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Porgy and Bess (Miles Davis album)

January 29, 2023

Porgy and Bess (CL 1274) is a studio album by jazz musician Miles Davis, released in March 1959 on Columbia Records.[4] The album features arrangements by Davis and collaborator Gil Evans from George Gershwin's 1935 opera of the same name. The album was recorded in four sessions on July 22, July 29, August 4, and August 18, 1958, at Columbia's 30th Street Studio in New York City. It is the second collaboration between Davis and Evans and has garnered much critical acclaim since its release, being acknowledged by some music critics as the best of their collaborations.[5] Jazz critics have regarded the album as historically important.[6][7]

Porgy and Bess
Studio album by
Miles Davis
ReleasedMarch 9, 1959[1]
RecordedJuly 22 & 29 and August 4 & 18 1958
StudioColumbia 30th Street (New York City)
Genre
Length50:53
LabelColumbia
ProducerCal Lampley
Miles Davis chronology
Milestones
(1958) 		Porgy and Bess
(1959) 		Miles Davis and the Modern Jazz Giants
(1959)
Alternative cover
UK 45 rpm release

Background

Conception

In 1958, Davis was one of many jazz musicians growing dissatisfied with bebop, seeing its increasingly complex chord changes as hindering creativity.[8] Five years earlier, in 1953, pianist George Russell published his Lydian Chromatic Concept of Tonal Organization, which offered an alternative to the practice of improvisation based on chords.[9] Abandoning the traditional major and minor key relationships of classical music, Russell developed a new formulation using scales or a series of scales for improvisations.[9] His approach to improvisation came to be known as modal in jazz.[9] Davis saw Russell's methods of composition as a means of getting away from the dense chord-laden compositions of his time, which Davis had labeled "thick".[10] Modal composition, with its reliance on scales and modes, represented, as Davis put it,[8] "a return to melody".[11] In a 1958 interview with Nat Hentoff of The Jazz Review, Davis remarked on the modal approach:

When Gil wrote the arrangement of "I Loves You, Porgy," he only wrote a scale for me. No chords... gives you a lot more freedom and space to hear things... there will be fewer chords but infinite possibilities as to what to do with them. Classical composers have been writing this way for years, but jazz musicians seldom have.[12]

— Miles Davis

In early 1958, Davis began using this approach with his sextet.[13] Influenced by Russell's ideas, Davis implemented his first modal composition with the title track of his 1958 album Milestones, which was based on two modes, recorded in April of that year.[14] Instead of soloing in the straight, conventional, melodic way, Davis’s new style of improvisation featured rapid mode and scale changes played against sparse chord changes.[15][9] Davis' second collaboration with Gil Evans on Porgy and Bess gave him more room for experimentation with Russell's concept and with third stream playing, as Evans' compositions for Davis featured this modal approach.[8]

Adaptation

The musical, commercial and critical success of 1957's Miles Ahead helped make future Davis/Evans ventures possible, as it impressed Columbia Records enough for them to bestow further artistic control upon Davis and Evans. At that period, Davis' girlfriend Frances Taylor was in the New York City Center's production of the George Gershwin/DuBose Heyward/Ira Gershwin opera Porgy and Bess,[16] and the Samuel Goldwyn film adaptation was in production, set for release in June 1959. The advance publicity for the film was considerable, and with the late-1950s vogue for recorded "jazz versions of...", a number of Porgy and Bess jazz interpretations were released. These ranged from an all-star big band version arranged and conducted by Bill Potts to one by Bob Crosby and the Bobcats. Following the first collaboration with Evans, Davis followed up on these efforts with much interest in symphonic readings, which, at the time, jazzmen were not known for, and neither were some classically trained musicians known for interpreting jazz scores. Nevertheless, Davis enlisted members of his sextet, including Cannonball Adderley and Paul Chambers.

