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MILES DAVIS ASCENSEUR POUR L’ECHAFAUD
Davis found Paris a release from the Waspish prejudice of 1950s America.
He recorded this for Louis Malle’s Ascenseur Pour L’Echafaud and it’s maybe the quintessential sound of Parisian Jazz.
The album is pared back and lonely, with Davis’ trumpet line typically reed like and relying on nothing else for its power. The sleeve notes describe that the recording session took place at night in the Poste Parisian studio with Jeanne Moreau and Louis Malle drinking at a makeshift bar.
If you ever get the chance try Le Caveau des Oubliettes on Rue Galande, near Square Rene Viviani, 5th Arrondissement; the décor gives the impression it hasn’t been licked since 1958 and the staff don’t give a toss- the musicians often come from the local music college.
