Miles Davis

Even though Michel Legrand is best known as a film composer, his LP "Legrand Jazz" is a true jazz classic. To record it, Legrand took eleven iconic jazz tunes and arranged them for three different groups of outstanding jazzmen. The big names on this album include Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Ben Webster, Herbie Mann, Art Farmer, Donald Byrd, Bill Evans, and Hank Jones, among others. Throughout this phenomenal LP, the arrangements are colorful and unusual, making one wish that Legrand had recorded more jazz albums through the years.

The album received a five-star rating in Down Beat, with Dom Cerulli stating that, “The roster is impressive, covering most of the modern greats and near-greats. The Miles sides are superb. The writing is imaginative, tinged with the languid air of Gil Evans at his most soulful, and yet with something more.”

PERSONNEL:

MICHEL LEGRAND, arranger & conductor on all tracks, plus:

A1-A4:
MILES DAVIS (tp), Herbie Mann (fl), Jerome Richardson (cl, bar –out on A4),
Phil Woods (as –out on A4), John Coltrane (ts –out on A4), Betty Glamann (harp),
Eddie Costa (vib), Bill Evans (p), Barry Galbraith (g), Paul Chambers (b),
Kenny Dennis (d).
New York, June 25, 1958.

A5 & B1-B3:
Frank Rehak, Billy Byers, Jimmy Cleveland, Eddie Bert (tb), Herbie Mann (fl),
Ben Webster (ts), Hank Jones (p), Major Holley (tu), George Duvivier (b),
Don Lamond (d).
New York, June 27, 1958.

B4-B6:
Art Farmer, Ernie Royal, Donald Byrd, Joe Wilder (tp),
Frank Rehak, Jimmy Cleveland (tb), Jimmy Buffington (fhr),
Gene Quill, Phil Woods (as), Seldon Powell (ts), Teo Macero (bar),
Don Elliott (vib), Nat Pierce (p), Milt Hinton (b), Osie Johnson (d).
New York, June 30, 1958.

SIDE A:

01 WILD MAN BLUES
02 ‘ROUND MIDNIGHT
03 THE JITTERBUG WALTZ
04 DJANGO
05 NUAGES

SIDE B:

01 ROSETTA
02 DON’T GET AROUND MUCH ANYMORE
03 BLUE AND SENTIMENTAL
04 STOMPIN’ AT THE SAVOY
05 A NIGHT IN TUNISIA
06 IN A MIST