Porgy and Bess
Studio album by Miles Davis
Released	1958
Recorded	July 22-August 18, 1958 30th Street Studio, NYC
Genre	Jazz
Length	50:53 (Original LP) 58:18 (CD Reissue)
Label	Columbia CL-1274
Producer	Cal Lampley, Teo Macero
Professional reviews
All About Jazz (favorable) link Allmusic link Entertainment Weekly (A+) link Penguin Guide to Jazz [1] Rolling Stone link RS Album Guide link
Miles Davis chronology
'58 Miles (1958) Porgy and Bess (1958) Kind of Blue (1959)
Alternate cover
U. A studio album is an original collection of new tracks by a recording artist Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26 1926 &ndash September 28 1991 was an American Jazz Trumpeter, Bandleader, and Composer. Year 1958 ( MCMLVIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1099 - First Crusade: Godfrey of Bouillon is elected the first Defender of the Holy Sepulchre of The Kingdom of Events 293 BC - The oldest known Roman temple to Venus is founded starting the institution of Vinalia Rustica. Year 1958 ( MCMLVIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The City of New York A music genre is a categorical and typological construct that identifies musical sounds as belonging to a particular category and type of music that can be distinguished from other Jazz is an American Musical art form which originated in the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States In the Music industry, a record label can be a Brand and a Trademark associated with the Marketing of music recordings and Music Columbia Records is an American Record label founded in 1888 Columbia is the oldest surviving Brand name in pre-recorded sound being the first record company In the Music industry, a record producer or music producer has many roles among them controlling the recording sessions coaching and guiding the musicians organizing Teo Macero ( October 30 1925 &ndash February 19 2008) born Attilio Joseph Macero, was an American Jazz All About Jazz is a leading Jazz music Website for enthusiasts and industry professionals based in Philadelphia in the United States allmusic (previously All Music Guide) is a Metadata database about music owned by All Media Guide. Entertainment Weekly (sometimes abbreviated as EW) is a Magazine published by Time Inc The Penguin Guide to Jazz is a Non-fiction book that is an Encyclopedic Referencing of Jazz recordings on CD which are Rolling Stone is a United States -based Magazine devoted to Music, Politics, and Popular culture that is published The Rolling Stone Album Guide, previously known as The Rolling Stone Record Guide, is a book that along with its sister publication Rolling Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26 1926 &ndash September 28 1991 was an American Jazz Trumpeter, Bandleader, and Composer. Kind of Blue is an album by American Jazz musician Miles Davis, released August 17 1959 on Columbia Records, in both K. 45 rpm release

Porgy and Bess is a 1958 album by jazz musician Miles Davis which he and Gil Evans arranged from George Gershwin's opera Porgy and Bess. Jazz is an American Musical art form which originated in the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26 1926 &ndash September 28 1991 was an American Jazz Trumpeter, Bandleader, and Composer. Gil Evans ( 13 May 1912 in Toronto Canada – 20 March 1988 in Cuernavaca, Mexico) was a Jazz George Gershwin (September 26 1898 &ndash July 11 1937 was an American Composer. Opera is an art form in which Singers and Musicians perform a Dramatic work (called an opera which combines a text (called a Libretto Porgy and Bess is an Opera, first performed in 1935, with music by George Gershwin, Libretto by DuBose Heyward, and The album was recorded in four sessions on July 22, July 29, August 4 and August 18, 1958 at Columbia's 30th Street Studio in New York City. Events 1099 - First Crusade: Godfrey of Bouillon is elected the first Defender of the Holy Sepulchre of The Kingdom of Events 1014 - Byzantine-Bulgarian Wars: Battle of Kleidion: Byzantine emperor Basil II inflicts a decisive defeat Events 70 - The Destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem by the Romans. Events 293 BC - The oldest known Roman temple to Venus is founded starting the institution of Vinalia Rustica. Year 1958 ( MCMLVIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Columbia Records is an American Record label founded in 1888 Columbia is the oldest surviving Brand name in pre-recorded sound being the first record company It is the second collaboration between Davis and Evans and has garnered much critical acclaim since its release, being acknowledged by music critics as the best of their collaborations. ^[2] For many jazz critics, this recording is regarded as historic. ^[3]

