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Miles Ahead session details

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March 14, 1951 (3 items; TT = 4:58)
Sanders Recording Studio, New York NY
Sveriges Radio broadcast (B)

Miles Davis (talking); Claes Dahlgren (talking)

1 Introduction 0:43
2 Interview 4:08
3 Introduction to "Morpheus" 0:07


This interview was recorded im March 1951 and broadcast as part of Dahlgren's "Jazzglimtar från USA" show on April 24, 1951. For more information about the circumstances of the interview, see Lewis Porter's account at his Playback substack.

Dahlgren: Uh, Miles, I want to congratulate you on those fine awards you have received from Metronome and Down Beat magazines.

Davis: Well, thanks a lot, Claes, and I would like to thank my fans who made it possible... Music [?], and the polls...

Dahlgren: Well, you sure deserve it. Eh, Miles, uh, what do you feel about the, uh, present situation in modern jazz? I mean, uh, do you think that it ever will get a recognition among a wider audience, and not be appreciated only by the actual jazz fans?

Davis: Well, I think so, Claes. After the bebop appreciates [?] get around enough, and the flavor man [?] gets to hum a few more riffs... Yeah.

Dahlgren: I see, you think people will get used to it.

Davis: I think people will get used to it and start singin' the... clichés like they did swing years ago.

Dahlgren: Yeah, it's very possible and I really hope so, because, uh, it's always been the pop music that's pulled in the big money. But, uh, still, why just today it seems, seems a little bit more confused than it ever was. For instance, here in New York, uh, there's only, uh, one real outlet for modern jazz -- Birdland, that is -- and that sure isn't much for a big city like this. Do you think there are any chances that the situation will be better, and is there anything that can be done, uh, to, to help?

Davis: Well, that's a hard question to answer, you know. But I think it's improvin' a little bit. I think the, um, they spoiled it by the first... by wantin' to commercialize off of bebop, you know, like label it bebop, commercialize...

Dahlgren: It scares a lot of people, a lot of people don't like it -- they don't know it if it's not called bebop, a lot of people say they like it but when they hear the word they go away...

Davis: They started a fad, more or less. But now I think it's beginning to go...

Dahlgren: Well, I really hope so. And I know in some, eh, cities there are more outlets for jazz than in New York...

Davis: Well, in for instance Chicago they have more clubs for musicians to work -- Chicago and Detroit... The Cabaret and uh...

Dahlgren: Yeah... Well that's somethin' we got also in New York... Yeah, Miles, uh, which are your favorite musicians?

Davis: My favorite musicians? Lemme see. Charlie Parker... Uh, Sonny Rollins... and Bud Powell, and I think Fats Navarro, Freddie Webster, and, um, Percy Heath [undecipherable]

Dahlgren: There's a lot of them. Well, I don't mean to have you give a complete list, at least this is a few of them. Eh, Miles, earlier on this program we have played several of your Capitol recordings with a group that really was not generally known as the Miles Davis band. Have you made any records lately with another type of band?

Davis: Well, we made uh... six-piece... we made records [undecipherable] and six-piece, uh, instrumentation, one and -- with trumpet, uh, trombone, and tenor saxophone -- Sonny Rollins, and Percy Heath playin' bass, Roy Haynes drums, John Lewis playin' piano, and Bennie Green playin' trombone. And we recorded an original composition called "Morpheus" by John Lewis.

Dahlgren: "Morpheus." I think our listeners would like to listen to it. But, uh, before that, maybe we can get Miles Davis to send me some [undecipherable] on the Swedish jazz scene...

Davis: Well, I got a couple of letters from Sweden this week, and I'm gonna answer 'em, gonna try to answer 'em this week. And I'd like to say hello to Ross [? undecipherable], to keep up the good work...

Dahlgren: I hope he's... hearing that. And, eh, thank you very much Miles, for being with us, and hope to see you soon again.

Davis: Thank you a lot, thank you...

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