"The New Sounds" is the debut solo studio album by American jazz musician Miles Davis. Released in late 1951 as a 10-inch LP, it marks Davis's first album as a bandleader and his first full album for Prestige Records. Prior to this, Davis had contributed tracks to the Prestige compilation LP Modern Jazz Trumpets and appeared as a sideman on the 10-inch LP Lee Konitz: The New Sounds.
Prestige would serve as Davis's label for the next five years, alongside occasional recordings for Blue Note and Debut, until he signed with Columbia in 1955. His previous label, Capitol, had been disappointed with the sales of nonet recordings from 1949/50 and did not offer him more work. This led to Bob Weinstock from Prestige seeking out Davis, tracking him down to Chicago, where he was performing with Billie Holiday, and offering him a one-year contract.
The four tracks on The New Sounds were recorded at New York's Apex Studio on October 5, 1951. In addition to these tracks, two songs, "Bluing" and "Out of the Blue," would later appear on his next Prestige album, Blue Period, and a seventh track, "Denial," would later feature on the 12-inch LP Dig. Davis's friends Charlie Parker and Charles Mingus attended the recording session, with Mingus contributing an uncredited bass part to "Conception." Parker's presence reportedly unnerved alto saxophonist Jackie McLean, as this was his first recording session. Sonny Rollins, who was Davis's favored tenor saxophonist during this period, also participated in this session.
Ira Gitler's liner notes highlight the advantages of the 10-inch LP format, allowing jazz musicians to stretch out their ideas without strict time limits. Gitler noted that this album provides Davis more freedom than he had experienced on record before, enabling him to build ideas into a cumulative effect. For Davis, this was his first recording utilizing new microgroove technology, which allowed him to transcend the three-minute limitations of the 78 rpm format and extend his solos like he could in club performances. Weinstock assured him he would be among the first jazz musicians to benefit from this new technology.
After the 10-inch LP format was discontinued in 1956, tracks like "Dig" and "It's Only A Paper Moon" would reappear on the 12-inch album Dig, while "Conception" and "My Old Flame" would be included in the various artists compilation Conception.
