AOTW, December 19-25

[Guy Berger]

This is the 50th anniversary of the legendary Christmas Eve session at RVG's studio. The session is split across two albums:

Obviously any stuff from these CDs is fair game, but I'd like discussion to focus on the 6 tracks recorded on 12/24/54. I'll be posting various links and info as the date approaches.

Guy

[Guy Berger]

Alright, time to get this thing started. ...and the Modern Jazz Giants is maybe my favorite pre-Kind of Blue Miles album. It's also the album that really turned me into a Monk fan.

The December 24, 1954 session (half a century!) is pretty legendary. You can read Ira Gitler's liner notes here. There was a lot of tension between Miles and Monk, to the point where later tellings of the story claimed that Miles punched Monk! You can hear some of Monk's frustration bubble out during the first take of "The Man I Love". Here's what Gitler says:

Legend had it, for a while, that Miles hit Monk during a disagreement over whether Monk should "lay out" or not ("Laying out" is the equivalent of "strolling" where the pianist refrains from chording and the soloist is backed only by bass and drums.) I know there was no fight during the time I was at the studio although there were verbal exchanges. (Listen to the dialogue at the beginning of take 1 of The Man I Love.) When I asked Monk about the alleged fisticuffs that some inside hipster had confronted me with, he chuckled, "Miles'd got killed if he hit me". In any event, things were not serene when I left towards the dinner hour (the session had started somewere between two and three in the afternoon) and not much had been accomplished. I had my doubts as to whether anything would. Later that night, at Minton's, I saw Kenny Clarke who answered my "How did it go?" with "Miles sure is a beautiful cat", which was his way of saying that despite the obstacles Miles had seen it through and produced something extraordinary and lasting.

Anyway... the music. The contrast between the three soloists -- Miles, Monk, and Milt Jackson -- is terrific. Each of them blues-based and brilliant in their own way. Plus Miles and Monk had such different approaches to bringing space and silence into their music, and both of them stand in stark contrast to the more verbose Jackson.

My favorite stuff on here is on both takes of "The Man I Love". Miles has some beautiful open horn ballad playing in the intro and ending. The guy really hit his stride in 1954 -- that clear tone, the amazing understanding of "every note and silence counts".

And the blowing section in the middle has that incredibly brisk-yet-laid-back swing that Miles perfected with Percy Heath and Kenny Clarke in those '54 sessions. Monk's solo is so eccentric -- he plays the melody in slo-mo. And then on the second take, he does the same thing but stops in the middle. Miles comes in to "wake him up", and Monk fires back with an amazing, incredibly lucid solo.

Jack Chambers's discussion of this (p. 196) is pretty interesting:

On The Man I Love, a beautiful Gershwin melody, the first take serves as a kind of model for what the second is expected to be but is not.  The first take opens with a ringing introduction by Jackson which provides an entrance for Davis to state the melody; Jackson which provides an entrance for Davis to state the melody.  By any standard, take 1 is a marvelous ballad performance, mixing moods and atmospheres and individuals but making a single, consistent entity.  It seems nearly perfect, but it has been completely overshadowed -- in everyone's account -- by the second take, in which things go wrong. [...]  The basic elements of the second take are the same as those of the first take, but the nuances of their execution add a powerful new element.  Dick Katz describes the development: "After a lovely Jackson introduction, Miles unfolds an exceedingly lyrical introduction of the melody.  His use of rhythm and his completely original manner of phrasing here should continue to enrich a listener for years.  Jackson doubles the tempo with a four-bar break and takes a fine solo which does not quite sustain interest all the way, probably because of its length.  Monk follows with the piece de resistance by getting carried away with his own self-made obstacle course.  He tried to rearrange the melody rhythmically by extending the sequence over a number of bars.  However, he gets lost (or so it seems to me), and comes to an abrupt halt about the 28th bar or so (long meter).  What follows is a model duet between Clarke and Heath which could serve as a lesson in graceful walking for anyone.  Along about the 14th bar of the bridge, Miles leads Monk back on the track, and he comes roaring in in his best 1947 style.  Miles comes in on his heels with a delightful bit and then surprises by quickly jamming a mute into his horn and continuing -- an electrifying effect.  A return to the original tempo at the bridge halts the discussion between Monk and Miles and the piece ends on a note of agreement."

What happens at the point where Monk suddenly stops playing is not clear.  Katz assumes that he "gets lost," and Alun Morgan concurs: "The pianist tried a bold experiment which, seemingly, was doomed to failure.  He attempted to spread the original melody over twice the number of bars, and actually succeeds in doing so until he reaches the middle eight ... In the process of collecting his thoughts, Monk allows two or three bars to slip by and Davis, doubtless under the impression that the pianist's departure from convention has caused him to lose his place in the chorus, enters abruptly with an angry-sounding paraphrase of the melody."  But both Katz's and Morgan's accounts overlook the fact that Monk had successfully brought off exactly the same rhythmic device just minutes earlier, on the first take.  Monk's losing his way on the second take after finding it on the first seems unlikely, and it seems much more probable that he was willing to stop his solo there out of sheer bloody-mindedness.

