'I had done an album called I Love Paris, which was French melodies that I arranged and orchestrated. Strangely enough, that record was a big, big hit in America, but I didn't get any royalties because it was my first recording - I just got a fee. So I met the record company people when I was in New York, and they said, 'We've sold millions of copies of your album. We know you didn't get any royalties, so to make nice with you, tell us what album you'd like to make, whatever, and we'll pay for it.' I said, 'I want to make a jazz album with Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Ben Webster, Bill Evans, Rank Jones, and Phil Woods.' That album is called Legrand Jazz. Miles was the king of the jazz scene in New York then. Everybody said, 'He'll come to the session and stand at the door with his trumpet in its case — closed. He'll listen for five minutes, and if he likes the music, he'll sit down, open his case, and play — then you're saved. If he doesn't like it, he'll leave, and you'll never hear from him again.' I was 24-years old, and I was so scared I was sweating! I started to rehearse the orchestra. The door opens, and Miles listens at the door for five minutes. Then he sits down, opens his case, and starts to play. After the first take, Miles said, 'Michel, are you happy with my playing?' And that was how it started. We played together many times." Michel Legrand (1997)
ORIGINAL DOWN BEAT REVIEW (1958): Legrand Jazz Rating: *****
The Michel Legrand we knew as the leader of a huge recording band for Columbia Records' mood music series here turns his hand to jazz with excellent, often startling results. The strength is in the soloists, for whom he wrote mostly ensemble heads and tails, and some interesting inside figures. The rest, they blew.
The roster is impressive, covering most of the modern greats and near-greats. The Miles skies are superb. The writing is imaginative, tinged with the languid air of Gil Evans at his most soulful, and yet with something more. `Django" is a moving piece, brilliantly scored, and played by Davis with a cry of anguish. "Midnight' is short and fragile. "Wild Mane is a truly contemporary treatment of the Jelly Roll tune, rich with modem writing and blowing.
The trombone sides, solo-wise least effective of the lot, are brightened by the prodding masculinity of Webster's horn. He saves 'Rosetta' and is tremendous on "Blue and Sentimental". The trombones have "Don't Get Around Much" to themselves as a choir, with strong overtones of Kenton in the voicing.
The trumpet sides have highs and lows, but in the soloing more than the writing. min-A Misr is an extremely curious treatment of the wispy Beiderbecke song, but it has Rehak's best solo on it The ending is like running into Jack the Ripper in the mist The trumpet chases in -Tunisia" almost, but not quite, crackle into open fire.
While hardly experimental writing, Legrand's scoring is more than a wrap-up of the tunes in an acceptable order for X number of horns. Instead, it Is extremely skilful probing (with the exception — "Mist — noted) of the vitals of a song, and the careful polishing of a setting for the solo horns. There are many, many rewarding moments on the set, and it's to be hoped that this doesn't comprise all of Legrand jazz. The scene, it appears, can use a dash of continental spice about now.
(Dom Cerulli11958)
Featuring: Michel Legrand Arranger / Conductor, Miles Davis, Herbie Mann, John Coltrane, Bill Evans, Paul Chambers, Ben Webster, George Duvivier, Donald Byrd, Art Farmer and many other great Jazz Musicians – Circa 1958
