The Miles Davis album-by-album thread

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by KevinP, Jan 16, 2008.

  1. rxcory

    rxcory proud jazz band/marching band parent

    Location:
    Portland, Oregon
    Yep, sorry for the delay. I work at a hospital and as you can imagine things for us are quite busy at the moment. Since we already covered Aura chronologically by recording date, next up will be Dingo. If you have time please give it a listen :righton: And above all wash your hands frequently and stay safe!
     
  2. LarsO

    LarsO Forum Resident

    Focus on the work and the best of luck to you. We are thankful for you folks!
     
  3. rxcory

    rxcory proud jazz band/marching band parent

    Location:
    Portland, Oregon
    Thanks to everyone for the support and extra time! :tiphat: And now for our next installment:

    Dingo Selections from the Motion Picture Soundtrack

    recorded at Crystal Sound Studios, Los Angeles, March 1990, and mixed at Hendon Studios, Adelaide, Australia

    original issue: Warner Bros. 9 26438-2 (CD) and 9 26438-4 (cassette), November 1991

    Warner Bros. 7599-26438-1 (LP) was released in Germany only

    Executive Producers: Gordon Meltzer, Hillard Elkins; Producers: Michel Legrand, Rolf de Heer

    (no single releases)

    [​IMG]

    From The Last Miles by George Cole:

    "Talking about Dingo, Miles said: “I enjoyed the script because it avoided the stupidities that you usually get with films about jazz musicians. I felt close to Billy Cross [the character Miles portrays in the film] and, even if that’s not really the case, I could bring him to life. With my music, I am in the habit of being treated like a king. But for the movie I wasn’t exalted and alone.” Before the film was made, Miles worked with French musician Michel Legrand on the soundtrack — the two men had worked together on Legrand’s 1958 album Legrand Jazz. “Michel Legrand works very quickly. I had the problem of following him but we understood each other very well,” said Miles, “I tried to rediscover the sound, the ambience of my cool period, the style of Kind of Blue, Sketches of Spain and Milestones.”

    "The soundtrack album was recorded before filming started and was arranged, orchestrated and conducted by Michel Legrand. According to Gordon Meltzer, "Michel Legrand came over and worked at Miles's Malibu house, writing the music. Then we put together a band consisting of Miles's regular band plus a lot of good L.A. studio types. Trumpeter Chuck Findley on the Australian kid's trumpet parts was great."

    [​IMG] Miles & Michel Legrand, 1990

    On the film's production, from an interview with director Rolf de Heer in The Last Miles:

    "The conditions were difficult. The Outback town we ended up shooting — Sandstone – was so remote that it was two hours drive along a dirt road to the nearest anything. We go to this town and it has twenty-seven residents. So suddenly the crew come into this town of twenty-seven, although by the time we left, there were only twenty-six, because one of the residents died as a result of drinking with the crew and falling off his bar stool and hitting his head. There were all these weird things going on like that. When we were shooting at Meekatharra, word had gone round that we needed extras and for days this stuff was in the news, because from 200 km away, two people had started to walk to Meekatharra to be extras in the film and they got lost and one of them died. It was such a bizarre shoot, because we had French crew and Australian crew and the French work differently from the Australians."

    [​IMG] Colin Friels, Rolf de Heer and Miles on set

    "The poor Aboriginal extras — there was no accommodation anywhere. So some crew had move out of their hotel rooms. So the extras turn up — about half a dozen of them – on set, just in time and they’re completely f***ed. And I say: “I can’t put them in the shot.” So, they get taken back to the hotel room. They borrow the minibus, because they don’t like hotel rooms — they don’t like to be constricted. So they took the minibus into the bush and completely trashed it. It cost just an astonishing amount of money because of a comment I made [that was misinterpreted]. I think we had twenty rental vehicles all together and only one went back with less than $500 of damage because we were going along the dirt road. Three of them were complete write-offs from hitting kangaroos; people were off to hospital for surgery because the car has rolled or somebody had run into a telegraph pole. It was very difficult."

