Miles Davis with Michel Legrand- The Legrand Jazz Recordings (June 25, 1958 NYC)

June 25, 1958
Columbia 30th Street Studio, New York City, New York
MICHEL LEGRAND with MILES DAVIS
Miles Davis- trumpet
Phil Woods- alto saxophone
John Coltrane- tenor saxophone
Jerome Richardson- baritone saxophone
Herbie Mann- flute
Barry Galbraith- guitar
Betty Glamann- harp
Eddie Costa- vibraphone
Bill Evans- piano
Paul Chambers- bass
Kenny Dennis- drums
Michel Legrand- arranger, conductor
Wild Man Blues (Louis Armstrong-Jelly Roll Morton) 0:00
'Round Midnight (Bernie Hanighen-Cootie Williams-Thelonious Monk) 3:23
The Jitterbug Waltz (Fats Waller) 6:23
Django (John Lewis) 11:43
closing titles 15:54
From the album Legrand Jazz [Columbia CL 1250, CS 8079 (1958)]
French pianist, composer and arranger Michel Legrand made a name for himself in the mid fifties with a string of easy listening mood music albums, with titles like Bonjour Paris, Holiday in Rome, Castles in Spain, and the popular I Love Paris. But he was also a jazz fan and when a payment dispute arose with Columbia Records a deal was struck: he would be allowed to make a jazz album, on his own terms, with his pick of musicians.
Legrand Jazz was the result, recorded at three sessions with an impressive cast of US jazz musicians, such as Ben Webster, Art Farmer, Donald Byrd, and Hank Jones, and including Columbia's new star Miles Davis, the only player whose name was featured on the LP front cover alongside Legrand's. This would be Miles' final appearance as a sideman until the comeback years of the 1980s.
The session with Miles and ten other players, including three members of his current band, Coltrane, Evans, and Chambers, consisted of four tunes, two by stalwarts of the classic jazz era, two by contemporaries of Davis.
Wild Man Blues was originally recorded in 1927 by clarinettist Johnny Dodds; versions by its composers, Louis Armstrong and Jelly Roll Morton, swiftly followed. 31 years later Legrand gives it a slightly dissonant, modern revamp, with intricate contrapuntal figures supporting the melody. Costa's vibes are a particularly attractive colouring in all these arrangements. John Coltrane, then on the verge of a hugely influential solo career, takes a couple of commanding spots on these pieces but Legrand recalled his uncertainty at the session: "I loved the way Miles Davis and John Coltrane played but I was also a bit afraid. I wondered how they would react to my arrangements. Miles didn't say anything but John asked me 'How do you want me to play my solo?' I was amazed. All I could say was 'John, play exactly the way you feel after you listen to what's happening around you.' When it came time for him to solo, he integrated himself thoroughly into my arrangements without sacrificing one note of his own conception."
Monk's 'Round Midnight was synonymous with Miles by this point- this is his third studio recording of the piece since his career reviving performance at the 1955 Newport Jazz Festival. The sumptuous arrangement smooths out some of Monk's astringency and comes closest to Legrand's easy listening style. Miles gives a masterful, evocative, Harmon muted statement of the theme, apart from Mann taking the bridge, and then it's over.
Fats Waller composed The Jitterbug Waltz in 1942, the year before 'Round Midnight, but stylistically it seems to belong to a different age. The careful, complex arrangement almost seems too mannered, although the stop-start rhythm section suggests Legrand may have been listening to Charles Mingus. The solo sections are more spacious and the horns and Evans get to blow a chorus.
The highlight of the session is an arrangement of Django, pianist John Lewis' beautiful theme, recorded in 1954 by his group The Modern Jazz Quartet in dedication to Belgian guitarist Django Reinhardt, who had died the previous year. Miles had cited the piece as one of the greatest compositions ever, and he fully does it justice. The woodwinds lay out, and Miles takes it all the way, over a shifting bed of dream-like textures from the vibes, harp, and guitar. Lewis had of course been part of the Birth Of The Cool project, and while the similarly sized group on these recordings is very different in instrumentation it evokes a similar impression of urbane, sophisticated, thoughtfully arranged jazz.
Columbia's engineers captured the sound beautifully on this session- I gave the recordings a couple of tweaks at the top end and around Chambers' bass.
Legrand would go on to have a prolific Oscar and Grammy winning career, composing for over 200 movies, including the hit song Windmills Of Your Mind from The Thomas Crown Affair. He also made occasional returns to jazz- his 1982 album After The Rain (Pablo) is particularly fine- and he would collaborate again with Miles on the soundtrack to Rolf de Heer's 1991 film Dingo.

