Miles Ahead: Sessions

Miles Ahead Session Details

February 19, 1949 (9 items; TT = 17:25)

Royal Roost, New York NY

WMCA radio broadcast

Tadd Dameron's Big Ten

Miles Davis (tpt); Kai Winding (tb); Sahib Shihab [Edmund Gregory] (as); Benjamin Lundy (ts); Cecil Payne (bs); Tadd Dameron (p); John Collins (g); Dillon "Curly" Russell (b); Kenny Clarke (d); Carlos Vidal (bgo); Symphony Sid Torin (ann)

1	Introduction (Symphony Sid Torin and Tadd Dameron)	2:50
	Symphony Sid: "...on trumpet, let's see if I can remember 'em all. Miles Davis on trumpet, Curly Russell on bass... If I can remember them all... Uhh, why don't you introduce 'em for me, Tadd? You're the man, it's your group, they're making Capitol records. I think Tadd Dameron and everybody would like to hear your voice outside the piano, so why don't you straighten it out for me?" Dameron: "Thank you, Sid. First, we have on guitar, a fine guitarist formerly from the Slam Stewart Trio, John Collins... A former Esquire award winner, a very fine trumpet player, he was in the first three of every poll..." Symphony Sid: "The greatest." Dameron: "The greatest. Miles Davis..." Symphony Sid: "Let's give Miles a wonderful hand." Dameron: "On trombone, formerly of the Stan Kenton organization, a fine trombonist also in the first two of, among the trombonists, Kai Winding... And my boy Pierre from Paris, Kenny Clarke on drums... Formerly of the Dizzy Gillespie organization, on baritone, Cecil Payne... A fine recording artist, he's recorded with Dizzy Gillespie and other organizations, Curly Russell on bass... On conga drums, formerly of the Stan Kenton band, Carlos Vidal... From the Thelonious Monk group, Shihab on alto... A newcomer to these circles, but a very good tenor player, Ben Lundy..." Symphony Sid: "Well, Tadd, I think that just about takes care of everybody here in your wonderful group -- remember, these are the gentlemen that you'll hear a lot about, the Tadd Dameron organization, recording for Capitol with a beautiful sound, the sounds here at the Royal Roost, ladies and gentlemen, every night and every morning in the week, from 9:30 until four, where you can sit back and relax and dig the pretty sounds that come out of this gone group. And to start things off, featuring John Collins on guitar, a thing called -- an original thing called 'Focus'..."
2	Focus (T. Dameron)	3:53
3	Introduction (Symphony Sid Torin)	0:14
	"And so, with Miles Davis on trumpet, John Collins on guitar, that was 'Focus', an original thing. And right now, a beautiful relaxed thing featuring John Collins on guitar, 'April in Paris'..."
4	April in Paris (V. Duke-E.Y. Harburg)	2:53
5	Introduction (Symphony Sid Torin)	0:19
	"That's right, ladies and gentlemen, with the great and wonderful Tadd Dameron organization, with John Collins featured on guitar, that was the beautiful 'April in Paris'. And right now, an original thing that's done so very well for the great Tadd Dameron, featuring Tadd at the piano and Miles on trumpet, 'Good Bait'...
6	Good Bait (T. Dameron-C. Basie)	3:19
7	Introduction (Symphony Sid Torin)	0:18
	"And so there it is, once again the great sounds that come out of the Tadd Dameron group. Tadd Dameron and the wonderful organization, here's their... I believe this is the one that's soon to come out on Capitol, is that right? Here it is, called 'Webb's Delight' -- 'Webb's Delight' featuring Miles Davis, John Collins, and Kai Winding. Go ahead, fellas, break it up..."
8	Webb's Delight (T. Dameron)	3:36
9	The Squirrel (fragment) (T. Dameron)	0:03


Focus 12" LP: Beppo BEP 503, Jung Cat RBD 948, Durium-Cicala BLJ 8032 CD: Fresh Sound FSCD-1008, Philology Volume 20 (W 850), Definitive Records DRCD 11164, FAP 001/3
April in Paris 12" LP: Beppo BEP 503 CD: Fresh Sound FSCD-1008, Philology Volume 20 (W 850), Definitive Records DRCD 11164, FAP 001/3
Good Bait 12" LP: Beppo BEP 503, Jung Cat RBD 948, Durium-Cicala BLJ 8032 CD: Fresh Sound FSCD-1008, Philology Volume 20 (W 850), Definitive Records DRCD 11164, FAP 001/3
Webb's Delight 12" LP: Beppo BEP 503, Jung Cat RBD 948, Durium-Cicala BLJ 8032 CD: Fresh Sound FSCD-1008, Philology Volume 20 (W 850), Definitive Records DRCD 11164, FAP 001/3
The Squirrel (fragment) 12" LP: Beppo BEP 503, Jung Cat RBD 948, Durium-Cicala BLJ 8032 CD: Fresh Sound FSCD-1008

Davis replaces Leonard Hawkins on trumpet; the rest of the personnel remain the same as on the February 12 broadcast.

The Tadd Dameron Big Ten were booked at the Roost from February 12 through March 16. Recordings survive from February 12, 19, 26, and March 5. The March 5 items are missing from Philology W 850, which purports to include "the complete Tadd Dameron Tentet 1949 Royal Roost recordings." Symphony Sid Torin introduces the Dameron group at the end of the Charlie Parker Septet broadcast on March 5: "And don't forget, down at the Royal Roost it's always the modern pure progressive jazz on Broadway between 47th and 48th Streets, right opposite the Strand Theater, where you can sit back and relax from 9:30 until four in the morning and kill yourself. If you don't want to kill yourself, well, you can just have a wonderful time. Right now, ladies and gentlemen, another one of the groups that are featured down at the Royal Roost, the great Tadd Dameron organization, featuring Kai Winding, let's see if I know everybody... Shihab, I know Ben Lundy..." (faded out)

"Webb's Delight" is essentially the same tune as "Sid's Delight" (as recorded by Dameron and Fats Navarro for Capitol M-11059 the same year) and the classic "Tadd's Delight" (recorded by the Davis Quintet in June 1956 and issued on 'Round About Midnight). Dameron was apparently keen on delight -- there's also "John's Delight," a different tune recorded with Davis for Capitol in April 1949.

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