Down Beat magazines 'Blindfold Test' featuring Miles Davis :

Before anyone E-mails me to ask if I am psychic, I will explain what this months celebrity interview is all about.

I was leafing through some back issues of Down Beat magazine from the mid sixties and came upon a Leonard Feather interview with Miles Davis. This was part of his famous 'Blindfold Test' series in which he played records 'blind' to his guest and transcribed their comments verbatum. This series was, of course, the precusor to the 'Blind Jukebox' feature by Tom Callaghan in last months issue of Jazz at the Muse.

The interview featured Miles in uncompromising form, giving no quarter to a number of his contemporaries. The contrast with Ian Carr's ( also a trumpeter ) more polite treatment of his material and the fact that many of the records Leonard chose are still available, prompted me to include the this historic Blidfold Test in this months issue.

The original interview has been quoted as it was printed in Down Beat complete with expletives deleted. The 'star' system referred to would give five starts to an exceptional record and no stars for a complete failure. The issue date was June the 18th, 1964.

Leonard Feather noted that Miles was 'in a perfectly good mood' on the day of the interview. I would hate to see Miles' reaction to the records presented if his mood happened to have been bad!

The 'Blindfold Test' Playlist:

Les McCann - Jazz Crusaders All Blues

Clark Terry Cielto Lindo

Rod Levitt Ah! Spain

Duke Ellington Caravan

Sonny Rollins You Are My Lucky Star

Stan Getz - Joao Gilberto Desafinado

Eric Dolphy Mary Ann

Cecil Taylor Lena