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Post by jazzhead on May 31, 2021 12:33:09 GMT
Just read about this on JazzWax: "Miles Davis in Milan in Color, 1964 The following YouTube video will likely be familiar to you, but chances are you've seen it in black and white. A couple of weeks ago, the footage was uploaded colorized. The concert featured the Miles Davis Quintet at the Teatro dell'Arte in Milan, Italy, on October 11th, 1964. When I saw the clip—thanks to Gilles D'Elia in Paris alerting me to it—a funny thing happened. The music became more important and gripping. Mind you, I tend to despise colorized films, but a jazz clip of historic significance seems somehow richer and more dimensional colorized. Your brain magically pays closer attention to the music." www.jazzwax.com/2021/05/miles-davis-in-milan-in-color-1964.htmlMiles Davis Quintet, Teatro dell'Arte, Milan, Italy, October 11th, 1964 (Colorized)
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Post by bassman on May 31, 2021 14:12:12 GMT
Colorized or not: This is the first time I am seeing this video in decent quality. I bought a B/W DVD a couple of years ago which is just a pity and a shame, totally blurred, protagonists barely discernible. Thanks for posting!
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Post by Doom Girl on May 31, 2021 15:33:05 GMT
RANDOM THOUGHTS: Check that you have it set on HD. Ron Carter sure is tall. The colorized bass looks weird. "His appearances on 2,221 recording sessions make him the most-recorded jazz bassist in history" per Wikipedia Tony Williams looks happy.
This is actually one of my least favorite Miles Davis bands -- "Miles worked past his acoustic 60s quintet, a group that played as if it were suspended in vast, airless darkness" - Richard Cook, writing in the Guardian.
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Post by bassman on May 31, 2021 18:09:24 GMT
[ ... ] This is actually one of my least favorite Miles Davis bands -- "Miles worked past his acoustic 60s quintet, a group that played as if it were suspended in vast, airless darkness" - Richard Cook, writing in the Guardian. But ... Richard Cook didn't mean this in a negative way, did he? The funny thing about this group is: Even though they (sometimes) may have played deliberately "out of time" (especially Tony did!), the overall feeling is one of continuous, and unstoppable, "swing". It never sounds wrong, such as when some lesser player suddenly starts to accelerate out of sheer nervousness, or incompetence. Sheer magic, equalled by no one. Which doesn't mean one has to like everything they played, so I can see your point. My favourite among the Davis/Shorter discs still is "Miles Smiles". But more than that, I have a penchant for the earlier recordings with George Coleman (Seven Steps To Heaven, My Funny Valentine/Four And More, and the Antibes live set. Among other things, I love "Steps" because of the California tracks with Victor Feldman and Frank Butler, who plays the most fantastic drum accompaniment - all the more remarkable considering his other recordings, which are little more than VG+ - on "Baby Won't You Please Come Home"...)
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dg
Full Member
Posts: 124
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Post by dg on May 31, 2021 18:18:50 GMT
....Tony Williams looks happy.... I might too, if I were 18 years old, "teacher's pet," and traveling in Europe with one of the most famous jazz bands in the world. The Cook article you reference has some remarkable Miles Davis quotes in it, such as: ""Coltrane could do it. He started with a style imitating Eddie Lockjaw Davis. But he was something else. People don't know it but it took him a long time. I was going with a girl who was an antique dealer in France. She gave this soprano sax to me and I gave it to Coltrane. I gave that thing to Trane, man, and it's probably still in his hand. He probably died with it in his mouth! He never did take that thing out of his mouth. "Then I gave him some progressions. I said, Sonny ( Rollins) – I mean, Trane. I had them both in the band but I have no tapes of that band, shit. We had this thing by Khatchaturian – you know Rachmaninoff's modulations and stuff like that, three or four keys? I gave him a tone centre of E natural and said, you can play F, G minor, E minor triad, C triad, all these chords … and he'd play all of them. In two bars. In that order, and then in a different order. "I gave him all these little things, like – play this for me, Trane. And it'd sound like – blablablablublurp.... that's the way it sounds, if you play without stopping you sound like Coltrane. But you have to be doing something. It has to fit the chord, the day, the weather and everything." Wasn't there a time when Coltrane thought he must have played everything? "You would say that, you're not Coltrane! He was a very greedy man. Bird was, too. When I was 17,18, my allowance was like $40 a week. My wife would cook something, a little cornbread, and I'd say to Bird, Come on downstairs and eat. And he would eat all of the cornbread! He would sit down and leave a little piece like that and then leave! Did that a couple of times and I said, Fuck Bird! After a couple of times I didn't leave him anything to gobble up. "Like when Bird died. They asked me to say something about Bird. I said, Man, if I said something about Bird, you wouldn't believe it. Don't ask me that! He was a big hog. A pig. No such thing as no with him. And Trane. And Sonny. Only three people I knew like that. And Dizzy, when he was young. I suppose geniuses are like that...." Stories, stories – maybe he embellishes, but who knows?"
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Post by Doom Girl on May 31, 2021 19:26:19 GMT
[ ... ] This is actually one of my least favorite Miles Davis bands -- "Miles worked past his acoustic 60s quintet, a group that played as if it were suspended in vast, airless darkness" - Richard Cook, writing in the Guardian. But ... Richard Cook didn't mean this in a negative way, did he? ..... I think that Cook did mean in it in a negative way, but it is all somewhat ambiguous....so here's the link so you can judge for yourself, if you like: www.theguardian.com/music/2012/nov/06/miles-davis-interview-rocks-backpages#commentsI am trying to track down a copy of Cook's biography/discography of Davis, It's About That Time: Miles Davis On and Off the Record. I've never seen a copy of it but it sounds, from comments I've read, like an interesting take on the great man's career. .
