
The great Miles Davis made his first trip to Europe in 1949 with the Tadd Dameron band. Tadd and I took a group to Paris, France, explained Miles. This was my first trip out of the country and it changed the way I looked at things forever. I loved being in Paris and loved the way I was treated. I had bought me some new suits that I had made, so I know I was together, man. That s where I met Jean-Paul Sartre and Pablo Picasso and Juliette Gréco. I have never felt like that in my life since. When I got ready to leave, there were a lot of sad faces at the airport, including mine. Man, I was so depressed coming back to this country on the plane that I couldn t say nothing all the way back. The great French singer Juliette Gréco had a lot to do with Miles feelings, for both fell deeply in love. Sartre asked Miles why we didn t get married, she explained, but Miles loved me too much, he said, to marry me. You d be seen as a negro s whore in the US, he told me, and this would destroy your career. We saw each other regularly until his death. He was one of the most elegant men I have known. While Miles and Juliette never got to record together, this album showcases two wonderful Jean-Pierre Leloir pictures of them in Paris, and presents a selection of Miles best recordings