Monk's comping is amazing on all of these recordings. No wonder he drove Miles nuts, though Milt doesn't seem to mind!

Guy

Edited December 22, 2004 by Guy Berger

[Big Al]

With any luck (and a few gift certificates), I'd like to pick up the Monk Prestige box to hear this session in its entirety!

[couw]

previous discussion

[Alon Marcus]

I love the recordings of Miles with Monk. They are probably two of my most favorite musicians.

The man I love - indeed a great track.

Another previous discusion

[JSngry]

What's funny is that I think that Monk's comps behind Miles are perfect. Maybe not what he watned to hear, but it sure works for me.

[jazzbo]

Me too, I just love every second of Monk on this one!

Timeless stuff, every minute and all contributions from all participants.

[mikeweil]

If you buy the Prestige Monk Box, you get the complete session on one disc, although not in recording order (wonder why they missed out on this), and other splendid Monk - If you want to buy these, I would seriously consider the box, which has excellent sound.

I always wondered who thought up this lineup - that Bags was familiar with Monk's comping is no wonder after their previous recording sessions together (Blue Note). But I think Miles should have been a bit more flexible and let Monk comp - a challenge for his ego, though. Not simple support, but strong contrast. Too bad they were on totally different paths at the time of this session.

That famous silence in Monk's solo in The Man I Love sounds to me like he was thinking about his solo and/or was dissatisfied - the next take he knew where he wanted to go.

Edited December 27, 2004 by mikeweil

[JSngry]

That sucks that you have to buy at least 2 CDs to get the entire session. I've got it all on on 12" LP, Prestige 7650, from the late 60s/early 70s (liner notes are dated March 1969). Still called MILES DAVIS AND THE MODERN JAZZ GIANTS, but the complete session is on one LP & a different cover is used.

Absolutely no good reason why this issue shouldn't have been made available as a single CD. Not much mention of it on the Losin site, not even a cover scan. That seems wierd too.

[Leeway]

Despite the reported friction between Monk and Miles on this date, the two musicians who, by virtue of their individualistic styles, their idiosyncratic approaches, seem to bracket themselves from the other players are Monk and Miles. They both seem way out in front of everyone else in their musical thinking.

[danasgoodstuff]

I too have this on a single LP and agree that it's ridiculous that you can't get it on a single CD. Love this session, will have to listen to it again soon.

[JSngry]

Despite the reported friction between Monk and Miles on this date, the two musicians who, by virtue of their individualistic styles, their idiosyncratic approaches, seem to bracket themselves from the other players are Monk and Miles. They both seem way out in front of everyone else in their musical thinking.

I appreciate that sentiment, and felt it myself for quite a while. But tell you what - the more I listen to Milt Jackson, the more I realize what a truly "advanced" musician he was, especially "in his time" of the late 40s/ealy 60s.

Maybe it's the nature of his sound, or the instrument itself, or a combination of both, but it's real easy to overlook the very real rhythmic intricacies and harmonic bedevilment that Bags was up to in those years (and remained up to for the duration of his career, truthfully). If any of his solos on this sesion had been played on, say, an alto, people would have gone, and still be going, apeshit, such is their meatiness, intricacy, and clarity.

I've been late in fully appreciating Milt Jackson, but when I started listening to his work as music and not as "vibes playing", my eyes were opened, and opened very widely. Milt Jackson was a BAAAAAAAAAD muthafukkah, and not at all "easy". His sound and delivery might have been, but hsi ideas were anything but!

[skeith]

I love these too!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Leeway]

Quote JSngry:

But tell you what - the more I listen to Milt Jackson, the more I realize what a truly "advanced" musician he was, especially "in his time" of the late 40s/ealy 60s

Jim, I know exactly where you are coming from on Milt's playing. I have nothing but respect and admiration for Milt's playing, and plain enjoyment too. What I do get from the albums under consideration is a sense of Milt and the others playing superbly "in his time," but Monk and Miles playing somewhere "outside" that time, offering that sense of strangeness or "beyond" that always grabs me.

What struck me this time around, and what I was trying to get at, is how much alike Monk and Miles are in their way of coming to the music. Maybe because of their personal styles and personal histories, I've often tended to see the differences more than the similarities, between them, but the similarities are there and meaningful.

I also want to throw this out for consideration. I was pondering the title, "Miles Davis and the Modern Jazz Giants." I don't know who came up with the title-- maybe Bob Weinstock? Miles? if you know please tell--but it struck me that the title is a bit ambiguous. Is Miles announcing himself as a "modern jazz giant"? Had he earned that right by that time? Or was Miles "riding" on the coattails of these "giants"? Or was Miles saying, "They are jazz giants but I am their leader" thus offering an implied statement of superiority? Is there a message status implied in the title? Or maybe not?