    [​IMG]

    On the film's release and lack of availability, from The Last Miles:

    "Sadly, Dingo remained an obscure film that is hard to find even on DVD. "I think that a roll of film from the early Australian shoot was destroyed in the processing lab. This wiped ten minutes off the plot, and they couldn't afford to reshoot it," recalls Gordon Meltzer. "It would have meant bringing Miles over again which might have been okay, but they would have had to rent the DC-8 jet again which was just too expensive. I think this messed up some of the plot so people were confused when they saw the film. Maybe that's why Dingo never got widespread commercial release."

    Rolf de Heer adds, "In the Meekatharra stuff, when the plane lands, there was quite a bit of it destroyed in the lab. Of course, there was no way of going back and shooting it. It was like a two-day turnaround before we got word. We got word about the problem in the last few hours that we had the airplane. We didn’t know what was missing, so I just had to shoot anything that might be missing. I remember that the plane had to take off from Meekatharra and fly to Perth because it had a freight run. We were just shooting and wouldn’t get off the plane. The captain is saying: “Look, I have to take off — I have to go.” And we’re like “Yeah, just another minute, another five minutes.” And in the end, the captain was screaming at us: “GET OFF MY F***ING PLANE!” We just had to shoot as much as we could."

    "Dingo was a French/Australian co-production and the French had the rights to Europe and the Australians had the rights to everywhere else. Every French company that was involved with it either went broke or got taken over and so the European rights are a mess. You would spend a couple of hundred thousand dollars just sorting it out for no return, so no one’s going to do it."

    [​IMG]
     
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  4. rxcory

    rxcory proud jazz band/marching band parent

    Location:
    Portland, Oregon
    And since this is a soundtrack, here are a couple of clips.

    First, the trailer:

     
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  5. rxcory

    rxcory proud jazz band/marching band parent

    Location:
    Portland, Oregon
    And a clip from the Paris scene, complete with Japanese subtitles:

     
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  6. DTK

    DTK Forum Resident

    Location:
    Europe
    Have never seen the full film but would like to!
    The soundtrack is not of massive importance but it's good fun and Miles plays well and there's some interesting throwbacks to acoustic Miles, something he wouldn't have done a few years earlier.
    Working again with Legrand on Dingo, the roots blues of The Hot Spot, playing the Gil Evans arrangements concert in Montreux - there's a sense of Miles coming full circle duting 1990-91, like he knew time was running out.
     
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  7. LarsO

    LarsO Forum Resident

    I knew nothing about this film. Interesting!

    And we have reached the 90's!
     
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  8. rxcory

    rxcory proud jazz band/marching band parent

    Location:
    Portland, Oregon
    When I was first getting into Miles years ago and just picking up every album of his I could find at the record shops, even before hearing the music the later albums seemed strange and off-putting to me on a few levels:
    • The earlier album covers almost always seemed to be iconic, featuring imagery that practically invited you inside, implying something hip and cool (Birth of the Cool, Steamin', Relaxin', 'Round About Midnight, Kind of Blue, In A Silent Way), something romantic and sensual (Porgy and Bess, Someday My Price Will Come, E.S.P.), something fun (Bag's Groove, Cookin', Workin', Milestones), even something avant-garde (Miles In The Sky, Filles de Kilimanjaro, Bitches Brew, Big Fun, Live-Evil).
    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
    • The post-retirement album covers ranged from cold, distant, and mysterious (The Man With The Horn and Aura) to kind of vapid-looking paintings (Siesta, Amandla, and Dingo) to almost abrasive (Decoy, You're Under Arrest).
    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
    • Also with the earlier albums there were a few collaborations (Miles Ahead, Porgy and Bess, Sketches of Spain, and Quiet Nights with Gil Evans). And from Filles de Kilimanjaro through Bitches Brew there was that Directions In Music By Miles Davis subtitle. But in each of these cases the word placement and typography suggested these add-ons were something special, something forward-looking, something extra. With the post-retirement albums, collaborations with Marcus Miller and Michel Legrand and Palle Mikkelborg and Easy Mo Bee (who?) weren't heralded as clearly or as classily as on the earlier albums. Siesta even looks like a double-billing; whom, exactly, was playing one whose record? (One could argue that the typography on Legrand Jazz implies the artists have equal importance, but at least the album title clears up any questions about who's record this is.)
    [​IMG]
    • I suppose part of this could just be attributed to differences between the more classy and romantic album cover esthetic of the 50's and early 60's vs. the more avant-garde style of the late 60's and early 70's vs. the almost computerized, synthesized, punky style of the 80's.
     