Reception and influence

The second in a series of Davis/Evans collaborations, Porgy and Bess was well received upon its release by music critics and publications, including The New York Times and Los Angeles Times.[24][25] Music writer Bill Kirchner wrote "In this century's American music, three partnerships have been most influential: Duke Ellington/Billy Strayhorn, Frank Sinatra/Nelson Riddle, and Miles Davis/Gil Evans."[26] As one of Davis' best-selling albums, Porgy and Bess has earned recognition as a landmark album in orchestral jazz. Davis biographer Jack Chambers described the album as "a new score, with its own integrity, order and action."[27]

The album's appeal was more widespread among critics following its reissue in 1997. Robert Gilbert of All About Jazz praised Porgy and Bess, describing it as "one of many great albums that Miles Davis recorded over his lifetime. It reaches a higher plateau than most, though, in its way that it can reach the listener on both a musical and emotional level. That the album is still able to do this after almost forty-five years is a testament to the rare magic that occurred in a New York studio over four days in the summer of 1958."[28]

In August 1997, JazzTimes magazine called Porgy and Bess "possibly the best of the collaborations between Miles and Gil Evans ... Evans is justly regarded as the master of modern orchestration and Porgy and Bess shows him at his best."[29] The album was included in Elvis Costello's "500 Albums You Need" (Vanity Fair, Issue No. 483 11/00)[30] and was ranked No. 785 on the Virgin "All-Time Top 1000 Album" list.[31]

Track listing

All compositions written by George Gershwin, except otherwise noted. (Although Ira Gershwin and DuBose Heyward wrote lyrics to the opera Porgy and Bess, these recordings are instrumental.)

Side one

Track Recorded Song Writer Time
1. 8/4/58 "Buzzard Song" George Gershwin 4:07
2. 7/29/58 "Bess, You Is My Woman Now" George Gershwin 5:10
3. 7/22/58 "Gone" Gil Evans 3:37
4. 7/22/58 "Gone, Gone, Gone" George Gershwin 2:03
5. 8/4/58 "Summertime" George Gershwin 3:17
6. 8/4/58 "Oh Bess, Oh Where's My Bess" George Gershwin 4:18

Side two

Track Recorded Song Writer Time
1. 8/4/58 "Prayer (Oh Doctor Jesus)" George Gershwin 4:39
2. 7/29/58 "Fisherman, Strawberry and Devil Crab" George Gershwin 4:06
3. 7/22/58 "My Man's Gone Now" George Gershwin 6:14
4. 7/29/58 "It Ain't Necessarily So" George Gershwin 4:23
5. 7/29/58 "Here Come de Honey Man" George Gershwin 1:18
6. 8/18/58 "I Wants to Stay Here (a.k.a. I Loves You, Porgy)" George Gershwin 3:39
7. 8/4/58 "There's a Boat That's Leaving Soon for New York" George Gershwin 3:23

Bonus tracks

Bonus cuts featured on the 1997 compact disc reissue.

Track Recorded Song Writer Time
1. 8/18/58 "I Loves You, Porgy" (take 1, second version) George Gershwin 4:14
2. 7/22/58 "Gone" (take 4) Gil Evans 3:40

Personnel

Musicians

Production

Certifications and sales

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[32]
sales since 2007 		Silver 60,000^
United States — 286,000[33]