[JSngry]

If you look at the personnel and the time, it seems to me that it was sort of a "Prestige All Star" date, all of the players then enjoying a bit of profile for their Prestige recordings of the time (and in Heath's & Clarke's case, thier participation in same, both in and out of the MJQ). Why it was Miles' name given the "leadershhip" role, I don't know. My guess would be that it was scheduled as his date, part of his contractual obligation and such, and that the "Modern Jazz Giants" bit was a bit of hype (well-deserved in this case) aimed at spotlighting how "The Stars Of Today Are On Prestige" or some such.

The only glitch in that reasoning is that Miles' "comeback" in terms of public awareness didn't really begin until July 1955 at Newport, and in 1954, Monkwas still pretty much know amongst the cognosenti, when he was known at all.

[JSngry]

A-HA!

Seems that this session was originally released on 10' as simply MILES DAVIS ALL-STARS, Vols 1&2.

PRLP 196

1-Bags Groove (tk1)

2-Swing Spring

PRLP 200

1-Bemsha Swing

2-The Man I Love (tk 2)

The BAG"S GROOVE album was a 12"(?), Prestige 7109, as was the AND THE MODERN JAZZ GIANTS, Prestige 7150. Considering that the latter contains a piece from 10-26-1956 ("Round Midnight" w/Trane, Red, et al, and tell me THAT wasn't a piece of marketing calculation...), it seems that the album got its title in very late 1956 at the earliest, and wuite possible in early-mid 1957, or maybe even later (wish I could find release date info for all this stuff..), by which time the buzz about Miles was very high (he began recording for Columbia in mid-1956, remember, although the results weren't released until a bit later, once the Prestige contact had been fulfilled), that about Monk beginning to rise w/his Riverside dates, and the MJQ already being on Atlantic and making a lot of noise.

So the title MILES DAVIS & THE MODERN JAZZ GIANTS seems to very much be an "after the fact" thing, no doubt aimed at targeting the then-rising "celebrity" status of Miles as well as the "rising star" ascendency of the other parties involved.

[JSngry]

And btw, Miles buffs who can't get enough of stuff like this are strongly encouraged to go here http://www.plosin.com/milesAhead/ amd revel in the glory of it all, if they haven't already done so.

[Guy Berger]

And btw, Miles buffs who can't get enough of stuff like this are strongly encouraged to go here http://www.plosin.com/milesAhead/ amd revel in the glory of it all, if they haven't already done so.

An amazing site.

Guy

[Swinger]

Mikeweil:

Thank you for your info regarding Monk's Prestige box set.I ordered my copy from

http://www.zweitausendeins.de/ a week ago.I should receive the box set any day now.

I do have Bags' Groove but not that other one and since all its tracks are on that box set I'm not going to buy the individual cd anymore.

[mikeweil]

You're welcome!

As much as I support Fantasy's enormous catalogue, I think in several cases including this session they should have abandoned the LP replica concept and completed the session for CD reissue. In some cases they did, e.g. James Moody's, Gil Mellé's or Teddy Charles' early Prestige LPs. But with Miles, Rollins, Monk or Trane ... I prefer the box sets 'cause I get the complete sessions assembled closely together.

[mikeweil]

BTW, anybody having the Prestige box set wanting to listen to this session in recording order should program the tracks as follows:

1 - 5 - 2 - 4 - 3 - 6

676-1 Bag's Groove

676-2 Bag's Groove

677 Bemsha Swing

678 Swing Spring

679-1 The Man I Love

679-2 The Man I Love

On my copy of the 3rd disc from the box set, however, the index marks are not placed properly - when programmed the first note of track 5 is missing!

Edited December 27, 2004 by mikeweil

[mikeweil]

I'm listening to this session in recording order as I write this - and I think it's really weird how Monk has to lay out as soon as Miles starts soloing, then comes in for Bags' solo, plays his own solo in a very lean fashion, almost like a horn with bass and drums, and then there's a big hole when Miles returns for the out chorus - Monk doesn't play a single chord for the remainder of the take, not even during the theme. Miles was out of his mind.

But with a different pianist it would no longer have been an all-star date, but a Miles session - any other pianist would have confined himself to being an accompanist in a much more conventional way ..... Monk is a like a big splinter in Miles's skin on this session.

Edited December 27, 2004 by mikeweil

[Swinger]

Mikeweil:

Since i'm very impatient, could you tell me something about the sound quality in that box set.

Are those 3 cds equivalent to any K2 mastered cds?

[couw]

the sound on the box is excellent. these actually are K2 remasters. I don't know whether these are the same masters as used on any single CD albums.

[Swinger]

Couw:

I got my box set yesterday and I saw the K2 label on it. I had only enough time to listen to 2-3 tracks and they sounded FINE to me!