Most reissues on American Jazz Classics are of a famous album, with or without bonus tracks, whereas 1951-57 Studio Recordings is an original compilation of the Miles Davis Quartet. This mostly means tracks from larger groups where the other horns drop out for a number or two, including items from Cookin'/Relaxin'/etc, plus the important single-horn sessions with Horace Silver (both Blue Note and Prestige) and Red Garland (The Musings Of Miles). Versions of two pieces from Lift To The Scaffold – modal jazz starts here! – plus the ‘Funny Valentine’ with Bill Evans end up making this into a Jazz Classic after all. The Manchester Concert, incorrectly subtitled Complete, just means all that was actually recorded on that night. It covers part of a first house and all of a second from Miles' initial tour of this country, and is efficiently recorded (seemingly from the house PA). Everyone plays well, but the slightly anachronistic Stitt undermines the consistency of the rest, whereas the three bonus tracks from St. Louis represent the earliest live recording of an entirely new quintet. Clearly of interest, but rather lacking in focus as an album.