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ Miles Davis.com
  2. ^ Kanzler, George (7 November 2009). "Miles Revisited: Sketches of Spain (50th Anniversary Edition) & Miles Ahead Live". All About Jazz. Retrieved February 23, 2013.
  3. ^ Appiah, Kwame Anthony; Gates, Henry Louis Jr. (January 2, 2005). Africana: Arts and Letters: An A-to-Z Reference of Writers, Musicians, and Artists of the African American Experience. Running Press. p. 163. ISBN 0762420421.
  4. ^ . Archived from the original on 2013-01-25. Retrieved 2012-11-29.
  5. ^ Album/Product notes and reviews
  6. ^ Porgy and Bess Presentation Zankel Hall, NYC
  7. ^ Larkin, Colin. "Review: Porgy and Bess 2008-06-22 at the Wayback Machine". Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music: March 1, 2002.
  8. ^ a b c Ashley Kahn (2001). Kind of Blue: The Making of the Miles Davis Masterpiece. foreword by Jimmy Cobb. Da Capo Press, USA. pp. s. 67–68. ISBN 0-306-81067-0. The Making of Kind of Blue: Miles Davis and His Masterpiece bebop.
  9. ^ a b c d "George Russell – About George". Concept Publishing. Retrieved 2008-07-27.
  10. ^ Kahn (2001), p16.
  11. ^ "Miles Davis – Kind of Blue (FLAC – Master Sound – Super Bit Mapping)". Stupid and Contagious. 12 February 2008.
  12. ^ Nat Hentoff, "An Afternoon with Miles Davis", The Jazz Review, December 1958.
  13. ^ "Milestones > Overview". All Media Guide, LLC. Retrieved 2008-07-27.
  14. ^ "George Russell – The Lydian Chromatic Concept of Tonal Organization". Concept Publishing. Retrieved 2008-07-27.
  15. ^ "Miles Davis: Jazz at the Plaza < Music – PopMatters". PopMatters.com. Retrieved 2008-07-27.
  16. ^ Crease, Stephanie Stein (2003). Gil Evans: Out of the Cool: His Life and Music. Chicago Review Press. p. 199. ISBN 978-1-55652-986-3.
  17. ^ Planer, Lindsay. Review: Porgy and Bess. Allmusic. Retrieved on 2009-07-21.
  18. ^ Down Beat: July 23, 1959, Vol. 26, No. 15
  19. ^ Larkin, Colin (2007). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0195313734.
  20. ^ Sandow, Greg. Review: Porgy and Bess. Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved on 2009-07-20.
  21. ^ Cook, Richard. "Review: Porgy and Bess". Penguin Guide to Jazz: 376. September 2002.
  22. ^ Hoard, Christian. "Review: Porgy and Bess". Rolling Stone: 214–217. November 2, 2004.
  23. ^ Hull, Tom (n.d.). "Grade List: Miles Davis". Tom Hull – on the Web. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
  24. ^ Wilson, John S. "Review: Porgy and Bess". The New York Times: X13. September 27, 1959.
  25. ^ George, Wally. "Review: Porgy and Bess". Los Angeles Times: J61. June 7, 1959.
  26. ^ Kirchner, Bill. "Bill Kirchner's liner notes from the 6-CD box set Miles Davis & Gil Evans: The Complete Studio Recordings". Sony Music Entertainment Inc. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  27. ^ Chambers, Jack. "Porgy and Bess album liner notes". Sony Music Entertainment Inc. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  28. ^ Gilbert, Robert. Review: Porgy and Bess. All About Jazz. Retrieved on 2008-12-21.
  29. ^ Columnist. "Review: Porgy and Bess 2008-09-06 at the Wayback Machine". JazzTimes: 106. August 1997.
  30. ^ Elvis Costello’s 500 Albums You Need at rocklist.net
  31. ^ top 1000 album list
  32. ^ "British album certifications – Miles Davis – Porgy And Bess". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
  33. ^ Cwik, Greg (September 25, 2015). "Understanding Miles Davis, in 9 Parts". Vulture. Retrieved June 15, 2020.

