Miles Davis

Visible in this photo of Davis from the Porgy and Bess sessions.

In this article, LondonJazzCollecter states that the M49 was the only mic Davis used for himself on Kind of Blue:

The M49 was a favourite of recording studios in the 1950s and 60s and was the standard microphone used on smooth pop and soulful jazz recordings during the era. (...) Miles Davis was said to have exclusively used this microphone on his best-selling album: "Kind of Blue".

"[Producer Rudy] Van Gelder was one of the first Americans, let alone engineers, to acquire the German Neumann U-47 condenser microphone when it became available in 1949. Van Gelder sought to bring a more intimate sound to small jazz groups. This required placing a microphone closer to the instrument in order to capture the subtleties that traditional recording techniques missed. When Van Gelder initially used the U-47 microphone, he found the sound was easily distorted and unusable. However, a friend of Van Gelder’s, Rein Narma, was able to reconfigure the circuitry of the U-47, making it ideal for close range recording. The result was a detailed, warm sound that many would imitate but few would master. The difference in sound is quite clear when comparing albums Davis recorded with and without Van Gelder.

"Half Nelson" from Davis’ “Miles Davis All Stars” was recorded in 1947 at Harry Smith Studios in New York City. Davis’ talent is undeniable, his vocabulary is progressive, his temperament is wholly his own but—he sounds far away. Davis’ voice exists in the mid range of the mix, and is overshadowed by the shimmer of Max Roach’s ride cymbal and the high end of John Lewis’ piano overtones.

The sound heard on "Solar" from Davis’ album “Walkin’,” recorded in 1955 with Van Gelder, is markedly different: his voice is at the front of the mix, his subtle inflections are captured perfectly. The once intangible details of his playing style are captured, thanks in no small part to a modified U-47 and of course, Van Gelder’s mastery."

Featured in this November 22, 2013 article by proaudioeurope.com.

SNAP! studio recently purchased a stunning long bodied Telefunken badged Neumann U47 (VF14) to join our exceptional microphone collection.

We got this mic from an old friend, Niels Erik Lund, who started his engineering career as assistant to Quincy Jones and Bruce Swedien in LA before returning to Denmark and starting his own studio, the legendary Easy Sound. When Easy Sound closed, Niels Erik sold five of his six U47’s and kept the best, the mic he’d used on award winning productions of Miles Davis amongst others.

When the time came to finally part with this beautiful piece of history, Niels Erik wanted to be sure it would go to a good home and continue to be used for recording great talent.

We’re delighted and humbled to have been in the right place at the right time,Thanks Niels Erik (and Miles)

The photo shows Miles Davis recording with the actual microphone.

A picture of the mic and the photo of Davis can be seen here.