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Miles Ahead session details

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December 1947 (6 items; TT = 14:59)
Unknown venue, Waukegan IL
Audience recording (C)

Miles Davis (tpt); Charlie Parker (as); Irving "Duke" Jordan (p); Tommy Potter (b); Max Roach (d)

1 Dexterity (incomplete) (C. Parker) 3:47

Nice Davis solo (2:32-3:47)
2 The Way You Look Tonight (incomplete) (J. Kern-D. Fields) 3:04

Parker quotes "Country Gardens" (2:29-2:32)
3 All the Things You Are (incomplete) (J. Kern-O. Hammerstein) 2:04
4 52nd Street Theme (incomplete) (T. Monk) 2:05

Trumpet/alto call-and-response in opening theme (0:09-0:29)
5 Diggin' Diz (incomplete) (G. Handy) 3:05
6 Embraceable You (fragment) (G. Gershwin-I. Gershwin) 0:54


1 Dexterity (incomplete)
CD: Philology Volumes 1/4 (W 5/18), Volume 65 (W 896)

2 The Way You Look Tonight (incomplete)
CD: Philology Volumes 1/4 (W 5/18), Volume 65 (W 896)

3 All the Things You Are (incomplete)
CD: Philology Volumes 1/4 (W 5/18), Volume 65 (W 896)

4 52nd Street Theme (incomplete)
CD: Philology Volumes 1/4 (W 5/18), Volume 65 (W 896)

5 Diggin' Diz (incomplete)
CD: Philology Volumes 5/6 (W 19/29), Volume 65 (W 896)

6 Embraceable You (fragment)
CD: Philology Volume14 (W 844), Volume 65 (W 896)


Very fragmentary; edited to Parker solos for the most part, although "Dexterity" has a nice Davis solo. These may be dubs of wire recordings -- the fidelity is very poor throughout. As issued on Philology most of the tunes are off-speed; the timings above are from a pitch-corrected recording.

Although these tunes are usually dated (as on Philology) in December 1947, this is doubtful. The Parker Quintet was booked for two weeks at Chicago's Argyle Show Lounge (November 11-23, 1947), then for four nights at the Pershing Hotel Ballroom (January 3-6, 1948). The group played a Saturday night dance at the New Savoy Ballroom on January 3, and two items from this date appear on Philology Volume 14.

Three other tunes -- "Barbados," a longer version of "Embraceable You," and "How High the Moon" -- are usually listed with these tunes (as e.g. on Philology Volumes 1/4), but they are probably from the Pershing Hotel Ballroom, March 28-April 10, 1949, with Kenny Dorham on trumpet. Two of these items are issued on Philology Volume 14, although the speed is different and "Embraceable You" is incomplete. But the music is the same.

Thanks to Tommaso Urbano for help with this session.

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