History

Conception

The musical, commercial and critical success of Miles Ahead made future Miles Davis and Gil Evans ventures possible. Miles Ahead is a Cool jazz album by Miles Davis released in 1957 Gil Evans ( 13 May 1912 in Toronto Canada – 20 March 1988 in Cuernavaca, Mexico) was a Jazz At that period, the Samuel Goldwyn film adaptation of the George Gershwin/DuBose Heyward/Ira Gershwin opera Porgy and Bess was in production, set for release in June of 1959. Samuel Goldwyn ( ca. July 1879 &ndash 31 January 1974) was an Academy Award and Golden Globe Award -winning producer Porgy and Bess is a 1959 movie based on George Gershwin 's opera of the same name. George Gershwin (September 26 1898 &ndash July 11 1937 was an American Composer. DuBose Heyward ( August 31, 1885 – June 16, 1940) was an American author best known for his 1924 Novel Ira Gershwin ( 6 December 1896 &ndash 17 August 1983) was an American Lyricist who collaborated with his younger Porgy and Bess is an Opera, first performed in 1935, with music by George Gershwin, Libretto by DuBose Heyward, and The advance publicity for the film was considerable, and with the late-'50s vogue for recorded "jazz versions of. . . ", a number of Porgy and Bess jazz interpretations were released. These ranged from an all-star big band version arranged and conducted by Bill Potts to one by Bob Crosby and the Bobcats. Bill Potts (April 3 1928 Arlington Virginia – February 15 2005 Fort Lauderdale Florida) was an American Jazz pianist and arranger Bob Crosby ( August 23, 1913 Spokane Washington &ndash March 9, 1993 La Jolla California) was an American Most were not as memorable as the Miles Davis/Gil Evans version. After the first collaboration with Evans, Davis followed up on these efforts with much interest in symphonic readings, which, at the time, jazzmen were not known for, and neither were classically trained musicians known for interpreting jazz scores. However, Miles enlisted members of his famous quartet, anyway, including Cannonball Adderley and Paul Chambers. Julian Edwin "Cannonball" Adderley ( September 15 1928 – August 8 1975) was a Jazz alto saxophonist of Paul Laurence Dunbar Chambers Jr ( April 22 1935 – January 4 1969) was one of the most influential Jazz bassists of the In a December 1958 interview with Jazz Review magazine, Davis explained^[4]:

Release and reception

The second in a series of Davis/Evans collaborations, Porgy and Bess became highly acclaimed by music critics, such as Bill Kirchner who wrote that "In this century's American music, three partnerships have been most influential: Duke Ellington/Billy Strayhorn, Frank Sinatra/Nelson Riddle, and Miles Davis/Gil Evans". Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29 1899 &ndash May 24 1974 was an American Composer, Pianist, and Bandleader. Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra (December 12 1915 &ndash May 14 1998 was an American singer and actor Nelson Smock Riddle Jr ( June 1, 1921 &ndash October 6, 1985) was a well-known American bandleader arranger and ^[5] As one of Miles Davis' best-selling albums, Porgy and Bess is regarded as a landmark album in orchestral jazz. Davis biographer Jack Chambers wrote of the album as "a new score, with its own integrity, order and action". J K (Jack Chambers (born 12 July 1938 in Grimsby Ontario) is a Canadian linguist, and a well-known expert on language variation ^[6]

The album's appeal was more widespread among critics after the 1997 reissue. Robert Gilbert of All About Jazz described Porgy and Bess as ". All About Jazz is a leading Jazz music Website for enthusiasts and industry professionals based in Philadelphia in the United States . . one of many great albums that Miles Davis recorded over his lifetime. It reaches a higher plateau than most, though, in its way that it can reach the listener on both a musical and emotional level. That the album is still able to do this after almost forty-five years is a testament to the rare magic that occurred in a New York studio over four days in the summer of 1958. "^[7] In an August 1997 issue, JazzTimes magazine said that ". JazzTimes is a music Magazine that covers Jazz. It was founded by Ira Sabin in 1970 as a newsletter publication called Radio Free Jazz. . . Porgy and Bess is possibly the best of the collaborations between Miles and Gil Evans. . . . Evans is justly regarded as the master of modern orchestration and Porgy and Bess shows him at his best. There are two alternates to savor here, 'I Loves You, Porgy' and 'More'. . . ". ^[8] The album was included in Elvis Costello’s "500 Albums You Need" (Vanity Fair, Issue No. Elvis Costello (born Declan Patrick MacManus 25 August 1954 is an English Musician and Singer-songwriter, with Irish ancestry Vanity Fair is an American magazine of Culture, Fashion, and Politics published by Condé Nast Publications. 483 11/00) ^[9] and was also ranked 785 in the Virgin "All-Time top 1000 album" list. Virgin Megastores is an international chain of Record shops founded by Sir Richard Branson on London 's Oxford Street in January or February ^[10]

