Adderley formed his own group with his brother Nat after signing onto the Savoy jazz label in 1957. He was noticed by Miles Davis, and it was because of his blues-rooted alto saxophone that Davis asked him to play with his group. He joined the Davis band in October 1957, three months prior to the return of John Coltrane to the group. Some of Davis's finest trumpet work can be found on Adderley's solo album "Somethin' Else" (also featuring Art Blakey and Hank Jones), which was recorded shortly after the two giants met. Adderley then played on the seminal Davis records "Milestones" and "Kind of Blue". This period also overlapped with pianist Bill Evans' time with the sextet, an association that led to Evans appearing on "Portrait of Cannonball" and "Know What I Mean?".