Bibliography

External links

January 29, 2023
porgy, bess, miles, davis, album, porgy, bess, 1274, studio, album, jazz, musician, miles, davis, released, march, 1959, columbia, records, album, features, arrangements, davis, collaborator, evans, from, george, gershwin, 1935, opera, same, name, album, recor. Porgy and Bess CL 1274 is a studio album by jazz musician Miles Davis released in March 1959 on Columbia Records 4 The album features arrangements by Davis and collaborator Gil Evans from George Gershwin s 1935 opera of the same name The album was recorded in four sessions on July 22 July 29 August 4 and August 18 1958 at Columbia s 30th Street Studio in New York City It is the second collaboration between Davis and Evans and has garnered much critical acclaim since its release being acknowledged by some music critics as the best of their collaborations 5 Jazz critics have regarded the album as historically important 6 7 Porgy and BessStudio album by Miles DavisReleasedMarch 9 1959 1 RecordedJuly 22 amp 29 and August 4 amp 18 1958StudioColumbia 30th Street New York City GenreThird stream 2 orchestral jazz cool jazz 3 Length50 53LabelColumbiaProducerCal LampleyMiles Davis chronologyMilestones 1958 Porgy and Bess 1959 Miles Davis and the Modern Jazz Giants 1959 Alternative coverUK 45 rpm release Contents 1 Background 1 1 Conception 1 2 Adaptation 2 Reception and influence 3 Track listing 3 1 Side one 3 2 Side two 3 3 Bonus tracks 4 Personnel 4 1 Musicians 4 2 Production 5 Certifications and sales 6 References 7 Bibliography 8 External linksBackground EditConception Edit In 1958 Davis was one of many jazz musicians growing dissatisfied with bebop seeing its increasingly complex chord changes as hindering creativity 8 Five years earlier in 1953 pianist George Russell published his Lydian Chromatic Concept of Tonal Organization which offered an alternative to the practice of improvisation based on chords 9 Abandoning the traditional major and minor key relationships of classical music Russell developed a new formulation using scales or a series of scales for improvisations 9 His approach to improvisation came to be known as modal in jazz 9 Davis saw Russell s methods of composition as a means of getting away from the dense chord laden compositions of his time which Davis had labeled thick 10 Modal composition with its reliance on scales and modes represented as Davis put it 8 a return to melody 11 In a 1958 interview with Nat Hentoff of The Jazz Review Davis remarked on the modal approach When Gil wrote the arrangement of I Loves You Porgy he only wrote a scale for me No chords gives you a lot more freedom and space to hear things there will be fewer chords but infinite possibilities as to what to do with them Classical composers have been writing this way for years but jazz musicians seldom have 12 Miles Davis In early 1958 Davis began using this approach with his sextet 13 Influenced by Russell s ideas Davis implemented his first modal composition with the title track of his 1958 album Milestones which was based on two modes recorded in April of that year 14 Instead of soloing in the straight conventional melodic way Davis s new style of improvisation featured rapid mode and scale changes played against sparse chord changes 15 9 Davis second collaboration with Gil Evans on Porgy and Bess gave him more room for experimentation with Russell s concept and with third stream playing as Evans compositions for Davis featured this modal approach 8 Adaptation Edit The musical commercial and critical success of 1957 s Miles Ahead helped make future Davis Evans ventures possible as it impressed Columbia Records enough for them to bestow further artistic control upon Davis and Evans At that period Davis girlfriend Frances Taylor was in the New York City Center s production of the George Gershwin DuBose Heyward Ira Gershwin opera Porgy and Bess 16 and the Samuel Goldwyn film adaptation was in production set for release in June 1959 The advance publicity for the film was considerable and with the late 1950s vogue for recorded jazz versions of a number of Porgy and Bess jazz interpretations