Requisites
Miles In Berlin ~ Miles Davis | By Eddie Carter
This morning’s album is a recent addition to the library by Miles Davis. Miles in Berlin (CBS SBPG 62976/S 62967) captures the trumpeter and his quintet of Wayne Shorter on tenor sax, Herbie Hancock on piano, Ron Carter on bass, and Tony Williams on drums in concert before an enthusiastic audience at the Berliner Jazztage ’64. It was initially released in Germany in 1965, and my copy is the 2017 Speakers Corner European Mono audiophile reissue (CBS 62976). The set opens with Milestones by Miles Davis. The quintet establishes the melody quickly; then, Miles takes off with a swift opening solo. Wayne follows in rapid succession with a spirited reading, and Herbie closes with a speedy resolution leading to the ensemble’s finale and the audience’s approval.
Autumn Leaves by Joseph Kosma, Jacques Prévert, and Johnny Mercer starts with a muted introduction and a delicately gentle melody by Miles and the trio. The leader’s opening statement tells a touching story. Shorter builds the next solo efficiently, then Hancock follows with a charming presentation. Carter has the final word with a concise comment before the quintet regroups for the finale. Side Two soars into the stratosphere with Herbie and Ron introducing Miles’ So What, ahead of the quintet’s Theme. Miles takes the lead and gives a spirited performance. Wayne launches into the following interpretation with enthusiastic vitality, then Herbie proceeds joyously into the closing chorus before the ensemble takes the song out.
The quintet sets Richard Carpenter’s Walkin’ in motion with a rapid-fire opening chorus. The lead solo by Miles bursts with energetic passion. Williams propels the second statement with vigorous brushwork; Shorter enters next with an electrically charged interpretation. Hancock states his case effectively in the finale ahead of the reprise and climax. Miles’ Theme gives Ron the spotlight in a concise reading before the trumpeter returns, and the set ends to thunderous applause. Rudy Wolpert produced the album, and S.F.B. (Sender Freies Berlin) Radio recorded the concert. Speakers Corner has beautifully remastered the original analog tapes. This excellent recording has an impressive soundstage that places the listener’s sweet spot in the audience.
The record is pressed on 180-gram audiophile vinyl and is quiet until the music starts. This was the second quintet’s debut live album, and it set the stage for what would come in their following six studio releases. If you’re a fan of Miles Davis and enjoy his early live recordings or his bandmates’ music, I submit for your consideration Miles in Berlin on your next vinyl shopping trip. It highlights his group in a terrific live performance and should become a welcome addition to your jazz library!
~ E.S.P. (Columbia CL 2350/CS 9150), Filles De Kilimanjaro (Columbia CS 9750), Miles in The Sky (Columbia CS 9628), Miles Smiles (Columbia CL 2601/CS 9401), Nefertiti (Columbia CL 2794/CS 9594), Sorcerer (Columbia CL 2732/CS 9532) – Source: Discogs.com ~ Autumn Leaves – Source: JazzStandards.com © 2023 by Edward Thomas Carter
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Joseph William Yukl was born on March 5, 1909 in Los Angeles, California and learned to play violin before switching to trombone as a teenager.
Yukl relocated to New York City in 1927 where he took a position playing in radio bands for CBS, and worked with Red Nichols and The Dorsey Brothers. During 1934 he played with Joe Haymes, then with the Dorseys once again.
Through the end of the decade he played with Louis Armstrong, Ray McKinley, Bing Crosby, Ben Pollack, Frankie Trumbauer, and Ted Fio Rito. The 1940s saw Joe working as a session musician for studio recordings in Los Angeles, California and for film and television.
He played with Wingy Manone and Charlie LaVere in the 1940s. He appears in the film Rhythm Inn in 1951 and is heard playing trombone in the 1953 movie The Glenn Miller Story.
Trombonist Joe Yukl transitioned on March 16, 1981 at the age of 72 in his hometown.
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Ann Burton was born Johanna Rafalowicz on March 4, 1933 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. When she was 3 years old her mother married a diamond worker and in 1938 her surname was changed to her stepfather’s and she became Johanna de Paauw, which was her official name until 1971, when she again changed it back to Rafalowicz.
