Listen to the exclusive premiere of Miles Davis’ rendition of the jazz standard, “Stella by Starlight.” The track, which is off the upcoming Miles Davis at Newport 1955 – 1975, was recorded live at the 1966 Newport Jazz Festival. Davis and his band (drummer Tony Williams, pianist Herbie Hancock, tenor saxophonist Wayne Shorter and bassist Ron Carter) began the song simply and slowly, but was a full out blitz by the conclusion of the live performance. Music historian Ashley Kahn tells Rolling Stone that the two-minute mark of the song turns into “a high-speed chase, discarding any notion of maintaining emotional consistency and reverence, or decorum. The closest they come to returning to the tune’s original sentimental side is Herbie Hancock’s solo, but even then Miles snatches it back to energy-mode, and quickly brings the tune to a close.”
Listen to “Stella by Starlight” and read more at Rolling Stone.
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