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Post by jazzhead on Jun 1, 2021 1:03:43 GMT
Just took a look at that users uploads on YouTube to see if there are any other colorized videos. There are. More Miles, Monk, Art Blakey, and this Mingus and Dolphy video:
Eric Dolphy & Charles Mingus sextet, Antibes jazz Festival, July 13th, 1960 (Colorized)
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Post by jazzhead on Jun 1, 2021 1:14:02 GMT
Stunning!
Thelonious Monk Quartet, at the University Aula, Oslo, Norway, April 15th, 1966 (Colorized)
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Post by jazzhead on Jun 1, 2021 1:26:25 GMT
John Coltrane Quintet, in Dusseldorf, Germany, March 28th, 1960 (In color)
John Coltrane, Concert at Comblain-la-Tour, Belgium, August 1st, 1965 (in Color)
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Post by bassman on Jun 1, 2021 7:22:54 GMT
But ... Richard Cook didn't mean this in a negative way, did he? ..... I think that Cook did mean in it in a negative way, but it is all somewhat ambiguous....so here's the link so you can judge for yourself, if you like: www.theguardian.com/music/2012/nov/06/miles-davis-interview-rocks-backpages#commentsI am trying to track down a copy of Cook's biography/discography of Davis, It's About That Time: Miles Davis On and Off the Record. I've never seen a copy of it but it sounds, from comments I've read, like an interesting take on the great man's career. . "It's About ..." is both a reliable book of reference and a fascinating, detailed analysis of all of Miles' albums. If you can get hold of it you'll be surprised how many forgotten facts and facets of his music are waiting to be re-discovered. I would also recommend (in case you don't have them already): Jeremy Yudkin, Miles Smiles, and the Invention of Post Bop (includes solo transciptions); Keith Waters, Miles Davis Quintet 1965-68; and of course Ashley Kahn, Kind Of Blue - The Making of the Miles Davis Masterpiece.
Edit/Re: "... suspended in vast, airless darkness ..." To me, it sounds like he's trying to paraphrase the degree of freedom the group had achieved, effortlessly floating in space, as it were. With Ron Carter and Tony W being there to support you, this shouldn't be impossible. YMMV
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Post by jazzhead on Jun 1, 2021 7:56:20 GMT
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Post by Doom Girl on Jun 1, 2021 16:15:12 GMT
I think that Cook did mean in it in a negative way..... . "It's About ..." is both a reliable book ...... The Kahn book is very good. I'm waiting for the Cook book to arrive. Also, TY for other suggestions.
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Post by Doom Girl on Jun 1, 2021 16:18:23 GMT
..........I am trying to track down a copy of Cook's biography/discography of Davis, It's About That Time: Miles Davis On and Off the Record. I've never seen a copy of it but it sounds, from comments I've read, like an interesting take on the great man's career. . There are some on ebay. The cheapest is £10: www.ebay.co.uk/itm/363324538356?hash=item5497d47df4:g:0ssAAOSw6LRgUL0YI've found a seller on Amazon who has it for 5, and free shipping to boot! ....but TY
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Post by jazzhead on Jun 1, 2021 23:29:22 GMT
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Post by Doom Girl on Jun 3, 2021 0:45:02 GMT
Just took a look at that users uploads on YouTube to see if there are any other colorized videos. There are. More Miles, Monk, Art Blakey, and this Mingus and Dolphy video: Eric Dolphy & Charles Mingus sextet, Antibes jazz Festival, July 13th, 1960 (Colorized) In color or black & white, this is a wonderful, groundbreaking performance by a remarkable band. There seem to be some intonation problems in the initial ensemble section, which may be due to less than stellar recording and playback equipment, but this is soon forgotten as the trio of Bud Powell, Charles Mingus and Dannie Richmond set off on a long trio excursion with Bud, a founder of the bop revolution, entering another realm. With this set of genius egos on stage, some glitches are not unexpected, and the performance seems to fall apart at about 6:10 where it comes to an abrupt halt, only to be picked up again, now by the full band. The under appreciated Ted Curson has a fine little solo, followed by Eric Dolphy, but the real fun begins with the hand-off to Booker Ervin and a long section where the two saxes trade fours, picking up on each other’s phrases with astonishing acuity. Periodically, the rhythm section drops out, lending a further element of variety to this extended duet. Eventually, the two give up on trading space and begin to play together, finally joined by Curson’s trumpet. – a beginning to the era of free jazz! A short ensemble section ends the tune. I have long thought that Ervin’s best playing was with Mingus and that there was a subsequent falling off of quality in some of his later work. Adding to my enjoyment of this video were the shots of the French hipster audience and the opportunity to see one of Eric Dolphy’s unusual sartorial choices – check out the footwear accompanying his staid black suit, tie and white shirt. Of this sextet, I had the opportunity to witness three of them in performance myself - Mingus and Richmond in another excellent band with alto saxist Charles McPherson* at a tiny club (The Empty Foxhole) in Philadelphia and Eric Dolphy as featured soloist with an orchestra led by “Third Stream” guru Gunther Schuler in Washington D.C. Unfortunately these were performances that were never recorded, but happily live on in my memory as some of the best. *Charles McPherson is still living and had this to say on his website: “2019 was a spectacular year for me. From a celebration of my work and 80th Birthday at Lincoln Center, countless performances with many gifted, young musicians, to recording 16 of my new compositions written for Ballet in December at Van Gelder Studio that will be released soon.” Incidentally, McPherson’s daughter Camille is a talented young ballerina herself and has performed in pieces created by her father.
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