[@MilestonesArchive]

If you enjoy what we do here, please consider helping raise our profile in the following ways: Subscribe to the channel Click the bell to be notified every time we post Click the thumbs-up on the posts you like Share our posts with like minded people and don't forget to click 'Show more' above to read the liner notes on this post You can also thank us by buying us a coffee: ko-fi.com/milestonesarchive Thank you!

[@georgesember9069]

I first heard selections from this album on the Billy Taylor jazz radio fm program back in the sixties and continue to love it! Thanks for posting!!

[@qwj68boots]

Life's grand when hearing Legrand! Mostly another gem from Miles Davis et al is like xmas today!

[@raphlasne]

The finest jazzmen conducted by Michel Legrand. Top notch.

[@maca766]

Quelle complémentarité, quel talent ! Splendide ! Tout ce que j'aime. Une vraie plongée dans ces années prolifiques où les Génies du jazz se sont rencontrés. Nostalgie d'une époque que je n'ai pas connue

[@philipashbourn1538]

I bought Legrand Jazz LP when it first came out so many years ago. Every jazz fan should have it. These were the golden days of jazz with every generation of the music around and blowing.

[@waynefoote3781]

Miles playing Satchmo....Absolutely unbelievable!!!! YESSSssss

[@jmblain9593]

Michel Legrand était un grand compoSite et arrangeur la collaboration avec miles etUne pléiade de exellent musiciens est très réussis chapeau bas

[@PepperWilliamsMusicBlend]

Great!!!!!!!!!!! Superior lineup and of course, the unmistakable sound of Miles and Coltrane. Love Michel's writing and orchestral 'colors'! Never heard any of these renderings. What a treat.😍😍😍😃😃😃😃😃😃

[@alanmarston8612]

Some of the cleanest tunes I have ever heard in a long time.

[@ypolchenko-freejazz-guitar]

Incredible duo, a music genies. French period of Miles is the clear gold. Thanks!

[@stuartwray6175]

'a music genies'? A (singular); Genies (plural). Genies are spirits of Arabian folklore, usually trapped inside a bottle or lamp, and on release able to grant a wish (singular) or wishes (plural).

[@ypolchenko-freejazz-guitar]

@@stuartwray6175 Thanks, Stuart, for the delicate correction. Definitely, I wanted to tell musical geniuses, of course. But genies sound also good. A genius genies are even closer to the truth. The pair that brought so many wonderful music.

[@michaelhanford8139]

Dangermoss, Definitely an overused term. I'm curious; in your view, what profession deserves the word genius? Thanks!

[@musicstewart9744]

Don’t remember seeing too many photos of the pianist when he was this young.

[@mgconlan]

I've loved this music ever since I first came across it in the 1970's on a French CBS reissue that also included other tracks by Miles, among them two extended performances by a big band led by John Lewis, "Budo" and "Sweet Sue" by the "First Great Quintet" (Miles, Trane, Red Garland, Paul Chambers and Philly Joe Jones), and two tracks featuring Bob Dorough in 1962. I still love this, especially the Louis Armstrong and Fats Waller covers which show Miles's and Legrand's sense of jazz history..

[@aitechnasus1041]

Miles Davis Was The Greatest Jazz Musician To Ever Live In The World His Wonderful Music Will Live On Forever.

[@anthonygray9888]

I have great respect for Michel's jazz piano.

[@georgedendulk3657]

I think it’s bill Evans on piano though, it also says so in the description

[@georgedendulk3657]

Legrand conducts here and wrote the arrangements

[@tomasvanecek8626]

Bill Evans´ you meant 😉 .. nevermind

[@unclefrankindia]

@@tomasvanecek8626 i was gonna say that

[@moniquecavard745]

Me too I m French!!