During World War II her family faced Jewish persecution under the German occupation and she went into hiding while her mother and stepfather survived the Nazi concentration camps. However, the family became disrupted when her stepparents were deprived of parental power. Johanna, who had Polish nationality, acquired Dutch nationality in 1957.
Johanna never had singing lessons, but she had listened to American singers like Doris Day, Jo Stafford, Rosemary Clooney, Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan. Later, Billie Holiday and Shirley Horn influenced her. She wanted to get into the music world and so in about 1955 she took the name Ann Burton inspired by the Welsh actor Richard Burton.
Ann Burton began her career as a singer with a quintet in Luxemburg. She sang with bandleader Johnny Millstonford and performed in clubs with the orchestra of Ted Powder for American soldiers in Germany.
In the summer of 1958 she sang in the quartet of pianist Pia Beck in Scheveningen and in 1960 they toured with saxophonist Piet Noordijk in Spain and Morocco. Returning home she continued singing and in 1965 she made an EP for Decca Records with the nl:Frans Elsen Trio. Later she joined Ramses Shaffy’s group Shaffy Chantant.
The late sixties saw Ann getting noticed by John J. Vis, the director of the record company Artone, who produced her first album Blue Burton in 1967. She became popular and the album received an Edison Award in 1969. A few more records in 1969 and 1972 were released in collaboration with John Vis.
In 1973, she toured Japan, where she became the most popular jazz singer, second only to Ella Fitzgerald. She made numerous albums with Masahiko Sato and Ken McCarthy and others. In the late seventies she worked in New York, where she made several albums, some of which were with Grady Tate and Buster Williams with singer Helen Merrill producing the albums. For “New York State of Mind” Burton also received an Edison award.
In the eighties she founded her own record label, Burtone, that produced her albums. During the period 1986–1988 she taught at the Amsterdam Conservatory.
Vocalist Ann Burton, who recorded twenty-one albums, transitioned at the age of 56 due to throat cancer on November 29, 1989 in Amsterdam.
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Fernand Coppieters was born in Brussels, Belgium on March 3, 1905. He took up piano in his youth and also played the Hammond organ. His first professional work was with the ensemble Bistrouille ADO in 1920 at age 15. Following this, he played in the Red Mills Ragtime Band and the Rhythmic Novelty Dance Orchestra.
Leaving Belgium for France he landed a place in Fud Candrix’s ensemble in France and Holland. Returning to Brussels in 1929, he played in a trio with René Compère and again with Candrix. Soon after this, he joined the 16 Baker Boys, led by Robert de Kers and, later, Oscar Aleman.
In the early 1930s, he accompanied Josephine Baker on tours of Europe, then worked with Roland Dorsay, Candrix once again, and Willie Lewis. In the 1940s and 1950s, he recorded as a leader and worked as a house pianist for Radio Schaerbeek, an independent Belgian radio station.
In the late 1950s and 1960s, he recorded several albums on Hammond organ, for Fontana Records and Philips Records. Pianist and organist Fernand Coppieters, who also played accordion, saxophone, and violin, transitioned on September 9, 1981 in Brussels.
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LaDonna Smith was born on March 2, 1951 in Birmingham, Alabama. She learned to play violin and went on to perfect viola and piano. Since 1974 she has been performing free improvisational music with musicians Davey Williams, Leland Davis, Michael Evans, Gunther Christmann, Anne Lebaron, Derek Bailey, Eugene Chadbourne, Misha Feigin, Michael Evans, David Sait, Jack Wright, John Russell, Sergey Letov, Toshi Makihara, Andrew Dewar and many other world major improvisers.
As a performer, she has toured the United States, Canada, Europe, Russia, Siberia, Korea, India, China and Japan. She produced concerts and festivals in Alabama and the Southeast, including the Birmingham Improv Festival and The Improvisor Festival. She serves on the Board of Directors of the International Society of Improvised Music (I.S.I.M.).
In 1976, Smith co-founded TransMuseq Records with Davey Williams. She is editor-in-chief and publisher of The Improvisor magazine which began in 1980 as an extension of The Improvisor’s Network, a grass-roots organization in New York City that attempted to connect improvising musicians across America. She is a member of the Fresh-Dirt collective (Alabama Surrealism).
Avant garde violinist, violist, and pianist LaDonna Smith, who has recorded 37 albums, continues to perform and record.
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