Session details: Columbia Studio (October 10, 1963)

Miles Ahead session details

October 10, 1963 (21 items; TT = 54:33)

Columbia Studio, Hollywood CA

Commercial for Columbia

Show chatter

Miles Davis (tpt); Dick Leith (tb); Richard Perissi (frh); Bill Hinshaw (frh); Arthur Maeba (frh); Paul Horn (fl, alto fl, as); Buddy Collette (fl, alto fl, ts); Gene Cipriano (oboe, alto fl, ts); Fred Dutton (bssn); Marjorie Call (harp); Herbie Hancock (p); Ron Carter (b); Tony Williams (d); Gil Evans (arr, cond)

1	The Time of the Barracudas (Cue #2-3 rehearsal) (G. Evans-M. Davis)	3:41
	Warming up, undecipherable discussion throughout (1:31). Hancock, Carter and Williams work on a vamp (2:16)
2	The Time of the Barracudas (Cue #4, take 1) (G. Evans-M. Davis)	1:55
	Townsend: "The is cue 4, take one..." Seven short drums passages. Townsend: "Is that all?" Unknown: "All for four, yeah." Townsend: "OK." Unknown: "Well, call it two and three."
3	The Time of the Barracudas (Cue #2-3, take 1) (G. Evans-M. Davis)	3:21
	Townsend: "All right. Cue 2 and 3, take one..." They play (3:02). Townsend: "Good..."
4	The Time of the Barracudas (Cue #7, take 1) (G. Evans-M. Davis)	1:19
	Townsend: "Stand by, please. Cue 7, take one..." Williams play (0:34). Townsend: "All right, we got 'em. (Aside) What number was that, 7?" Unknown: "8; this is 7." Townsend: "How do you want it to go?" Undecipherable discussion; unknown says "Cue 8." Townsend: "I thought we had an 8 yesterday." Unknown: "We did, but this goes with it." Townsend: "Oh, OK, stand by..."
5	The Time of the Barracudas (Cue #8, take 1) (G. Evans-M. Davis)	1:39
	Townsend: "Cue 8, take one..." Someone (Williams?) plays the chimes (1:28). Unknown: "Are we on at the moment?" Townsend: "What?" Unknown: "Are we on at the moment?" Townsend: "Yup." Unknown: "Oh..."
6	The Time of the Barracudas (Cue #12, rehearsal) (G. Evans-M. Davis)	0:59
	Chimes (0:45). Unknown: "OK, and [undecipherable]." Townsend: "That's great." Laughter and chatter
7	The Time of the Barracudas (Cue #12, part 1, take 1) (G. Evans-M. Davis)	2:11
	Townsend: "Stand by. Cue 12, first part, take one..." Williams plays cymbals (1:41)
8	The Time of the Barracudas (Cue #12, part 2, take 1) (G. Evans-M. Davis)	1:01
	Townsend: "Cue 12, second part, take one..." Carter and Williams play (0:41). Unknown: "Could we just hold it for a moment? Would you hold it for a moment?" Townsend: "Yup..."
9	The Time of the Barracudas (Cue #12, part 2, take 2) (G. Evans-M. Davis)	2:15
	Townsend: "This is cue 12, part two, take two..." Carter and Williams play (1:26). Unknown: "Uh, OK. Could we [undecipherable]" Evans: "There's plenty there, though, Tony, 'cause you only need, you only need forty seconds... And you can put it in an echo chamber when you're editing the tape, too." Williams: "You gonna play it back?" Unknown: "Irving? 19..." Townsend: "OK..."
10	The Time of the Barracudas (Cue 19, take 1) (G. Evans-M. Davis)	2:56
	Townsend: "You're on. Cue 19, take one, Miles Davis..." They play (2:36). Williams: "Can you hear [undecipherable]?" Unknown: "Uh, could we hear it back?" Townsend: "Yessir." Unknown: "Yes, fine..."
11	The Time of the Barracudas (Cue #20, take 1) (G. Evans-M. Davis)	1:41
	Townsend: "This is cue 20, take one..." Williams plays the tom-toms, Carter underneath (1:31). Unknown: "OK, could we get it played back?" Townsend: "Yes..."
12	The Time of the Barracudas (Cue #20, take 2) (G. Evans-M. Davis)	1:11
	Unknown: "Take -- 20, take 2..." Townsend: "20, take two, we're rolling." Carter and Williams play (0:58). Unknown: "Could we hear it back now?" Townsend: "All right." Splice to unknown: "There, I'm sorry, it's 6..."
13	The Time of the Barracudas (Cue #6, take 1) (G. Evans-M. Davis)	0:34
	Townsend: "OK, stand by, please. Cue number 6, take one..." They play (0:09). Townsend: "What? All right. Where is, where is... Tony, look at the mic in relation to Miles. We're not gettin' as good a shot as we did yesterday." Davis repeats a note. Townsend: "All right..."
14	The Time of the Barracudas (Cue #6, take 1A) (G. Evans-M. Davis)	0:36
	They play (0:11). Townsend: "Got it... What?" Davis: [undecipherable]
15	The Time of the Barracudas (Cue A) (G. Evans-M. Davis)	0:30
16	The Time of the Barracudas (Cue B, take 1) (G. Evans-M. Davis)	0:26
17	The Time of the Barracudas (Cue B, take 2) (G. Evans-M. Davis)	0:26
18	The Time of the Barracudas (Cue B, take 3) (G. Evans-M. Davis)	0:09
	Tempo much faster
19	The Time of the Barracudas (Cue B, vamp (inc)) (G. Evans-M. Davis)	0:07
	Rhythm section only; cut off
20	The Time of the Barracudas (issued version) (G. Evans-M. Davis)	12:44
21	The Time of the Barracudas (alternate version) (G. Evans-M. Davis)	14:52


20 The Time of the Barracudas (issued version) 12" LP: Mosaic MQ11-164 CD: Columbia CXK 67397, Columbia CXK 90923, Columbia CK 65293, Sony SRCS 7945/50, Sony SICP 657/62, Sony SRCS 9734, Sony SIGP 2, Sony SICP 819, Sony SICP 4018, Sony SICJ 30058, Columbia Legacy 86975 24922

This is the second of two studio sessions devoted to recording Evans' program music.

According to the notes to MQ11-164, "This score was recorded in a string of cues to be used on tape to accompany live performances of Peter Barnes' play The Time of the Barracudas. The cues are edited together in numerical (i.e. stage performance) order, which works best musically. It includes the compositions 'Hotel Me' and 'Barracudas' (aka 'General Assembly') which have since been recorded and performed as separate compositions."

The unissued alternate version was presumably assembled by Teo Macero using the same raw materials used to create the issued version.

The Time of the Barracudas opened at the Curran Theatre in San Francisco on October 21. Ralph J. Gleason's review in the San Francisco Chronicle (October 24) was not a rave: "Miles Davis' music is used in 'Time of the Barracudas' all right and it's a good thing it is, since the play at the Curran has little else to recommend it." The play closed on November 23 at the Huntington Hartford in Los Angeles.

The Davis Quintet was booked for three weeks at the Jazz Workshop in San Francisco (September 3-22), but the show was closed down on the 18th: the owner was charged with "employing a minor" -- Tony Williams! Other activity: Royce Hall, UCLA (September 28); It Club, Los Angeles (October 3-13); Adams-West Theatre (October 11-12 -- these were "after-hours jam sessions" scheduled for 2-6 am); La Grand Salle, Place des Arts, Montreal (October 26); Showboat, Philadelphia (November 4-10).

I am grateful to Eric Jooris for providing the review of the Montreal concert.