Search - Miles Davis :: Compact Jazz

Parker, Coltrane, and Evans too.

11/19/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"From liner notes:Central to Miles Davis's lasting fame is his practice of changing his music in unexpected yet valid ways and his collection focuses on three very different facets of his workd during the 1950's. The music for Louis Malle's stylish and intelligent 1957 thriller, "L'Ascenseur pour l'echafaud," was extemporized by Davis and his sideman as they wathed the film, and the result is some of the finest jazz ever to be heard in the cinema. Much of the time the trumpeter holds the centre of the stage, improvising, against what often are minimal accompaniments, sols that sometimes are exuberant, sometimes greiveing. More often, though, he deals in shades of feeling too subtle to be easily described. Music begins where words leave off... [excerpted] ...Familiar themes from several phases of jazz history are shown in such new lights as almost to persuade us that we are hearing them for the first time. "Django" and "Round about midnight" are sensitivly nuanced as vehicles for Davis while on the other pieces he tkes his turn with such men as Bill Evens, Phil Woods, Eddie Costa, John Coltrane. Inevitably the 1951 session was dominated not by Davis but byt the surpassing brilliance of Charlie Parker's alto playing, which is especially magnificent on "KC Blues." This and two of the other themes, "Au privave" and "She rote" were composed by Parker. In each case Davis manfully faces the task of soloing immediately after the great man, sounding both modest and determined. It was by facing this challenge that he first proved that he could face anything.1-4 Michel Legrand; conductor-arranger: Herbie Mann, flute: Betty Glamann, harp: Barry Galbraith, guitar: Miles Davis, trumpet: John Coltrane, tenor sax: Phil Woods, alto sax: Jerome Richardson, baritone sax, base, clarinet: Eddie Costa, vibes: Bill Evans, piano: Paul Chambers, bass: Kenny Dennis, drums.5-14: Miles Davis, trumpet: Barney Wilen, tenor sax: Rene Urtreger, piano: Pierre Michelot, bass: Kenny Clarke, drums:15-18: Miles Davis, trumpet: Charlie Parker, alto sax: Walter Bishop Jr., piano: Teddy Kotick, bass: Max Roach, drums."

A Rare / Unique moment in Jazz

Gregory Naughton | Iowa | 04/17/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I have often been asked by people who aren't familiar with jazz to suggest something that is slow, delicate, mesmerizing, and the only thing that I can really think of that fits that description is this album. The works on it constitute three distinctly different recording sessions. The middle section is recorded with a trio in France. It is absolutely halucinogenic. Very soothing. I would recommend it to anyone, particularly non-jazz enthusiasts."