The date of this set is uncertain. It circulates with the date "April 1969," but
this date is pretty clearly wrong. There are two alternatives. The Quintet was booked
at the Coronet June 21-29,
and again in October (probably October 6-12). Thanks to Iver McLeod for bringing this date
to my attention.
The later engagement ended early when Davis was shot after the October 8 performance.
According to one report, "Miles Davis had appeared at the Blue Coronet Club October
8, finishing his last set on the morning of October 9. He drove back to New York
with the lovely Marguerite Eskridge, 24, as a passenger. He pulled up in front of
her house on 141 E. 13th St. at 4:30, when a cab drove up alongside the car and
someone inside fired. One of the bullets grazed Davis' side. The young woman was
not injured." (See also the New York Times, October 10.) After being treated
at the hospital, Davis was booked for possession of marijuana. As a result, remaining
shows at the Blue Coronet were canceled. The Quintet was also booked at Boston's
Jazz Workshop (October 13-16), but these shows may have been canceled as well.
My guess, based on the titles performed and the playing, is that these tunes are from the
early summer 1969, a very busy time for the Davis Quintet. In addition to three appearances
at the Village Gate -- April 25-26, May 23-24, and July 29-August 10 -- other dates include:
Lennie's on the Turnpike, West Peabody MA (May 5-11); Spectrum, Philadelphia (May 11);
Plugged Nickel Club, Chicago (June 4-14); Blue Coronet Club, Brooklyn (June 21-29);
Morgan State Jazz Festival, Baltimore (June 22); Miami Jai-Alai (Miami Jazz Festival)
(June 27); Armstrong Stadium, Hampton VA (Hampton Jazz Festival) (June 28); Festival
Field, Newport RI (Newport Jazz Festival) (July 5); Central Park, New York (Schaefer
Music Festival) (July 7); Olympia Stadium, Detroit (Detroit Jazz Festival) (July 13);
Memorial Auditorium, Dallas (Longhorn Jazz Festival) (July 18); Municipal Auditorium,
Austin (Longhorn Jazz Festival) (July 19); Coliseum, Houston (Longhorn Jazz Festival)
(July 20); Juan-les-Pins Festival, Antibes (July 25-26); Rutgers University Stadium,
New Brunswick (Rutgers Jazz Festival) (July 27); Sheraton Park Hotel, French Lick
(French Lick Jazz Festival) (July 31); Spectrum, Philadelphia (August 15); Kiel
Auditorium, St. Louis (St. Louis Jazz Festival) (August 16); Grant Park Auditorium
Theatre, Chicago (August 22); Crosley Field, Cincinnati (Ohio Jazz Festival) (August
23); Mid-South Coliseum, Memphis (Memphis Jazz Festival) (August 24).
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