesology leaping from every chord change inRed Garland's left hand.