were released These ranged from an all star big band version arranged and conducted by Bill Potts to one by Bob Crosby and the Bobcats Following the first collaboration with Evans Davis followed up on these efforts with much interest in symphonic readings which at the time jazzmen were not known for and neither were some classically trained musicians known for interpreting jazz scores Nevertheless Davis enlisted members of his sextet including Cannonball Adderley and Paul Chambers Reception and influence EditProfessional ratingsReview scoresSourceRatingAllMusic 17 DownBeat 18 The Encyclopedia of Popular Music 19 Entertainment WeeklyA 20 The Penguin Guide to Jazz 21 The Rolling Stone Album Guide 22 Tom Hull on the WebB 23 The second in a series of Davis Evans collaborations Porgy and Bess was well received upon its release by music critics and publications including The New York Times and Los Angeles Times 24 25 Music writer Bill Kirchner wrote In this century s American music three partnerships have been most influential Duke Ellington Billy Strayhorn Frank Sinatra Nelson Riddle and Miles Davis Gil Evans 26 As one of Davis best selling albums Porgy and Bess has earned recognition as a landmark album in orchestral jazz Davis biographer Jack Chambers described the album as a new score with its own integrity order and action 27 The album s appeal was more widespread among critics following its reissue in 1997 Robert Gilbert of All About Jazz praised Porgy and Bess describing it as one of many great albums that Miles Davis recorded over his lifetime It reaches a higher plateau than most though in its way that it can reach the listener on both a musical and emotional level That the album is still able to do this after almost forty five years is a testament to the rare magic that occurred in a New York studio over four days in the summer of 1958 28 In August 1997 JazzTimes magazine called Porgy and Bess possibly the best of the collaborations between Miles and Gil Evans Evans is justly regarded as the master of modern orchestration and Porgy and Bess shows him at his best 29 The album was included in Elvis Costello s 500 Albums You Need Vanity Fair Issue No 483 11 00 30 and was ranked No 785 on the Virgin All Time Top 1000 Album list 31 Track listing EditAll compositions written by George Gershwin except otherwise noted Although Ira Gershwin and DuBose Heyward wrote lyrics to the opera Porgy and Bess these recordings are instrumental Side one Edit Track Recorded Song Writer Time1 8 4 58 Buzzard Song George Gershwin 4 072 7 29 58 Bess You Is My Woman Now George Gershwin 5 103 7 22 58 Gone Gil Evans 3 374 7 22 58 Gone Gone Gone George Gershwin 2 035 8 4 58 Summertime George Gershwin 3 176 8 4 58 Oh Bess Oh Where s My Bess George Gershwin 4 18Side two Edit Track Recorded Song Writer Time1 8 4 58 Prayer Oh Doctor Jesus George Gershwin 4 392 7 29 58 Fisherman Strawberry and Devil Crab George Gershwin 4 063 7 22 58 My Man s Gone Now George Gershwin 6 144 7 29 58 It Ain t Necessarily So George Gershwin 4 235 7 29 58 Here Come de Honey Man George Gershwin 1 186 8 18 58 I Wants to Stay Here a k a I Loves You Porgy George Gershwin 3 397 8 4 58 There s a Boat That s Leaving Soon for New York George Gershwin 3 23Bonus tracks Edit Bonus cuts featured on the 1997 compact disc reissue Track Recorded Song Writer Time1 8 18 58 I Loves You Porgy take 1 second version George Gershwin 4 142 7 22 58 Gone take 4 Gil Evans 3 40Personnel EditMusicians Edit Miles Davis trumpet flugelhorn Ernie Royal Bernie Glow Johnny Coles and Louis Mucci trumpet Dick Hixon Frank Rehak Jimmy Cleveland and Joe Bennett trombone Willie Ruff Julius Watkins and Gunther Schuller horn Bill Barber tuba Phil Bodner Jerome Richardson and Romeo Penque flute alto flute clarinet Cannonball Adderley alto saxophone Danny Bank alto flute bass flute bass clarinet Paul Chambers bass Philly Joe Jones drums except tracks 2 8 10 amp 11 Jimmy Cobb drums tracks 2 8 10 amp 11 Gil Evans arranger conductorProduction Edit Cal Lampley production Frank Laico recording engineering Roy DeCarava cover photographyCertifications and sales EditRegion Certification