IngentaConnect TRANSATLANTIC INTERPLAYS

Abstract:

This study highlights and analyzes the modal elements present in the music recorded by Miles Davis in 1957 for the soundtrack of the French film Ascenseur pour l'échafaud . This recording represents a pivotal point in Davis's transition from a traditional be-bop style to a more modern and innovative modal sonority. In particular, it focuses on the crucial role played by European musicians Pierre Michelot (bass) and René Urtreger (piano) in inspiring and fostering Davis's new modal improvisational approach. This very successful collaboration between American and European musicians created for Davis the perfect musical and personal environment in which to conceive, develop and mature his new modal sound. The transatlantic interplays that framed this recording session made Ascenseur pour l'échafaud a unique project for its era, a collaboration in which different styles, techniques and backgrounds helped Davis to conceptualize modal jazz. In addition to the analytical inquiry, an oral-historical study in the form of interviews was conducted with the only two musicians who were still alive and who took part in the original recording session: bassist Pierre Michelot (1928–2005) and pianist René Urtreger (b. 1934).

Keywords: modal jazz; Miles Davis; Lift to the Scaffold; Ascenseur pour l'Échafaud

Document Type: Research article

DOI: 10.1080/14788810500525465

The full text electronic article is available for purchase. You will be able to download the full text electronic article after payment.

$38.49 plus tax Refund Policy