  9. rxcory

    rxcory proud jazz band/marching band parent

    Location:
    Portland, Oregon
    [​IMG]
    Also wanted to talk about the movies the soundtracks were recorded for. Who has actually seen Ascenseur pour l'échafaud? Raise your hands :wave: I have, but admittedly only recently. Great film! I liked that stylistically it was kind of post-noir and yet pre-French new wave. And the beautiful imagery (and leading lady Jeanne Moreau!) paired so well with Mile's playing.

    [​IMG]

    Who has seen the Bill Cayton documentary film Jack Johnson? I have not.

    [​IMG]

    Who has seen Siesta or Dingo? I have not.

    [​IMG]
     
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  10. Joker to the thief

    Joker to the thief Forum Resident

    Location:
    London, UK
    Ascensior is a fantastic film - as are most Louis Malle movies
     
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  11. frightwigwam

    frightwigwam Talented Amateur

    Location:
    Oregon
    I have seen Ascenseur pour l'échafaud, Siesta, and The Hot Spot, but all long ago. Ascenseur is a cool French New Wave-style (even if not officially part of the movement?) crime story that I'd like to see again. Siesta made no impression on me. And, honestly, when I saw The Hot Spot, a Dennis Hopper neo-noir with Don Johnson, Virginia Madsen, and Jennifer Connelly, I was about 20-21 and most of my interest was in Jennifer Connelly's nude scene. And the music, of course.
     
  12. jfeldt

    jfeldt Forum Resident

    Location:
    SF, CA, USA
    I haven't seen any of the movies. Thanks for reminding me they actually exist as things to watch and not just in the abstract :D
     
  13. Crimson Witch

    Crimson Witch Roll across the floor thru the hole & out the door

    Location:
    Lower Michigan
    IIRC, Miles recorded his horn parts while in a dark room with the film Ascenseur pour l'échafaud projected on a screen in from of him. I think it was mentioned in the booklet accompanying the Criterion Collection digital restoration DVD of the film. (Elevator to the Gallows)
     
  14. Gabe Walters

    Gabe Walters Forum Resident

    There’s a famous picture of that, included as a print with the Sam Records 10” reissue. I believe the footage of Miles recording is included with the Criterion DVD/Blu-Ray, too.
     
  15. DTK

    DTK Forum Resident

    Location:
    Europe
    I have seen Lift To The Scaffold many times and have the Criterion dvd.
    I think it's a great film even without the music. Incredibly stylish and dramatic and a captivating story. But seeing it also helps make sense the music and the character of various pieces.

    Also seen The Hot Spot and while fun it didn't leave a lasting impressions.
    It's true that Miles' soundtracks have more lasting value than most of the movies he scored except for Scaffold.
     
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  16. DTK

    DTK Forum Resident

    Location:
    Europe
    I believe the covers to Decoy and You're Under Arrest were both partly political statements by Miles.

    On Decoy he's unsmiling, like here I am, a black artist, unwilling to pander, deal with it. Also the start of him working with arty, professional photographers.

    YUA was a comment on him being arrested by white cops in his sports cars throughout his career and what he saw as inherent racism.

    The cover of The Man With The Horn is kind of a mystery.
     
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  17. frightwigwam

    frightwigwam Talented Amateur

    Location:
    Oregon
    Don't forget one of his most iconic cover photos, Tutu.

    [​IMG]

    I also like We Want Miles and Aura, even if Aura looks kind of like a SNL title card. We Want Miles is a good, stark minimalist design that suggests Miles is kicking some ass on the record, and the music backs it up pretty well. But I agree that the '80s cover designs weren't as consistently good.

