"Diane" is a swinging interpretation of the Lew Pollack and Erno Rapee standard from Miles Davis's 1956 Prestige album Steamin' with the Miles Davis Quintet. Set in a 32-bar ABAB' form in E-flat at approximately 144 bpm, the tune's romantic melody provides an ideal canvas for Davis's lyrical trumpet style. His two-chorus solo is a model of melodic improvisation, his phrases shaped with the intuitive sense of balance and proportion that characterized his finest work. John Coltrane follows with two tenor saxophone choruses that bring a contrasting intensity, his lines denser and more harmonically complex than Davis's spare statements. Red Garland rounds out the solo section with two elegant piano choruses that bridge the stylistic gap between the two horn players. The medium tempo allows the quintet to swing at its most relaxed and conversational, the interplay among the musicians reflecting the deep rapport developed through extensive live performance. Steamin' captures the Davis quintet in a particularly unified and inspired mood, and this track exemplifies the group's ability to transform relatively obscure standards into compelling jazz performances through the sheer force of collective musicianship.
