GA Russell Posted February 28, 2008 Report Share Posted February 28, 2008 I want to give you a heads up now that the AotW for the last two weeks of March will be Miles' soundtrack to Ascenseur pour l'echafaud. We have had two threads about this album, but both of them have been about the number of tracks or sound quality of a particular re-issue - not about the music itself. http://www.organissimo.org/forum/index.php...mp;hl=Ascenseur http://www.organissimo.org/forum/index.php...mp;hl=Ascenseur It is available from BMG/Your Music, and from Amazon (Use the board link!) for $11.98. http://www.amazon.com/Ascenseur-Pour-l%C3%...5797&sr=8-2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnS Posted February 29, 2008 Report Share Posted February 29, 2008 GA, am I right in thinking this reissues the original lp. Any improvement in sound quality over the previous 'complete' issue? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WorldB3 Posted February 29, 2008 Report Share Posted February 29, 2008 GA, am I right in thinking this reissues the original lp. Any improvement in sound quality over the previous 'complete' issue? I own the recent Original LP re-issue of this and the sound quality is amazing and a huge improvement to my ears. I am really enjoy this and the Coltrane Impulse Originals that just came out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GA Russell Posted March 1, 2008 Author Report Share Posted March 1, 2008 John, I have the BMG Direct release with ten tracks, issued last year. I haven't heard any other release, so I'll take WorldB3's word that the sound is an improvement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teasing the Korean Posted March 1, 2008 Report Share Posted March 1, 2008 Why is it that Miles's Columbia LPs show up everywhere, but the US Columbia issues of this one rarely show up? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bluenote82 Posted March 3, 2008 Report Share Posted March 3, 2008 (edited) I own the original cd of "Ascenseur Pour l'Échafaud" before it was re-issued and remastered and I love mine. The music on this album is pretty haunting, very different for Miles. I loved the album. Edited March 3, 2008 by bluenote82 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted March 3, 2008 Report Share Posted March 3, 2008 Why is it that Miles's Columbia LPs show up everywhere, but the US Columbia issues of this one rarely show up? I don't know for sure, but I suspect it might be because the soundtrack was only leased, not owned, by Columbia. I suspect that the lease was a rather limited one, because the US Jazz Track LP is one that I have only rarely seen eitehr for sale or in private collections, leading me to believe that its origianl availability was limited. The later, sextet, portions of the Jazz Track LP first(?) began to resurface in the US 1970s on Basic Miles (& before that on the French CBS Facets). I have to think that the fact that there's not quite a full LP's worth of material from that session made for some..."packaging dilemmas" through the years. Basic Miles itself is a mix of "rarities" and very common material, indicating to me that there was not yet a clear view of how to best package the material. Anybody older and/or wiser than me (and/or with access to an old Schwann showing when Jazz Track was deleted), please feel free to correct as needed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluesnik Posted March 13, 2008 Report Share Posted March 13, 2008 GA, am I right in thinking this reissues the original lp. Any improvement in sound quality over the previous 'complete' issue? there is a French 24-bit CD reissue of the Fontana LP that was released some years ago. it's in the same Uni France Heritage series where Art Blakey's Les Liaisons Dangereuses or Chet Baker Quartet with Dick Twardzik on Barclay came out. they were all digipacks and i imagine they must be available in the States. after that i saw another Universal reissue of Ascenseur in a jewel case, though that might also be a Euro only affair. though you might already know about all that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosco Posted March 13, 2008 Report Share Posted March 13, 2008 The later, sextet, portions of the Jazz Track LP first(?) began to resurface in the US 1970s on Basic Miles (& before that on the French CBS Facets). I have to think that the fact that there's not quite a full LP's worth of material from that session made for some..."packaging dilemmas" through the years. Basic Miles itself is a mix of "rarities" and very common material, indicating to me that there was not yet a clear view of how to best package the material. Anybody older and/or wiser than me (and/or with access to an old Schwann showing when Jazz Track was deleted), please feel free to correct as needed. The sextet half of Jazz Track later turned up on a compilation called '58 Miles along with a Love For Sale from the same session and (irritatingly) three of the four tracks from Jazz at the Plaza. A not very satisfactory solution to that 'packaging dilemma', particularly when the omitted track would have fitted on the CD just fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
medjuck Posted March 13, 2008 Report Share Posted March 13, 2008 In his book on Miles entitled "The Man in the Green Shirt", Richard Williams suggests that working on this score led Miles to see that he could work without standard chord changes or chorus structures thus leading to his modal compositions and Kind of Blue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GA Russell Posted March 13, 2008 Author Report Share Posted March 13, 2008 In his book on Miles entitled "The Man in the Green Shirt", Richard Williams suggests that working on this score led Miles to see that he could work without standard chord changes or chorus structures thus leading to his modal compositions and Kind of Blue. medjuck, I'm glad you said that! (I guess there's nothing wrong with us starting the discussion a couple of days early!) I was wondering if this was the first Miles album that featured songs without hummable melodies. The entire album was recorded in one overnight session December 4-5, 1957. Can anyone think of another jazz album whose music was as "impressionistic" as this which was issued before then? Miles was given composer credits for all the songs, even though one of them is only a bass solo. I use the word "impressionistic" because they recorded each song after viewing a scene of the movie, and then coming up with some music for that scene. Since they did it all in one night, I doubt that they spent much time planning the songs before they recorded them. I notice that Miles did not create motifs repeated throughout the movie like most movie soundtracks have. Each song is different. I would be interested to hear from those of you who have the release with the alternate takes. Are they very similar to the master takes? