Session details: Columbia Studio B (March 20, 1970)

Miles Ahead session details

March 20, 1970 (8 items; TT = 44:10)

Columbia Studio B, New York NY

Commercial for Columbia

Show chatter

Miles Davis (tpt); Steve Grossman (ss); John McLaughlin (g); Herbie Hancock (org); Dave Holland (el-b); Lenny White (d)

1	Sugar Ray (rehearsal) (M. Davis)	1:59
	Short rhythm section run-through (1:06) followed by undecipherable comment by Davis
2	Sugar Ray (take 1) (M. Davis)	3:28
	Macero: "Stand by, this is CO 106752, take one..." Short run-through (0:46); another one (1:20). Macero: "OK..." Davis: "Lenny, I want a tight sound on the drums -- I'm not kiddin', man." Short run-through with trumpet solo (0:58)
3	Sugar Ray (take 2) (M. Davis)	0:46
	Macero: "Two..." Short run-through with trumpet (0:30), interrupted by Davis: "Lenny, keep it tight. Don't get busy, just keep it tight and simple..."
4	Sugar Ray (take 3) (M. Davis)	7:46
	Macero: "Three..." Davis: "There's gotta be somethin' in there, gotta be a little wah-wah or somethin'..." Holland plays a passage with wah-wah on his bass, Davis likes it: "Yeah, somethin' like that. Come on, John..." False start (0:08) interrupted by Davis: "Leave that beat out, man. One, two, three..." Another false start (0:06). Davis: "Just keep in tempo, man, but leave that other beat out -- bow, bow... BANG -- leave that one out. One, two, three..." Long run-through (6:45) with trumpet and soprano saxophone solos. Afterward Davis: "Hey Teo, play some of that..."
5	Sugar Ray (rehearsal) (M. Davis)	21:52
	McLaughlin solos over bass and drums. Davis from control booth: "Hey, hold the phone a minute, hold it. John... just play like one, two, three... (They start playing) Wait a minute -- Lenny, motherfucker, man... Lenny, you just gotta cool it a little... Is that me?" Macero: "Yeah, it's you." Davis: "God-DAMN! You gotta cool it a little bit, man. I mean you gotta let it carry you. OK... Four, three, two, one... (McLaughlin tuning) Just as I thought... A strike... Lenny, your jive-ass militant motherfucker part... (McLaughlin finished tuning) Go ahead -- four, three... Rhythm section plays (0:16), Davis interrupts: "Wait a minute, wait a minute... Wait! Can they hear me in there? Lenny, don't play on all the beats. (McLaughlin plays a passage) Wah-wah [undecipherable], John... Get real soft, you know? (Whispering) Four, three, two, one..." Rhythm section plays (0:48), Davis interrupts: "Hey Dave, play your bass notes... (he plays) No, don't play that note, that... No, play the same note you played the last time in that last phrase... (Holland plays) Yeah..." Davis whistles the five-note phrase he wants. Holland [undecipherable] protests about E-flat and D. Davis: "Yeah..." (Holland plays) Play the same note again... [undecipherable]" Holland plays (0:33), then McLaughlin noodles (0:27). Davis: "Play, play a F on the end (McLaughlin plays a chord) No, instead of B-flat. Yeah, put some... gravy in it or somethin'... Put A-flat on top, B-flat on top... Short run-through (0:46) interrupted by Davis: "Hold it, hold it. Play it by yourself. Yeah, play it by yourself... (McLaughlin begins) Without the guitar..." Holland and McLaughlin play (0:55). Short rhythm section run-through (1:29) interrupted by Davis: "Dave, just duh-dum, duh-dum, duh-dum, duh-dum, duh-dum, duh-dum, duh-dum... Another short rhythm section run-through (0:27) interrupted by Davis: "Wait a minute, man, wait a minute..." Holland and McLaughlin practice (0:39). Davis: [undecipherable] Any way you wanna play it, man." Holland begins quietly, Davis interrupts: "That's gonna sound like shit up there... Oh, hell no..." Rhythm section begins again (0:41), Davis interrupts: "Wait a minute, John. Come on... Yes, [undecipherable] Don't hit no last chord." (McLaughlin is barely audible but he protests) Come on... Just don't leave no spaces, you know. Instead of the last... that last open part, just repeat the last part... Man you just be cool and just... try to find yourself a home in there... (under his breath) Militant jive motherfucker..." McLaughlin and Holland practice (0:14) Another short run-through (0:27); Davis interrupts: "John, that's what we don't want... You know the last thing that you just played? I mean, don't resolve it." McLaughlin: "Yeah, we're gonna play the same phrase but put another chord there." He and White play (0:13), but Davis doesn't like it: "No, that... Why don't you leave out -- just play the B-flat on the end? It'd sound slicker because you can't tell where it starts and stops." McLaughlin: "But the B-flat's on the end." He plays. Davis: "I know it. What was... the first phrase you played? E-flat..." McLaughlin plays various three-chord combinations (0:21), and Davis says, "I can't tell 'em apart, that's great... Play it again..." Long run-through (3:31) with soprano saxophone solo, interrupted by Macero: "Hold it!" McLaughlin plays, White joins (0:22); Davis interrupts: "John, just put a, uh, B-flat raised nine anywhere in there..." Rhythm section resumes (0:19); Davis: "Lenny, try to start off with some kind of feelin' or somethin'..." McLaughlin plays some chords for White, who says "Oh, with the 6/8..." Davis: "Yeah, man, how many times we have to tell you?" McLaughlin and Holland play (0:17), interrupted by Davis: "Try and put the 6/8 in it." They play (1:12), and Davis intervenes: "Try it slow 6/8... Try and play it slow, Lenny. Don't double it up. Four, three, two, one..." Short run-through (0:25). Davis: "That's it, we try it again another day..."
6	Untitled original 700320 (inc) (M. Davis)	0:29
	Just a fragment; begins in the middle of a soprano saxophone solo
7	So What (inc) (M. Davis)	2:37
	Grossman solos from 0:14-2:12 and suddenly stops; at 2:21 Davis asks, "Why do you stop, Steve? Why you stop? Come on, Lenny, you wanna play free, now you got it, motherfucker..."
8	So What (inc) (M. Davis)	5:13
	Davis at 0:04: "Don't play the melody, Steve..." Grossman solos, then McLaughlin. At 5:09 Davis from the control booth, "Whew, ran out of tape..."


4 Sugar Ray (take 3) 12" LP: Columbia CAS 55858, CMG 19439860581 CD: Columbia C5K 86359, Columbia C5K 90926, Sony SICP 431/5

The issued take of "Sugar Ray" is edited: the passage from 0:03-0:37 from take 3 has been removed.

The short fragment of an unknown tune is a mystery. So is the inclusion of "So What." But Grossman was relatively new to the group, and what better way to work your way into the Davis oeuvre?

Davis had various groups in the studio throughout the first half of 1970 -- fourteen dates in the first half of the year! Some of the music recorded in the studio during this period -- e.g. "Willie Nelson," "Honky Tonk," "The Mask" -- was immediately added to the live book.

The Davis Sextet maintained a busy touring schedule throughout this period: Schwab Auditorium, Pennsylvania State University (February 14); Hill Auditorium, Ann Arbor (February 21); Fillmore East, New York (March 6-7); Fillmore West, San Francisco (April 9-12); Shelly's Manne-Hole (April 14-26); Both/And Club, San Francisco (April 28).