Miles Davis Waiting For the Man: Highs and Lows at Newport
Thursday, August 27, 2015
When the Newport Jazz Festival began in 1954, it became a barometer for all that was hot in jazz in 1950s America.
As such it was the backdrop behind the singular career trajectory of Miles Davis, gloriously documented in the newly released Miles Davis At Newport 1955-1975 – The Bootleg Series Vol.4 (Columbia/ Legacy), reviewed in last month’s edition of Jazzwise. The wide-ranging music provides a parallel live soundtrack to Davis’ studio career that saw him rise from the lows of drug addiction, to new musical highs – Kind of Blue among them – and back again to poor health and his semi-retirement in 1975. Stuart Nicholson takes an in-depth look at this extraordinary career arc and how his appearances at Newport not only convinced George Avakian to sign him to Columbia 60 years ago, but were of singular importance in jazz history and in creating the legend of Miles Davis
This is an extract from Jazzwise Issue #200 – to read the full article Subscribe to Jazzwise, save money and receive a fantastic FREE CD