Personnel:
Michel Legrand (arr, cond), Miles Davis, Donald Byrd (tp), Herbie Mann (fl), Jerome Richardson (cl, bs), Phil Woods (as), John Coltrane, Ben Webster, Barney Wilen (ts), Bill Evans, René Urtreger (p), Paul Chambers, Pierre Michelot (b), Kenny Clarke (d)
Reference: EJC55433
Bar code: 8436028694334
This CD contains French composer and pianist Michel Legrand's album "Legrand Jazz" (Columbia) in its entirety, featuring his first recorded collaboration with Miles Davis. As a bonus, the trumpeter's complete original suite for the soundtrack to the French film "Ascenseur pour l´échafaud" (Fontana) has been added.
Tracklisting:
01. WILD MAN BLUES (3:22)
02. 'ROUND MIDNIGHT (2:59)
03. THE JITTERBUG WALTZ (5:17)
04. DJANCO (4:13)
05. NUAGES (2:23)
06. ROSETTA (7:16)
07. DON'T GET AROUND MUCH ANYMORE (2:34)
08. BLUE AND SENTIMENTAL (3:25)
09. STOMPIN' AT THE SAVOY (3:47)
10. NIGHT IN TUNISIA (5:53)
11. IN A MIST (3:20)
12. GENERIQUE (2:50)
13. L´ASSASSINAT DE CARLA (2:11)
14. SUR L'AUTOROUTE (2:20)
15. JULIEN DANS L'ASCENSEUR (2:09)
16. FLORENCE SUR LES CHAMPS-ÉLYSÉES (2:52)
17. DINER AU MOTEL (3:58)
18. EVASION DE JULIEN (0:54)
19. VISITE DU VIGILE (2:06)
20. AU BAR DU PETIT BAC (2:54)
21. CHEZ LE PHOTOGRAPHE DU MOTEL (3:55)
Total time: 70:48 min.
Tracks #1-11 from "Legrand Jazz" (Columbia CS 8079).
Tracks #12-21 from the 10" LP "Ascenseur pour l´échafaud" (Fontana 660 213).
Personnel on #1-11: Michel Legrand (arr, cond) with Miles Davis, Art Farmer, Donald Byrd (tp), Jimmy Cleveland (tb), Herbie Mann (fl), Jerome Richardson (cl, bs), Phil Woods (as), John Coltrane, Ben Webster (ts), Eddie Costa (vib), Bill Evans, Hank Jones (p), Barry Galbraith (g), Paul Chambers (b) and Osie Johnson (d). Recorded in New York City, on June 25, 1958.
Personnel on #12-21: Miles Davis (tp), Barney Wilen (ts), René Urtreger (p), Pierre Michelot (b) and Kenny Clarke (d). Recorded in Paris, on December 4 & 5, 1957.
---------------------------------------------
Reviews:
-Legrand Jazz
"The roster is impressive, covering most of the modern greats and near-greats. The Miles sides are superb. The writing is imaginative, tinged with the languid air of Gil Evans at his most soulful, and yet with something more."
Dom Cerulli -Down Beat (1958)
"Michel Legrand has spent most of his life as a composer in the studios and for films, but this release is a jazz classic. Legrand took 11 famous jazz compositions and arranged them for three different groups. Tenor great Ben Webster, flutist Herbie Mann, four trombonists, and a rhythm section perform pieces by Duke Ellington, Earl Hines, Django Reinhardt ("Nuages"), and the Count Basie-associated "Blue and Sentimental." A big band with trumpeters Art Farmer and Donald Byrd and altoist Phil Woods plays "Stompin' at the Savoy," "A Night in Tunisia," and Bix Beiderbecke's "In a Mist." The most famous session has Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Phil Woods, Herbie Mann, pianist Bill Evans, harp, vibes, baritone, and a rhythm section performing music by Thelonious Monk, John Lewis, Jelly Roll Morton ("Wild Man Blues"), and Fats Waller's "Jitterbug Waltz." Throughout this superlative album, the arrangements are colorful and unusual, making one wish that Legrand had recorded more jazz albums through the years."
Scott Yanow -All Music Guide
-Ascenseur pour l'echafaud
"An absolutely fascinating release. Some of the very best, if not the best, Miles solos are contained on this LP."
Ralph J. Gleason -Down Beat (1958)
"In 1957 Miles Davis went to France for a short tour and while there recorded the soundtrack for the film "Ascenseur Pour l'Échafaud" [...]. Better than many soundtracks, this music (which also features the tenor of Barney Wilen and pianist René Urtreger) does not really stand on its own without the film, so it's of mostly historical interest."
Scott Yanow -All Music Guide