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WorldB3 Posted March 14, 2008 Report Share Posted March 14, 2008 (edited) ^ I have several thoughts on this record (the originals edition and the one with the outtakes) which I will contribute later but first I want to recommend the new Criterion DVD release of the film which has a bonus DVD devoted to Miles and the sound track. Answers the questions above and has great commentary from Gary Giddens, Stanley Crouch and an interview with the Pianist on the sessions. Edited March 14, 2008 by WorldB3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kh1958 Posted March 14, 2008 Report Share Posted March 14, 2008 Why is it that Miles's Columbia LPs show up everywhere, but the US Columbia issues of this one rarely show up? I don't know for sure, but I suspect it might be because the soundtrack was only leased, not owned, by Columbia. I suspect that the lease was a rather limited one, because the US Jazz Track LP is one that I have only rarely seen eitehr for sale or in private collections, leading me to believe that its origianl availability was limited. The later, sextet, portions of the Jazz Track LP first(?) began to resurface in the US 1970s on Basic Miles (& before that on the French CBS Facets). I have to think that the fact that there's not quite a full LP's worth of material from that session made for some..."packaging dilemmas" through the years. Basic Miles itself is a mix of "rarities" and very common material, indicating to me that there was not yet a clear view of how to best package the material. Anybody older and/or wiser than me (and/or with access to an old Schwann showing when Jazz Track was deleted), please feel free to correct as needed. I actually saw the first copy of Jazz Track I've ever come across this week, but alas it was so badly scratched that I passed it by. Basic Miles is hodge-podge, but the album that first enlightened me to Miles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Beat Steve Posted March 14, 2008 Report Share Posted March 14, 2008 If you want to really appreciate the music, by all means take it in by viewing the movie. Listening to it alone is fine and the music can stand on its own but obviously you only get the complete picture (literally...) if you see the movie. But then again the impact of the movie may well be different here to us Continental Europeans as the 50s Paris setting conjures up images that may be differ from those experienced in the USA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WorldB3 Posted March 16, 2008 Report Share Posted March 16, 2008 (edited) This was one of my first Miles recordings during the time when I got the Jazz bug and was taking jazz lessons. I didn’t have a lot of money at the time so a friend made me a cassette with this and Miles 58 on it. As the years progresses I replaced Miles 58 but not Ascenseur pour l'echafaud, I knew it inside and out but was expanding my collection into stuff I haven’t heard. Fast forward 15 years later last fall a different friend asks me what he should get with his Itunes gift card, he is looking for something that will sound good for his first trip to Paris. I point him to Ascenseur pour l'echafaud, he said it was his perfect for his trip and he played it every day walking around Paris. After that I rented the DVD and recalled how much I loved the movie and the soundtrack (it really helps to know the movie and how Miles makes the music work with it) and decided to have the music back in my life again. The 2007 Originals version of the this disc while it only has 10 tracks has superb sound compared to the older CD’s that have all the extra tracks. Even if you have the old copy with the extra tracks I highly recommend getting the re-mastered release of it, I played it again yesterday and it still sounds amazing. I think Miles working on this film went a long way to how Miles approached modal compositions and how that turned into Kind Of Blue. Edited March 16, 2008 by WorldB3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
medjuck Posted March 16, 2008 Report Share Posted March 16, 2008 Didn't the original release(s) have a lot echo added to those 10 tracks? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clifford_thornton Posted March 24, 2008 Report Share Posted March 24, 2008 This thread has certainly inspired me to put the film (and its bonus disc) in the Netflix queue. I look forward to checking it out, and hearing the music. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teasing the Korean Posted March 25, 2008 Report Share Posted March 25, 2008 Didn't the original release(s) have a lot echo added to those 10 tracks? Yes. My copy of the CD has the tracks both with the reverb and dry. I prefer the reverb. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GA Russell Posted March 25, 2008 Author Report Share Posted March 25, 2008 This thread has certainly inspired me to put the film (and its bonus disc) in the Netflix queue. I look forward to checking it out, and hearing the music. Wouldn't it be funny if, between all the members and lurkers here, Netflix noticed a run on the movie? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MartyJazz Posted March 29, 2008 Report Share Posted March 29, 2008 ^ I have several thoughts on this record (the originals edition and the one with the outtakes) which I will contribute later but first I want to recommend the new Criterion DVD release of the film which has a bonus DVD devoted to Miles and the sound track. Answers the questions above and has great commentary from Gary Giddens, Stanley Crouch and an interview with the Pianist on the sessions. I second this recommendation. I just took out this DVD 2-disc set from a local library and it's quite entertaining. Not only is there wonderful input from Giddens and Jon Faddis (not Crouch), about the importance of the soundtrack both for jazz (Miles' modal approach predates Kind of Blue) and the budding career (at that time) of Louis Malle the director, but you do get to see film of Miles laying down the music as the film is played before him. The interview with Rene Urtreger, the only surviving member of the group, is also quite illuminating. After watching all these wonderful extras in this release, I'm now enjoying the actual film itself, one I haven't viewed in many years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guy Berger Posted September 18, 2009 Report Share Posted September 18, 2009 I listened to this for the first time today - great music. Kenny Clarke is just fantastic - what's that tune where he plays with brushes but extremely fast. Awesome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrJ Posted September 20, 2009 Report Share Posted September 20, 2009 I really only discovered this disc a couple of months ago - excellent, excellent music. I bought the recent Universal Music remaster (digipack) and it apparently is the "reverb" version - a bit too much for my taste but not by any means enough to obscure the quality of the music. My jaw fell a bit at Miles' playing on the up tempo tracks. His chops were UP for this one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillF Posted September 20, 2009 Report Share Posted September 20, 2009 Just saw the movie. Strongly recommended - for a better appreciation of the music, too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndrewHill Posted September 26, 2009 Report Share Posted September 26, 2009 Just saw the movie. Strongly recommended - for a better appreciation of the music, too! I'm adding it to my Netflix que as we speak. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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