Birth of the Cool - Miles Davis (1949-50)

Miles had more experimental records, more innovative records, more brilliantly improvisational records, more cohesive records, quite a few records that were, well, better. But only Miles Davis can make a record that seems to fail those standards and still is among the greatest jazz albums ever. This is Miles's greatest compositional album, where every tune isn't just played, but crafted to perfection. There is that sense of fragility present throughout the album, as if any moment if you alter its sensitive structure it will collapse, that makes it so beautiful and compelling. "Moon Dreams," in my mind, tops them all - it sounds like a house of cards just waiting for you to remove a card from its bottom. Miles just stands guard and never lets that happen.

Birth of the Cool was first released as a compilation on LP in 1957, but it was recorded in 1949 and 1950.