Porgy and Bess (Miles Davis album)
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| Porgy and Bess | |||||
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.jpg/200px-Porgy_and_Bess_(Miles_Davis).jpg) |
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| Studio album by Miles Davis | |||||
| Released | 1958 | ||||
| Recorded | July 22-August 18, 1958 30th Street Studio, NYC |
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| Genre | Jazz | ||||
| Length | 50:53 (Original LP) 58:18 (CD Reissue) |
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| Label | Columbia CL-1274 |
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| Producer | Cal Lampley, Teo Macero | ||||
| Professional reviews | |||||
| Miles Davis chronology | |||||
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| Alternate cover | |||||
U.K. 45 rpm release
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Porgy and Bess is a 1958 album by jazz musician Miles Davis which he and Gil Evans arranged from George Gershwin's opera Porgy and Bess. The album was recorded in four sessions on July 22, July 29, August 4 and August 18, 1958 at Columbia's 30th Street Studio in New York City. It is the second collaboration between Davis and Evans and has garnered much critical acclaim since its release, being acknowledged by music critics as the best of their collaborations.[2] For many jazz critics, this recording is regarded as historic.[3]
Contents |
[edit] History
[edit] Conception
The musical, commercial and critical success of Miles Ahead made future Miles Davis and Gil Evans ventures possible. At that period, the Samuel Goldwyn film adaptation of the George Gershwin/DuBose Heyward/Ira Gershwin opera Porgy and Bess was in production, set for release in June of 1959. The advance publicity for the film was considerable, and with the late-'50s vogue for recorded "jazz versions of...", a number of Porgy and Bess jazz interpretations were released. These ranged from an all-star big band version arranged and conducted by Bill Potts to one by Bob Crosby and the Bobcats. Most were not as memorable as the Miles Davis/Gil Evans version. After the first collaboration with Evans, Davis followed up on these efforts with much interest in symphonic readings, which, at the time, jazzmen were not known for, and neither were classically trained musicians known for interpreting jazz scores. However, Miles enlisted members of his famous quartet, anyway, including Cannonball Adderley and Paul Chambers. In a December 1958 interview with Jazz Review magazine, Davis explained[4]:
| “ | I think a movement in jazz is beginning, away from the conventional string of chords and a return to emphasis on melodic rather than harmonic variations....When Gil wrote the arrangement of 'I Loves You, Porgy', he only wrote a scale for me to play. No chords. And that other passage with just two chords gives you a lot more freedom and space to hear things. |
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[edit] Release and reception
The second in a series of Davis/Evans collaborations, Porgy and Bess became highly acclaimed by music critics, such as Bill Kirchner who wrote that "In this century's American music, three partnerships have been most influential: Duke Ellington/Billy Strayhorn, Frank Sinatra/Nelson Riddle, and Miles Davis/Gil Evans".[5] As one of Miles Davis' best-selling albums, Porgy and Bess is regarded as a landmark album in orchestral jazz. Davis biographer Jack Chambers wrote of the album as "a new score, with its own integrity, order and action". [6]
The album's appeal was more widespread among critics after the 1997 reissue. Robert Gilbert of All About Jazz described Porgy and Bess as "...one of many great albums that Miles Davis recorded over his lifetime. It reaches a higher plateau than most, though, in its way that it can reach the listener on both a musical and emotional level. That the album is still able to do this after almost forty-five years is a testament to the rare magic that occurred in a New York studio over four days in the summer of 1958."[7] In an August 1997 issue, JazzTimes magazine said that "...Porgy and Bess is possibly the best of the collaborations between Miles and Gil Evans....Evans is justly regarded as the master of modern orchestration and Porgy and Bess shows him at his best. There are two alternates to savor here, 'I Loves You, Porgy' and 'More'...".[8] The album was included in Elvis Costello’s "500 Albums You Need" (Vanity Fair, Issue No. 483 11/00) [9] and was also ranked 785 in the Virgin "All-Time top 1000 album" list.[10]
[edit] Track listing
All compositions by George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin and DuBose Heyward, except otherwise noted.
