MILES DAVIS: ASCENSEUR POUR L'ÉCHEFAUD (MONO)

Performer: Miles Davis, trumpet; Barney Wilen, tenor saxophone; René Urtreger, piano; Pierre Michelot, double bass; Kenny Clarke, drums
Composer: Miles Davis
Number of discs: 1
Barcode: 3700409815058
Label: Sam Records
Format: LP
Genre: Jazz
Year: 2017

LIMITED EDITION ON TEN-INCH VINYL

REMASTERED FROM THE ORIGINAL TAPES

PRESSED BY PALLAS IN GERMANY

“There is undoubtedly something more satisfying and historically complete about owning a flawlessly reproduced version of a sound document. This conviction led the management of Sam Records to reissue—according to their admirable standards and constant pursuit of the highest possible perfection—a laminated cover, a faithful reproduction of the stunning cover photographs, and—crowning it all—a sensational photograph of Miles Davis taken in 1957 by the great Gérard Landau. In any case, the most interesting aspect for audiophiles is that the mono sound of this evocative soundtrack—through which listeners can easily imagine the noir ending of the story (involving, among other things, adultery and murder)—has been rendered with transparency and extraordinary precision” (Artistic Quality: 10/11; Sound Quality: 10/11; Michael Fremer, AnalogPlanet.com).

The program of this record was recorded by Miles Davis’s European band for the film Ascenseur pour l'échafaud (Elevator to the Gallows), directed by Louis Malle. This 180-gram LP reissue of the album recorded on December 4 and 5, 1957 is imbued with an elegant and highly romantic atmosphere. Thanks to the participation of two French jazz musicians of the caliber of Pierre Michelot and the great tenor saxophonist Barney Wilen, this soundtrack seems to look back toward the Blue Note recordings of the 1950s with drummer Kenny Clarke. Only on very few occasions has Davis’s open trumpet sound taken on such desperately intense tones, and many believe its bittersweet inflections were closely linked to the relationship the great American virtuoso had with Jeanne Moreau, the film’s leading actress.

“The melodies on this record are often very brief fragments, which sometimes appear only to vanish immediately and then suddenly re-emerge. This was the style Davis adopted at the time, improvising musical impressions while watching the film’s images. The pieces he created allowed him to capture with sensational realism the atmosphere of the postwar period, thanks to the freedom to test his unrestrained compositional talent in an almost minimalist setting. How many other great bebop performers raised in the shadow of Charlie Parker would have been able to create such small gems?” (Amazon.com).

Tracklist:

• Générique
• L’assassinat de Carala
• Sur l’autoroute
• Julien dans l’ascenseur
• Florence sur les Champs-Élysées
• Dîner au motel
• Évasion de Julien
• Visite du vigile
• Au bar du petit bac
• Chez le photographe du motel