[@garykay7418]

amazing lineup. Miles was the master of that.

[@davasaurthereal4678]

incredible assembly, even john coltrane on tenor, insanely cool

[@qwj68boots]

Great Pictures too!!!

[@bobblues1158]

Really good listening. Thanks!!!!

[@gilbertdaroy6080]

What a BREEZY arrangement by Legrand.

[@casyatbat]

Thanks for posting this clip. I forgot that I had the Album Michel LeGrand - LeGrand Jazz 1. The Jitterbug Waltz 2. Nuages 3. A Night in Tunisia 4 Blue and Sentimental 5. Stompin' at the Savoy 6. Django 7. Wild Man Blues 8. Rosetta 9. "Round Midnight 10 Don't Get Around Much Anymore 11. In a Mist It's been so long since I've played this, years....

[@tomasvanecek8626]

Never knew about this one.. it is stunning

[@513coltrane]

where has this been? AMAZING BAND!!

[@michaelhanford8139]

Thank you for the excellent video description. It's as evocative as the music is. Kudos to whomever wrote it❤️

[@MilestonesArchive]

Thank you! I've only been doing the 'liner notes' for recent videos and I'm getting some good feedback on them.

[@tomault3063]

Knew a little about LeGrand, enough to like him. Now I know more, which is great.

[@monsterjazzlicks]

Great arranging!

[@JCR1992]

I wish they did more together. I know they did Dingo in 1990, but it would’ve been nice for a complete album in the 50’s or 60’s.

[@michaelhanford8139]

I knew it!!! Thanks for confirming. I discovered dingo during a chill summer term at college...the flashback made goosebumps when i read your post.❤️

[@michaelhanford8139]

Summer term, 1994*

[@Bob-Karcher]

Quelle musique merveilleuse!

[@paulgentile1024]

my favorite Miles era.....

[@romeredubost6971]

Wow miles trumpet sound happy…he must’ve love working with legrand.

[@michaelhanford8139]

Wow, yes it does. 😂now *that's* a description of Miles i never expected to hear! Thanks for making me smile.

[@romeredubost6971]

@@michaelhanford8139 huge admirer of the man and the music…thanks for replying.

[@michaelhanford8139]

Likewise! ...and likewise, thanks for replying🙏

[@enriqueernesto738]

Un hallazgo increíble

[@edwinedwards6796]

I need to dive into this.

[@sclogse1]

If you know Paul Horn's Something Blue album, which is just brilliant, thia music leans toward his thing more fhan other groups. And there's Paul and the vibes player...

[@jazzbirdbecky]

❤

[@keithcowen5220]

I’m so glad we didn’t have youtubers back in the day or tiktokers, no one would have listened to a song for more than 15 seconds. We wouldn’t have records, we’d have snippets.

[@craigbrowning9448]

Why couldn't they have just in the Jitterbug Waltz in 3/4? Miles recorded All Blues around the same time and didn't have any problems with that time signature on that recording.

[@Kezleu]

Col transe woua😮

[@triston226]

5:54

[@user-hp2zj2ns3g]

僕が、もってたレコードにはないトラックと新しい発見！ フランスの化学反応〜 ニューブルヴァーグ?

[@normalizedaudio2481]

French guys always boss around us Americans.

[@rinahall]

American jazzmen always come to earn their money with us Europeans.

[@TheClaumigue]

Are they compliments or are they fighting?

[@marcelovolcato8892]

@@TheClaumigue Both, I believe.😆

[@SBClaude]

Oh please, talk to your therapist instead

[@andrewtannenbaum1]

It works, than it doesn't. While the arrangements are intriguing, it doesn't elicit anything new from Mikes or anyone, but juxtaposes their style in state. When compared to Gil Evan's orchestrations, we can see how Americans at that time had so much one soul.

[@unclenote]

Brûle pas tes doigts ….elle n’est pas faite pour toi….Michelle Legrand

[@rebirthofthecool5619]

This Legrand photo looks photoshopped, he looks like a modern day youtuber dressed in clothing of the period.