[edit] Side One
| Track | Recorded | Song Title | Writer(s) | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 8/4/58 | The Buzzard Song | G. Gershwin, I. Gershwin, Heyward | 4:07 |
| 2. | 7/29/58 | Bess, You Is My Woman Now | G. Gershwin, I. Gershwin, Heyward | 5:10 |
| 3. | 7/22/58 | Gone | Gil Evans | 3:37 |
| 4. | 7/22/58 | Gone, Gone, Gone | G. Gershwin, I. Gershwin, Heyward | 2:03 |
| 5. | 8/4/58 | Summertime | G. Gershwin, I. Gershwin, Dor. Heyward | 3:17 |
| 6. | 8/4/58 | Prayer (Oh Doctor Jesus) | G. Gershwin, I. Gershwin, Heyward | 4:18 |
[edit] Side Two
| Track | Recorded | Song Title | Writer | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 8/4/58 | Prayer (Oh Doctor Jesus) | G. Gershwin, I. Gershwin, Heyward | 4:39 |
| 2. | 7/29/58 | Fisherman, Strawberry and Devil Crab | G. Gershwin, I. Gershwin, Heyward | 4:06 |
| 3. | 7/22/58 | My Man's Gone Now | G. Gershwin, I. Gershwin, Heyward | 6:14 |
| 4. | 7/29/58 | It Ain't Necessarily So | G. Gershwin, I. Gershwin, Heyward | 4:23 |
| 5. | 7/29/58 | Here Come De Honey Man | G. Gershwin, I. Gershwin, Heyward | 1:18 |
| 6. | 8/18/58 | I Wants to Stay Here (a.k.a. I Loves You, Porgy) | G. Gershwin, I. Gershwin, Heyward | 3:39 |
| 7. | 8/4/58 | There's a Boat That's Leaving Soon for New York | G. Gershwin, I. Gershwin, Heyward | 3:23 |
[edit] 1997 Reissue Bonus Tracks
| Track | Recorded | Song Title | Writer | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 8/18/58 | I Loves You, Porgy (take 1, second version) | G. Gershwin, I. Gershwin, Heyward | 4:14 |
| 2. | 7/22/58 | Gone (take 4) | Gil Evans | 3:40 |
[edit] Personnel
- Miles Davis - trumpet, flugelhorn
- Ernie Royal, Bernie Glow, Johnny Coles and Louis Mucci - trumpet
- Dick Hixon, Frank Rehak, Jimmy Cleveland and Joe Bennett - trombone
- Willie Ruff, Julius Watkins and Gunther Schuller - horn
- Bill Barber - tuba
- Phil Bodner, Jerome Richardson and Romeo Penque - flute, alto flute & clarinet
- Cannonball Adderley - alto saxophone
- Danny Bank - alto flute & bass clarinet
- Paul Chambers - bass
- Jimmy Cobb - drums (except tracks 3,4, 9, & 15)
- Philly Joe Jones - drums (tracks 3,4, 9, & 15)
- Gil Evans - arranger & conductor
[edit] Additional personnel
- Cal Lampley - producer
- Frank Laico - recording engineer
- Roy De Carava - cover photo
[edit] References
- Porgy and Bess album liner notes by Charles Edward Smith & Bill Kirchner. Sony Music Entertainment Inc..
- ^ http://www.acclaimedmusic.net/Current/A1841.htm Porgy & Bess at AcclaimedMusic.net (with rankings and ratings)
- ^ Album/Product notes and reviews
- ^ Porgy and Bess Presentation Zankel Hall, NYC
- ^ Hentoff, Nat (December 1958). "Miles Davis interview for The Jazz Review". Jazz Review magazine.
- ^ Kirchner, Bill. "Bill Kirchner's liner notes from the 6-CD box set Miles Davis & Gil Evans: The Complete Studio Recordings". Sony Music Entertainment Inc..
- ^ Chambers, Jack. "Porgy and Bess album liner notes". Sony Music Entertainment Inc..
- ^ http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=11204 AllAboutJazz.com offers monthly columns, active chat forum, and browsable archive including artists' profiles, photos, gigs, festivals, news, reviews, and interviews.
- ^ Tower.com: The Planet's Entertainment Destination for Music, CDs, Movies, DVDs, Books & more
- ^ http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/elvis_costello.htm Elvis Costello’s 500 Albums You Need at rocklist.net
- ^ http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/virgin_1000.htm top 1000 album list
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