Franck Bergerot's Miles Davis: Introduction à l'écoute du jazz moderne (Seuil, 1996) suggests that you can hear a lot of Davis' musical world in his 45-second solo on Charlie Parker's "Now's the Time," beginning at 1:45. This is one among many dimensions of Davis' musicianshipnocturnal, blues-tinged, largely without the mute, alternating between a tenderness and a kind of aggression, as on the desultory attitude toward the composition on "Stella by Starlight." The spacious, ethereal nature of the 1945 solo is echoed in Gil Evans' 1950 arrangement of "Moon Dreams," but also in Davis' 1989 playing on "Mr. Pastorius."
In a thrilling moment of recognition, pianist Red Garland transcribes Davis' 1945 solo, beginning at 7:34, during a vigorous reading of Monk's "Straight No Chaser" (1958). Monk himself is present for an audacious solo on the first take of "The Man I Love" (1954). There are other connections among this all-too-brief selection of tunes. Miles' "Moon Dreams"-like solo on "When Lights Are Low" (1953) is credited, by trumpeter Palle Mikkelborg, as inspiring him to become a musician; Davis would later be the star soloist on Mikkelborg's Aura (Columbia, 1985), represented here by "Violet."
Track
Name
Time
Artist
Album
1
Now's The Time
3:17
Charlie Parker
Complete Savoy & Dial Sessions
2
Moon Dreams
3:20
Miles Davis
Birth Of The Cool
3
When Lights Are Low
3:29
Miles Davis
Blue Haze
4
The Man I Love (Take 1)
8:28
Miles Davis
And The Modern Jazz Giants
5
Straight, No Chaser
10:40
Miles Davis
Milestones
6
Stella By Starlight
13:1
Miles Davis
My Funny Valentine
7
Pinocchio (Alernate Take)
5:8
Miles Davis
Nefertiti
8
Spanish Key
8:33
Miles Davis
Live At The Fillmore East (March 7, 1970)It's About That Time 2
All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who create it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.
You Can Help
To expand our coverage even further and develop new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for a modest $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination will vastly improve your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.
We sent a confirmation message to . Look for it, then click the link to activate your account. If you don’t see the email in your inbox, check your spam, bulk or promotions folder.