Mixing new compositions with pop-culture touchstones

Miles got saxophonist John Coltrane to drop by his studio one last time for this album, even though Trane was plenty busy leading his own ensembles and recording sessions by the early ‘60s. The tenor giant solos on “Teo” and the title track—which features a motif plucked from Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs—and Miles explores a fresh repertoire with new collaborators, finding a soulful rapport with saxophonist Hank Mobley on the original tune “Pfrancing”.