Revered by the artistic elite — from Saint-Germain’s jazz-cellars to the films of the Nouvelle Vague —, Miles Davis was an event every time he appeared in Paris and is still an authentic icon in France. A few months after the release of “Kind of Blue” in March 1960, Miles undertook a European tour with Wynton Kelly, Paul Chambers, Jimmy Cobb and John Coltrane. Europeans discovered Miles’ avantgarde saxophonist for the first time, a shooting-star in jazz history who defined a whole section of the music’s modern structure. The album marked a turning-point in jazz, in some way announcing the free revolution still to come, and it was also historic because you can hear both catcalls and applause in the divided audience as they followed Trane’s explorations of the music. The second part of this set was recorded the following winter; Sonny Stitt has stepped in for Coltrane, and the group’s work shows a liberated trumpeter: Miles Davis at the peak of his art. Patrick FReMEAUX