    The Man with the Horn might be a cool cover for some British post-punk band, but somehow doesn't seem to fit Miles. Star People features one of his drawings, but it's not one of the more attractive examples of his artwork. Amandla isn't so ugly, but isn't that interesting, either. Decoy is a generic portrait and You're Under Arrest looks kind of silly. The rest, as you say, are fairly vapid or bland.
     
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  18. LarsO

    LarsO Forum Resident

    Regarding «Dingo». Nice album (not more/less). A bit more traditional perhaps. I like some of the sound effects/dialogues in there.
     
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  19. ciderglider

    ciderglider Forum Resident

    The covers for his CBS albums up to about 1970 seem pretty uninspired. Did someone have the barefaced cheek to bill CBS for the Miles Smiles artwork? But in the 70s it looks like they made a bit more of an effort. Bitches Brew and Live Evil have striking covers, and the cover for Agharta does reflect the madness within.
     
  20. DTK

    DTK Forum Resident

    Location:
    Europe
    Well it wasn't "they" - it was Miles who took control of the artwork. Mati Klarwein designed the covers of both Bitches Brew and Live Evil on Miles' commission. He also designed the cover of the Santana album, Abraxas, for example.

    Agharta and Pangaea both had covers designed by Sony Japan, and what a great job they did.
     
  21. frightwigwam

    frightwigwam Talented Amateur

    Location:
    Oregon
    It seems like Miles had some say in his artwork throughout his time at CBS, after his displeasure with the original cover of Miles Ahead. Even then, he had enough clout to get it pulled and reissued with a photo of himself on the front. After that, we know that they let him choose the women who appeared on his covers, and I'd guess that he had the right of approval for photos of himself, too.

    Vernon Smith, the cover photographer for Miles Smiles, had been a trumpet player in the '40s, and apparently shot a lot of photos for CBS in the late '50s and '60s, including some other covers for Miles. Someday My Prince Will Come and Miles Davis in Europe had come out before Miles Smiles with his photos on the front, but later Circle in the Round, The Complete Plugged Nickel, and several CD reissues would use his work. Miles would have been familiar with him hanging around the studio, and probably liked him because he was a musician. The layout design apparently was done by some anonymous staffer in the art department, but I'd guess that Miles reviewed it, knew that it was Smith's photo of him from a studio session, and gave the OK.

    It's nothing too remarkable, but I kind of like it. The pop-out lettering and orange/red coloring is very mid-'60s Mod, and makes me think of The Beach Boys or some sunshine pop. And the concept is just goofy funny. Look, Miles Smiles! You'd hardly believe it, but he's in a really good mood, man!
     
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  22. frightwigwam

    frightwigwam Talented Amateur

    Location:
    Oregon
    Miles also called Tadanori Yokoo to ask him to design the cover for the original Japanese issue of Agharta, after seeing his work--probably the design for Santana's Lotus in particular. I don't know if he also requested Teruhisa Tajima to design the Pangaea cover. Tajima might have been a staff assignment, but he previously had been co-designer, with Shuichi Yoshida, of the Black Beauty package. Later he designed the Dark Magus cover, and the cover for Herbie's Flood, and worked with Yoshida again on the original issue of the Plugged Nickel LP's.
     
  23. DTK

    DTK Forum Resident

    Location:
    Europe
    Thanks a lot - remember reading part of that now. Interesting that Miles was still taking an active role in the design of his albums as late as summer 1975.
     
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  24. LarsO

    LarsO Forum Resident

    What do you guys think of the «Dingo» soundtrack?
     
  25. fredhammersmith

    fredhammersmith Forum Resident

    Location:
    Montreal, Quebec
    I am in the middle of reading Ian Carr's book and listening to the 1970's output. I need to get me a good Live/Evil copy (and I am not yet ready to buy the full Cedar Door boxset). I just want to understand clearly what is offered, in terms of domestic copies.
    - Is the 1997 release a remix or a remastering?
    - Is it good? I must say I discovered recently the Bitches Brew original mix and I don't think I'll go back to the Mark Wilder remix.
    - Are there other, more recent remasterings? I am not talking about expensive Japan-only releases, just domestic copies (US and Canada).

    Thanks for the guidance, fantastic thread.
     

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