Miles Davis 1953 Interview part 1

[Lazaro Vega]

We posted the first part. We'll be doing 2 more over the next couple weeks

http://euclidrecords.blogspot.com/

by Joe Schwab

It's been well documented that Miles Davis came home to East St. Louis in

1953 while in the throes of a bad heroin addiction to spend time on his

father's farm in order to kick. Before departing for the farm, Miles made a

stop at radio station KXLW to visit with Modern Jazz DJ and hipster Harry

Frost and his Fresh Air program. This is a fascinating look into Miles'

persona and the most extensive recorded interview with him from this era.

Miles discusses his career and recordings up until that time. Most people

have never heard Miles' voice before it was entrenched with the raspy croak

that we're used to and it's rather hard to fathom that this is the man who

would later become known as "The Prince of Darkness". The Miles we hear is

amiable and friendly, but obviously hurting from the drugs he was determined

to defeat.

This is a very very rare and historic recording, enjoy and look for the

second part of the program next week.

(addendum: you can hear Miles introducing compositions in the recording of the Miles Davis/Tadd Dameron Quintet live at the 1949 Paris Jazz Festival, too, as an example of how he sounded before his voice got roached)

[Dan Gould]

Thanks for this, Lazaro. The interview is interesting, plus I had no idea Euclid Records had a blog. Best of all, there's a link to the website of NYC's PBS affiliate, and they are in the process of posting streaming video of the famous "Soul!" program. Here's a link to the Episode guide, among the episodes to be uploaded soon is a "Blue Note Show" with Horace Silver, Lee Morgan and Bobbi Humphrey and they've already uploaded a show featuring RRK.

[Indestructible!]

Great link, Lazaro... thanks for this!

If I heard this voice without any context, I would never in a million years guess it was Miles'. He sounds... older than his age would suggest.

Cheers,

Shane

[Quincy]

Wow!, thanks for that.

[Lazaro Vega]

Miles was kicking around the time of the interview and you can sort of tell.

Like I said this came through from Jim Eigo. Someone on the Jazz Programmer's List questioned whether it was Miles or not. Here's a response:

Jim,

I can tell you, this is Miles Davis. Harry Frost was a long time DJ in the

St. Louis area, I have a couple of other interviews that he did over the

years. I also knew a number of Harrys friends. His best buddy Ken

Schnizenmeire, later known in Down Beat as Ken Meire, was Harry's best

friend and often told me about his few run ins with Miles and Ken was at the

studio at this time. Kenny never told me that this was when Miles "got

clean", that's speculation on my part. Quincy Troupe might have a better

idea, although Quincy's first encounter with Miles was a few years later at

the Peacock Alley engagement that we've documented with photos on the

Lockwood Summit blog.

As for the origins of the tape. A long time Jazz fan and DJ here in St.

Louis passed away around 1996 or 1997. He lived in a small apartment in the

South St. Louis area. While buying his records, I unearthed a large amount

of photographs taken by Bernie Thrasher (the origins of the Miles photos)

and a large stack of reel to reels. Virgil Matheus of VJM records (Miles at

Peacock Alley and Miles in St. Louis) took the tapes and scowered them for

gems. Most were filled with Harry Frost programs and perhaps some Spider

Burke's as well. Virgil was shocked to find this Miles interview as well as

a Frost program from the 60's with a "This is Your Life" interview with Stan

Getz. I was pleasently surprised to find an interview with a St. Louis

legend Tommy Wolf who's best known for his composition "Spring Can Really

Hang You Up the Most", but I digress.

Harry was most certainly a hipster and a character, in fact Harry Frost was

only a radio name, I don't recall his given name. His death in the mid 60's

has been a mystery for many years, murdered on the front lawn of his Central

West End home. Harry and his friend Kenny befriended many of the traveling

musicians that came through in the 50's. Kenny related a number of story's

to me over the years about the likes of Stan Getz and Chet Baker, Kenny told

me that by the time he ran into him again at Peacock Alley Miles'

personality became very stand offish but I think that's old news.

Joe Schwab

Euclid Records

St. Louis, MO

http://euclidrecords.blogspot.com/

[Chuck Nessa]

It is real.

[fasstrack]

I couldn't listen b/c there are no speakers in the public space I use for Internet. I guess no one thinks of these things.

Laz: if there's a transcription tell me where to look(or shoot me an email). Would love to read his thoughts. '53 Miles musically was close to his peak, IMO (one of several, but my own preference).

[Rooster_Ties]

Don't want to overstate this, but the cadence of Miles' voice here reminds me a little bit of Sun Ra's voice.

Seriously.

[Shrdlu]

Thanks for posting that!

Miles can also be heard (being grumpy!) on the Dec 24, 1954 session with Monk, which was before his throat was damaged. (I guess we will never know exactly what happened at that session. And the given order of the tracks contradicts what happened musically.)

[medjuck]

Thanks for posting that!

Miles can also be heard (being grumpy!) on the Dec 24, 1954 session with Monk, which was before his throat was damaged. (I guess we will never know exactly what happened at that session. And the given order of the tracks contradicts what happened musically.)

Would you elaborate on that last sentence.

[Shrdlu]

Yes, I will.

"Bags' Groove" was supposedly the first tune recorded, and on that, Monk, at Miles's request, does not accompany him. Then, supposedly later, Monk comps behind Miles on "Bemsha Swing", where Miles gets pissed off and plays a Monk lick in a testy manner. I think this strongly suggests that "Bags' Groove" was a later performance.

[JSngry]

Or maybe that not even Miles had the balls to demand that Monk not comp on his own tune?