My Funny Valentine

My Funny Valentine is a live LP released shortly after Davis' Modal Era, likely to commemorate his 50s sound and to transition to a new style.

The album was recorded during a Lincoln Center concert. It features many guest writers, many of whom Davis bought on deck to record the original tracks but wasn’t able to grab hold of.

Although My Funny Valentine features songs from many different albums, the concert itself was performed in support historic Civil Rights movement. The performance followed the frustration of African Americans from the voting act and systematic racism, as well as the death of President Kennedy.

Musician and Miles affiliate Herbie Hancock went over the process in an interview

You know it’s very funny, to be sitting here talking to you. I have the record, L'Cote Jazz Miles and Miles in Paris, these old bootlegs which came out later and I listen to “My Funny Valentine” or “Stella by Starlight,” where Herbie does the introduction dramatically different every time. Musically for me, I must say categorically, how happy I am to be here associated with Herbie today because I have such admiration for him as a musician. What he was doing 30 years ago, as an individual and collectively with the group-wow, I’ve listened to I don’t know how many versions of these tunes and every time is just like a musical shock because it was so different. Of course, we know that Miles was a driving force with all of us, he was guiding all of us into places we didn’t know existed because the way he’d turn a phrase of the melody and you’d hear Herbie playing accompaniment and then Herbie would play in a completely different way