Miles Davis arrived in Paris for a tour at the end of November 1957 and whilst there, working on the music for Louis Malle’s film Ascenseur Pour L’échafaud, played at L’Olympia and at the Club St Germain with this band, an established working unit and a good fit for the trumpeter. He knew Kenny Clarke from New York way back, and René Urtreger and Pierre Michelot from a previous tour. Only the 20 year-old Barney Wilen was new to him, but the gifted tenor player already had a reputation among visiting Americans.
Just a few days after the Olympia concert, they travelled to play in Amsterdam, the repertoire similar and all established material. After a tentative start on Woodyn’ You, Miles quickly settles in and produces a series of fine solos – controlled, alert and imaginative, economic and never over-played, allowing his fellow musicians to make their presence felt. Wilen understandably sounds nervous but soon establishes himself on Bags’ Groove and consolidates his position on But Not For Me, Walkin’ and Night In Tunisia in particular.
Both Urtreger and bassist Michelot help Clarke lay down a solid rhythmic framework, the pianist capturing the attention in his solos and especially on What’s New, Miles the single horn. Here there are similarities with the Malle soundtrack – a poignant, moving trumpet interlude, sensitively supported by Urtreger, and a brief indication of how Miles’ music was to later develop towards a more abstract and open-ended approach.
A Night In Tunisia gives Clarke the opportunity to open up, shifting tempos and asserting himself in his solo. The others respond enthusiastically, which continues into Well You Needn’t, whilst Clarke’s multifaceted background work on Walkin’ is terrific.
A great issue which is helped by the high quality of the recording.
Discography
Woodyn’ You; Bags’ Groove; What’s New; But Not For Me; Walkin’; Four/The Theme; A Night In Tunisia; Well You Needn’t; ’Round Midnight; Lady Bird/The Theme (59.52)
Davis (t); Barney Wilen (ts); René Urtreger (p); Pierre Michelot (b); Kenny Clarke (d). Concertgebouw, Amsterdam, 8 December 1957.
Key Records 399748