Track listing

All compositions by George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin and DuBose Heyward, except otherwise noted. George Gershwin (September 26 1898 &ndash July 11 1937 was an American Composer. Ira Gershwin ( 6 December 1896 &ndash 17 August 1983) was an American Lyricist who collaborated with his younger DuBose Heyward ( August 31, 1885 – June 16, 1940) was an American author best known for his 1924 Novel

Side One

Side Two

1997 Reissue Bonus Tracks

Personnel

• Miles Davis - trumpet, flugelhorn
• Ernie Royal, Bernie Glow, Johnny Coles and Louis Mucci - trumpet
• Dick Hixon, Frank Rehak, Jimmy Cleveland and Joe Bennett - trombone
• Willie Ruff, Julius Watkins and Gunther Schuller - horn
• Bill Barber - tuba
• Phil Bodner, Jerome Richardson and Romeo Penque - flute, alto flute & clarinet
• Cannonball Adderley - alto saxophone
• Danny Bank - alto flute & bass clarinet
• Paul Chambers - bass
• Jimmy Cobb - drums (except tracks 3,4, 9, & 15)
• Philly Joe Jones - drums (tracks 3,4, 9, & 15)
• Gil Evans - arranger & conductor

Additional personnel

• Cal Lampley - producer
• Frank Laico - recording engineer
• Roy De Carava - cover photo

References

• Porgy and Bess album liner notes by Charles Edward Smith & Bill Kirchner. Gil Evans ( 13 May 1912 in Toronto Canada – 20 March 1988 in Cuernavaca, Mexico) was a Jazz Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26 1926 &ndash September 28 1991 was an American Jazz Trumpeter, Bandleader, and Composer. The flugelhorn (also spelled fluegelhorn or flügelhorn) is a Brass instrument resembling a Trumpet but with a wider conical bore Bernie Glow (b New York City 1926 d NYC 1982 was a Trumpet player who specialized in jazz and commercial lead trumpet from the 1940s to 1970s Jimmy Cleveland ( May 3, 1926 - August 23, 2008) was an American Jazz Trombonist born in Wartrace Tennessee The trombone is a Musical instrument in the brass family Like all brass instruments it is a lip-reed Aerophone: sound is produced when the player’s John William Barber, known as Bill Barber or Billy Barber ( May 21, 1920 -- June 18, 2007) is considered by many to be the Mediatubaogg -->The tuba is the largest and lowest pitched Brass instrument. The flute is a Musical instrument of the Woodwind family Unlike other woodwind instruments a flute is a Reedless wind instrument that produces its The clarinet is a Musical instrument in the Woodwind family The name derives from adding the suffix -et meaning little to the Italian word Julian Edwin "Cannonball" Adderley ( September 15 1928 – August 8 1975) was a Jazz alto saxophonist of The alto saxophone is a member of the Saxophone a family of Woodwind instruments invented by Adolphe Sax. The bass clarinet is a Musical instrument of the Clarinet family Paul Laurence Dunbar Chambers Jr ( April 22 1935 – January 4 1969) was one of the most influential Jazz bassists of the The double bass is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed String instrument used in the modern symphony orchestra. Jimmy Cobb (born January 20 1929 in Washington DC) is an American jazz drummer. A drum kit (also drum set or trap set) is a collection of Drums Cymbals and sometimes other Percussion instruments such as cowbells Joseph Rudolph (Philly Joe Jones ( July 15, 1923 – August 30, 1985) was a Philadelphia -born United States jazz A drum kit (also drum set or trap set) is a collection of Drums Cymbals and sometimes other Percussion instruments such as cowbells Gil Evans ( 13 May 1912 in Toronto Canada – 20 March 1988 in Cuernavaca, Mexico) was a Jazz In Music, an arrangement refers either to a rewriting of a piece of existing Music with additional new material or to a fleshing-out of a compositional sketch such Conducting is the act of directing a Musical performance by way of visible gestures In the Music industry, a record producer or music producer has many roles among them controlling the recording sessions coaching and guiding the musicians organizing Audio engineering is a part of audio science dealing with the recording and reproduction of Sound through mechanical and electronic means An album cover is the front of the packaging of a commercially-released audio recording product or Album. Sony Music Entertainment Inc. .