"Walkin'" is the landmark title track of Miles Davis's 1954 album, a performance widely regarded as the recording that launched the hard bop era. This extended blues in F, stretching to over twelve minutes, features five soloists who collectively define the emerging hard bop aesthetic. Davis leads with a commanding seven-chorus trumpet statement that establishes the performance's bluesy, emotionally direct character, his tone at once intimate and authoritative. J. J. Johnson follows with seven equally compelling trombone choruses that demonstrate why he was considered the instrument's preeminent voice in modern jazz. Lucky Thompson delivers a remarkable ten-chorus tenor saxophone improvisation that ranks among the finest extended blues performances in jazz history. Horace Silver contributes two choruses of piano that bring his characteristic blend of gospel fervor and bebop sophistication. Davis returns for a two-chorus closing statement that bookends the performance with his unmistakable sound. Recorded with Paul Chambers on bass and Kenny Clarke on drums, the session marks a pivotal moment in jazz history, as Davis moved away from the cool jazz aesthetic he had helped define on the Birth of the Cool sessions toward a warmer, bluesier, and more rhythmically aggressive style that would dominate jazz for the next decade.
