Miles Davis 1951 Bluing album post

Miles Davis’ “Bluing” circulated again on X on May 13, 2026, in a post that linked listeners back to one of the trumpeter’s early Prestige-era recordings. The post drew modest engagement, but the music it pointed to came from a session that placed Davis alongside Sonny Rollins, Jackie McLean and Art Blakey in New York on October 5, 1951. Official Miles Davis catalog pages list “Bluing” on the album “Dig,” issued later by Prestige, and on the broader retrospective “Chronicle: The Complete Prestige Recordings.” The recording sits in a period when Davis was still in his mid-20s and working through small-group sessions that later became central to the Prestige catalog. “Bluing” was also included on the 1953 10-inch LP “Blue Period,” which combined material from January and October 1951 sessions. A later Concord release, “Bluing: Miles Davis Plays The Blues,” repackaged the title as part of a 1996 compilation drawn from several 1950s performances rather than a standalone 1951 album. (milesdavis.com) ### Which recording was the X post actually pointing to? The title “Bluing” refers first to a composition Davis recorded on October 5, 1951, not to an original 1951 album of that name. Miles Davis’ official site lists “Bluing” as track four on “Dig,” a Prestige release whose material was recorded in October 1951. The same official catalog also places “Bluing” in the 1987 box set “Chronicle: The Complete Prestige Recordings.” (plosin.com) The 1996 release “Bluing: Miles Davis Plays The Blues” uses the track name as a compilation title. Concord’s album page says that set gathers nine blues-focused performances from the 1950s and includes a wider cast that extends beyond the 1951 sextet. ### Who played on the 1951 “Bluing” session? The October 5, 1951 session featured Miles Davis on trumpet, Jackie McLean on alto saxophone, Sonny Rollins on tenor saxophone, Walter Bishop Jr. on piano, Tommy Potter on bass and Art Blakey on drums, according to Miles Davis’ official “Dig” page. (milesdavis.com) A discography entry for “Blue Period” gives the same lineup for “Bluing” and “Out of the Blue.” Sonny Rollins’ presence is one reason the track is often singled out in later reissues and playlists. (concord.com) The official site’s note on “Dig” identifies Rollins as part of the sextet for that session, alongside McLean and Blakey. ### Where did Paul Chambers fit into the credits mentioned around the post? Paul Chambers appears on the 1996 compilation “Bluing: Miles Davis Plays The Blues,” but not on the October 5, 1951 recording of “Bluing” itself. (milesdavis.com) Concord’s release page says the compilation includes Davis with a broad roster of players and specifies that the final two selections feature John Coltrane, Red Garland, Paul Chambers and Philly Joe Jones. That distinction matters because the compilation pulls together tracks from multiple sessions across the 1950s. The 1951 “Bluing” session personnel listed by Miles Davis’ official catalog and the “Blue Period” discography entry name Tommy Potter, not Chambers, on bass. ### How did “Bluing” move through Miles Davis’ catalog? “Blue Period,” released in 1953, bundled “Bluing” with “Blue Room” and “Out of the Blue,” using material recorded in January and October 1951. (concord.com) The plosin.com Miles Davis discography entry identifies “Bluing” as a 9:53 performance from the October 5 date. “Dig,” released in 1956, carried “Bluing” again as part of a fuller Prestige-era set. “Chronicle: The Complete Prestige Recordings,” released in 1987, later folded the track into a box set covering 17 sessions and 94 tracks from Davis’ Prestige years, according to the official site. (milesdavis.com) ### Where can listeners find the track now? Miles Davis’ official website still hosts catalog pages for both “Dig” and “Chronicle: The Complete Prestige Recordings,” each listing “Bluing” in the track sequence. (plosin.com) Concord also maintains a page for the 1996 compilation “Bluing: Miles Davis Plays The Blues,” which links the title to streaming and purchase options. The next clear reference point for listeners is the official catalog itself: “Dig” remains the most direct label-era home for the 1951 recording, while “Blue Period” and later compilations document how Prestige and its successors kept recirculating the track. (milesdavis.com)