Miles Davis’ Enduring Legacy and the 1957 Soundtrack
In September 1991, as Miles Davis was nearing the end of his life, a nearby trumpet player, often heard practicing elegant classical phrases, began performing tributes to Davis’s distinctive voice-like, blues-inflected melodies. This personal homage reflected the profound impact of Davis’s unique instrumental sound and imagination, which significantly shaped 20th-century music.
This month commemorates the centenary of Miles Davis, prompting numerous celebrations of his influential musical career. He was famously dubbed the “Picasso of jazz” by Duke Ellington, a title attributed to his exploration of diverse styles. Among the highlights is the reissue of his 1957 soundtrack for the film Ascenseur pour l’Échafaud, now available on vinyl and CD with restored audio, striking photographs, and insightful essays.
Composed with minimal chordal material, Davis’s soundtrack was largely improvised while watching Louis Malle’s crime thriller Ascenseur pour l’Échafaud (Lift to the Scaffold) on screen. This session took place over a single night in a Paris studio in December 1957. Davis’s quartet featured expatriate New York bebop drummer Kenny Clarke, whose collaboration contributed to a harmonic openness that produced a spacious, ethereal soundscape. This approach would soon influence Davis’s seminal album Kind of Blue. The film’s narrative follows two lovers who believe they have executed the perfect murder of an inconvenient husband, and the ensuing mishaps, farces, ecstasies, and fears that unfold during their night of unraveling.
The soundtrack’s dreamlike sensuality reflects the characters’ misplaced hopes. It includes rapid, intense passages that evoke car chases, showcasing Davis’s formidable fast-bop horn virtuosity of the era. The music also offers desolate blues accompaniments to Jeanne Moreau’s character as she wanders in confusion searching for her partner. Additionally, lively bar-room scenes are captured through trumpet and tenor saxophone counterpoints between Davis and saxophonist Barney Wilen. Importantly, the music stands independently from the film’s visuals, delivering a quiet yet simmering intensity imbued with Davis’s timeless light and heat.
Additional Releases This Week
Norwegian guitarist, composer, and singer Hedvig Mollestad’s power trio Weejuns pays homage to Davis’s 1969 album Bitches Brew with their release Bitches Blues (Rune Grammofon). Joined by Supersilent keyboardist Ståle Storløkken and drummer Ole Mofjell, Mollestad explores raw atonalities and spacey sci-fi textures, creating a unique and captivating take on 1970s jazz fusion.
Jeff Parker, a lesser-known guitarist associated with indie rock band Tortoise and Chicago’s Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians, presents his quartet’s album Happy Today (International Anthem/Nonesuch). The work reveals a patient evolution from minimalism to lyrical expression.
Jason Miles, a former keyboardist for Miles Davis on albums such as TuTu, Amandla, and Music From Siesta, revisits that groove-oriented era with his album 100 Miles for Miles Davis (Lightyear). The project highlights Davis’s admiration for Prince and showcases Jason Miles’s creative synthesizer work alongside trumpeter Randy Brecker and saxophonist Ada Rovatti.
