Historic concert featuring a fiery John Coltrane
March 21, 1960
Olympia Theatre, Paris, France
MILES DAVIS QUINTET
Miles Davis- trumpet
John Coltrane- tenor saxophone
Wynton Kelly- piano
Paul Chambers- bass
Jimmy Cobb- drums
1st set
All of You (C. Porter) 0:00
So What (M. Davis) 17:05
On Green Dolphin Street (N. Washington-B. Kaper) 30:31
2nd set
Walkin' (R. Carpenter) 45:11
Bye Bye Blackbird (R. Henderson-M. Dixon) 1:01:02
'Round Midnight (B. Hanighen-C. Williams-T. Monk) 1:15:00
Oleo (S. Rollins) 1:20:37
The Theme (M. Davis) 1:24:59
Concert recording, broadcast by Europe-1
Great bands often have sown within them the seeds of their own destruction. A talented sideman will spend their time with a leader gaining experience, confidence, plaudits, and fame. Generally, the next move is to form their own band. Great artistic statements are often made by groups on the brink of imploding.
So it proved with Miles Davis' Kind of Blue sextet. First out was Bill Evans; indeed, he had already left by the time KoB was recorded, replaced by Wynton Kelly. Miles invited his ex-pianist back for the session, having concieved of music based on Bill's impressionistic playing. Next to go was altoist Cannonball Adderley, who had often recorded and performed alongside his brother, cornettist Nat, since the pair arrived in New York in the summer of 1955. They decided the time was right to form a new working band.
John Coltrane, too, had recorded as a leader for Prestige, Roulette and Blue Note but signing to Atlantic Records in 1959 brought about a creative rebirth- less than two weeks after the final KoB session, Trane started recording his classic Giant Steps, followed later in the year by Coltrane Jazz with the Davis rhythm section. He was ready to strike out on his own. Davis, however, was reluctant to lose another key player and persuaded Coltrane to stay for one final tour of Europe in the spring of 1960.
This was the first date of Norman Granz' three week Jazz At The Philharmonic package tour, where Davis shared the bill with Stan Getz and the Oscar Peterson Trio. The date was crisply recorded by Europe 1 radio, and the repertoire consists of some of Davis' recent hit recordings, plus two pieces from Kind Of Blue, released the previous summer, So What and All Blues.
Davis plays superbly at this gig- he seems to be in a very good period for his chops and he plays with a great deal of expression, subtlety, strength and poise. A device often used on the standard tunes is an extended, repeated turnaround at the end of the form over which the soloist plays, ending it with a melodic cue to signal a break into the next soloist (an early version of the 'coded phrases' Davis would deploy to introduce the next tune in the continuous sets of the late 60s and 1970s). Wynton Kelly is also brilliant across these recordings, an often undervalued pianist in the pantheon of Davis accompanists; he plays with impeccable swing, taste and drive and his dialogues with Davis are consistently fascinating. And Chambers and Cobb are there every step of the way. One of the great rhythm sections in jazz.
But the real revelation is Coltrane. A reluctant participant in the tour he apparently remained in a sour mood, rarely conversing and spending his free time practicing obsessively. He brings this tension to the bandstand- he seems determined to experiment publicly, pushing the limits of the saxophone and of his own playing. This was different even to the advanced 'sheets of sound' one might have been familiar with from recent Coltrane records or Kind Of Blue. Here, Trane utilises melodic cells that repeat and mutate, there is overblowing, split tones, multiphonics, altissimo register phrases above the tenor's normal range, anguished cries, lightning fast arpeggios, purposely out of key phrases, harmonies stacked on harmonies.
Jazz relies on tension and release but here Trane is adding tension on top of tension, often at great length- Coltrane once said to Davis "it seems like when I get going, I just don't know how to stop," to which Miles replied, with typical dryness, "why don't you try taking the horn out of your mouth?". Still, Davis allowed Trane the space to conduct his experiments, perhaps sensing he was working towards something revolutionary. If Coltrane's intention was to provoke the audience it worked- often, parts of the crowd erupt with boos and catcalls, while others are cheering. Modern jazz is splitting into warring factions before our ears. More than sixty years on it remains viscerally exciting.
More than just a fortunate recording of the Davis quintet on a good night, this is a crucial document in modern jazz. And it's a blast to listen to.
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