Certified units salesUnited Kingdom BPI 32 sales since 2007 Silver 60 000 United States 286 000 33 Shipments figures based on certification alone References Edit Miles Davis com Kanzler George 7 November 2009 Miles Revisited Sketches of Spain 50th Anniversary Edition amp Miles Ahead Live All About Jazz Retrieved February 23 2013 Appiah Kwame Anthony Gates Henry Louis Jr January 2 2005 Africana Arts and Letters An A to Z Reference of Writers Musicians and Artists of the African American Experience Running Press p 163 ISBN 0762420421 Miles Davis Porgy and Bess Miles Davis Archived from the original on 2013 01 25 Retrieved 2012 11 29 Album Product notes and reviews Porgy and Bess Presentation Zankel Hall NYC Larkin Colin Review Porgy and Bess Archived 2008 06 22 at the Wayback Machine Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music March 1 2002 a b c Ashley Kahn 2001 Kind of Blue The Making of the Miles Davis Masterpiece foreword by Jimmy Cobb Da Capo Press USA pp s 67 68 ISBN 0 306 81067 0 The Making of Kind of Blue Miles Davis and His Masterpiece bebop a b c d George Russell About George Concept Publishing Retrieved 2008 07 27 Kahn 2001 p16 Miles Davis Kind of Blue FLAC Master Sound Super Bit Mapping Stupid and Contagious 12 February 2008 Nat Hentoff An Afternoon with Miles Davis The Jazz Review December 1958 Milestones gt Overview All Media Guide LLC Retrieved 2008 07 27 George Russell The Lydian Chromatic Concept of Tonal Organization Concept Publishing Retrieved 2008 07 27 Miles Davis Jazz at the Plaza lt Music PopMatters PopMatters com Retrieved 2008 07 27 Crease Stephanie Stein 2003 Gil Evans Out of the Cool His Life and Music Chicago Review Press p 199 ISBN 978 1 55652 986 3 Planer Lindsay Review Porgy and Bess Allmusic Retrieved on 2009 07 21 Down Beat July 23 1959 Vol 26 No 15 Larkin Colin 2007 The Encyclopedia of Popular Music 4th ed Oxford University Press ISBN 978 0195313734 Sandow Greg Review Porgy and Bess Entertainment Weekly Retrieved on 2009 07 20 Cook Richard Review Porgy and Bess Penguin Guide to Jazz 376 September 2002 Hoard Christian Review Porgy and Bess Rolling Stone 214 217 November 2 2004 Hull Tom n d Grade List Miles Davis Tom Hull on the Web Retrieved July 22 2020 Wilson John S Review Porgy and Bess The New York Times X13 September 27 1959 George Wally Review Porgy and Bess Los Angeles Times J61 June 7 1959 Kirchner Bill Bill Kirchner s liner notes from the 6 CD box set Miles Davis amp Gil Evans The Complete Studio Recordings Sony Music Entertainment Inc a href Template Cite journal html title Template Cite journal cite journal a Cite journal requires journal help Chambers Jack Porgy and Bess album liner notes Sony Music Entertainment Inc a href Template Cite journal html title Template Cite journal cite journal a Cite journal requires journal help Gilbert Robert Review Porgy and Bess All About Jazz Retrieved on 2008 12 21 Columnist Review Porgy and Bess Archived 2008 09 06 at the Wayback Machine JazzTimes 106 August 1997 Elvis Costello s 500 Albums You Need at rocklist net top 1000 album list British album certifications Miles Davis Porgy And Bess British Phonographic Industry Retrieved June 15 2020 Cwik Greg September 25 2015 Understanding Miles Davis in 9 Parts Vulture Retrieved June 15 2020 Bibliography Edit The Golden Anniversary of Miles Davis s Porgy amp Bess by Alan Kurtz et al Jazz com Nathan Brackett Christian Hoard 2004 The New Rolling Stone Album Guide Completely Revised and Updated 4th Edition Simon and Schuster ISBN 0 7432 0169 8 Richard Cook Brian Morton 2002 The Penguin Guide to Jazz on CD Edition 6 Penguin ISBN 0 14 051521 6 Charles Edward Smith Bill Kirchner Porgy and Bess liner notes Sony Music Entertainment Colin Larkin 2002 Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music Edition 4 Virgin Books ISBN 1 85227 923 0 External links EditPorgy and Bess at Discogs Accolades Porgy and Bess at Acclaimed Music Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Porgy and Bess Miles Davis album amp oldid 1131465855, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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