Gil Evans – 1957
Miles Ahead gives us another chance to look at the lush, dense orchestration of Canadian Gil Evans (see also ‘Boplicity’ Link) Miles Davis plays flugelhorn and the piano-less band includes four trombones, two french horns and a tuba all adding to the warm sound.
The piece begins with a modified II – V – I with beautifully voiced major 7 chords. The next two bars are brilliant. I think it’s fair to say this is a variation on the now familiar “Cycle Chain” (Link). The passage is a VII – III – VI – II – V – I group with two exceptions. First the III chord is a V aug major 7 (G+). This chord is identical to the III chord (Em7) except it is missing the bass note ‘e’. The second deviation is a I chord (CM7) rather than the two chord (Dm7). The two chords are not even close but it works because of voice leading.
