Steve McQueen's jazz record collection

[monkboughtlunch]

Miles Davis, Sonny Rollins, Count Basie. Unseen 1963 photos.

Caption: "Steve is a jazz lover — he takes his portable stereo with him wherever he goes," Dominis wrote in his notes. Pictured: At the Palm Springs bungalow, McQueen puts on a record, with LPs by Miles Davis, Sonny Rollins, and Frank Sinatra and Count Basie scattered at his feet.

From: http://www.life.com/image/ugc1034972/in-gallery/41172/steve-mcqueen-20-never-seen-photos

Edited October 10, 2010 by monkboughtlunch

[A Lark Ascending]

Don't fancy the chances of the one behind his foot.

[medjuck]

This probably explains how William Claxton became his friend and photographer of choice. IIRC there's a book of Claxton's McQueen photos similar to his book about "Young Chet".

Edited October 10, 2010 by medjuck

[monkboughtlunch]

How many titles can be seen? Can anyone make out the others?

Kind of Blue

Sketches of Spain

Atomic Basie

Meet the Jazztet (Art Farmer)

MJQ at Music Inn with S. Rollins

Sinatra Basie

Edited October 10, 2010 by monkboughtlunch

[rostasi]

Miles: "The Original Quartet (First Recordings)" Prestige 7254

[Randy Twizzle]

My link

[JSngry]

http://www.life.com/image/ugc1034992/in-gallery/41172/steve-mcqueen-20-never-seen-photos

[monkboughtlunch]

Far left. Under Sinatra Basie: Looks like John Coltrane's My Favorite Things.

[Free For All]

The stack of records in the case in the lower left side of the photo, third one from the left is Money Jungle. Slight scratch on track 2.

[monkboughtlunch]

Miles Davis and Steve McQueen, Monterey, CA 1963

© JIM MARSHALL, 1963 https://www.morrisonhotelgallery.com/photo/default.aspx?photographID=1653

"Here's Miles Davis talking shit, probably about some chick, to Steve McQueen backstage at the Monterey Jazz festival, 1963"

Looks like McQueen had a KLH Model Eleven

Edited October 11, 2010 by monkboughtlunch

[Bill Nelson]

Even with the Danish modern furniture and dinette with four chairs...

...I suddenly feel 100% better about MY HOUSE.

[monkboughtlunch]

Even with the Danish modern furniture and dinette with four chairs...

...I suddenly feel 100% better about MY HOUSE.

That's not McQueen's house. The LIFE magazine caption notes it was taken in Palm Springs Bungalow -- hence McQueen bringing his portable suitcase record player.

[papsrus]

I kind of dig that pad ... man.

[DaveO]

I have been able to identify a few more titles from the jackets visible in the Life photo.  

"The Ballad Artistry of Milt Jackson" 
"The Golden Striker" John Lewis
"Miles Ahead" Miles Davis
"Profile of a Jazz Musician: Paul Horn" 

"A Leadbelly Memorial" - Volume IV 

 

Others already cited at the top of this thread:

"The Atomic Mr. Basie" 
"Kind of Blue" Miles Davis
"Meet the Jazztet" Benny Golson
"Miles Davis - The Original Quintet" 
"The Modern Jazz Quartet at Music Inn / Guest Artist Sonny Rollins" 
"My Favorite Things" John Coltrane
"Sinatra-Basie: An Historic Musical First" 
Sketches of Spain" Miles Davis

Curiously, (3) copies of "The Golden Striker" are visible in the photo.

[Kevin Bresnahan]

31 minutes ago, DaveO said:

Curiously, (3) copies of "The Golden Striker" are visible in the photo.

That's what happens when you step on a few...

[DaveO]

Right. Well I suppose he could afford to step on whatever he wished. But three copies of the same LP?  Two in shrink wrap,  all three, the stereo release, and the only duplicates visible are for that particular album. 

[Chuck Nessa]

Ever heard of "staging"?

[jlhoots]

Lots of people (not me) on this board have multiple copies of the same album - often in the name of sonic upgrades.

[DaveO]

1 hour ago, Chuck Nessa said:

Ever heard of "staging"?

Sure, but would the Life photog really have brought three copies of "The Golden Striker" to the photo shoot to mix in with Steve's robust traveling collection of LPs? 

56 minutes ago, jlhoots said:

Lots of people (not me) on this board have multiple copies of the same album - often in the name of sonic upgrades.

Well taken point.  In 62, the only sonic upgrade for Lewis's LP would have been the stereo release.  So perhaps the title was simply a fave. 

[Dmitry]

10 hours ago, Chuck Nessa said:

Ever heard of "staging"?

It very well could be. Claxton shot a lot of staged McQ photos,  with chicks and cars.

 

 

[DaveO]

In this case, Steve is with his wife, photographed doing various things in and around their getaway home. Would photog really have brought along two or three copies of the identical Jazz LP to scatter within Steve's own collection to stage a shot of Steve dropping a needle on his KLH? 

[Dmitry]

The real question here is...how come the king of hip does not have a single Blue Note album in that bunch?!

[DaveO]

True, at least among those scattered on the rug which can be identified. Who knows what remained in his record case.

I am still trying to identify the one shown next to Horn's LP, "...(?)s Orchestra," presumably "and His Orchestra," bordered by decorative borders above and below the text.

[Daniel A]

2 hours ago, DaveO said:

In this case, Steve is with his wife, photographed doing various things in and around their getaway home. Would photog really have brought along two or three copies of the identical Jazz LP to scatter within Steve's own collection to stage a shot of Steve dropping a needle on his KLH? 

I would have assumed that if it was a staged photo of McQueen as a jazz fan they would use a grab bag of miscellaneous LP:s from the jazz section of a record store, including a few possible duplicates.

[DaveO]

It could very well be.  A staged photo could also consist of arranging McQueen's own possessions in his away  home. Only two of the lot are in shrink wrap and they are duplicates of the third which is out of wrap. That suggests "extra copies" rather than prop record staging to me, but who knows. Certainly the pile of records was arranged for the photo, and it's mate, which shows McQueen dancing/embracing with his wife.