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Miles Ahead session details

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October 22, 1971 (15 items; TT = 178:04)
Neue Stadthalle, Dietikon (Switzerland)
Deutsche und Rätoromanische Schweiz radio broadcast (B+)

Miles Davis (tpt); Gary Bartz (ss, as); Keith Jarrett (el-p, org); Michael Henderson (el-b); Ndugu Leon Chancler (d); Charles Don Alias (cga, perc); James Mtume Forman (cga, perc)

First concert
1 Directions (J. Zawinul) 13:04

Theme stated at 3:12, 4:45
2 What I Say (M. Davis) 10:43
3 Sanctuary (W. Shorter-M. Davis) 3:43
4 It's About That Time (M. Davis) 13:22
5 Bitches Brew (M. Davis) 11:55
6 Funky Tonk (M. Davis) 25:45
7 Sanctuary (closing theme, applause) (W. Shorter-M. Davis) 1:13

Second concert
8 Directions (J. Zawinul) 12:45

Theme stated at 2:39, 4:00, 4:20. Incomplete (12:12) on Jazz Masters, Minotauro, and Zipperman
9 Honky Tonk (M. Davis) 11:18
10 What I Say (M. Davis) 13:52
11 Sanctuary (W. Shorter-M. Davis) 2:54

Incomplete (2:49) on Zipperman
12 It's About That Time (M. Davis) 14:18

Incomplete on Jazz Masters and Minotauro (11:12) and Zipperman (10:52)
13 Yesternow (M. Davis) 22:01

Davis plays with the "Directions" theme from 16:40-17:00, and alludes to "Miles Runs the Voodoo Down" at 17:05-17:10
14 Funky Tonk (M. Davis) 20:12

Incomplete (12:07) on Jazz Masters
15 Sanctuary (closing theme, applause) (W. Shorter-M. Davis) 0:59


1 Directions
CD: Columbia 88875 08195

2 What I Say
CD: Columbia 88875 08195

3 Sanctuary
CD: Columbia 88875 08195

4 It's About That Time
CD: Columbia 88875 08195

5 Bitches Brew
CD: Columbia 88875 08195

6 Funky Tonk
CD: Columbia 88875 08195

7 Sanctuary (closing theme, applause)
CD: Columbia 88875 08195

8 Directions
CD: Jazz Masters JM 008/9, Minotauro MD 3, Zipperman ZME 001

9 Honky Tonk
CD: Jazz Masters JM 008/9, Minotauro MD 3, Zipperman ZME 001

10 What I Say
CD: Jazz Masters JM 008/9, Minotauro MD 3, Zipperman ZME 001

11 Sanctuary
CD: Jazz Masters JM 008/9, Minotauro MD 3, Zipperman ZME 001

12 It's About That Time
CD: Jazz Masters JM 008/9, Minotauro MD 3, Zipperman ZME 001

13 Yesternow
CD: Jazz Masters JM 008/9, Minotauro MD 3, Zipperman ZME 001

14 Funky Tonk
CD: Jazz Masters JM 008/9, Minotauro MD 3, Zipperman ZME 001


All of the material on Jazz Masters and Zipperman is from the second concert listed here. The Zipperman CD-R is a mess:

  1. Directions (12:00) + Honky Tonk (0:31)
  2. Honky Tonk (10:34) + What I Say (13:41) + Sanctuary (0:28)
  3. Sanctuary (inc, 2:21) crossfade to It's About That Time (inc, 10:52) + Yesternow (fragment, 0:37)
  4. It's About That Time (same excerpt as above, 10:52) + Yesternow (0:16)
  5. Yesternow (inc, 15:16)

A sixth track ("Yes or No") is listed, but the disc only contains five tracks. Those Zipperfolks are really something.

The version of the first concert listed here was re-broadcast by DRS3 in 2004. Most of the second concert was re-broadcast by DRS3 in November 2001 ("Funky Tonk" is faded out at 18:28); and it was re-broadcast again in 2021 by SRF.

In the second concert, the group begins "Funky Tonk" with the familiar coded phrase, but the audience interrupts with applause, which grows more raucous until Davis repeats the coded phrase and the group resumes. The audience is very animated during Jarrett's improvisation, but they settle down once the groove returns. In all versions I have heard, the closing "Sanctuary" theme is spliced in, and it isn't clear how much is missing.

Jack De Johnette left the Davis Sextet late in the summer, and Davis hired Leon Chancler as his replacement. The Sextet was booked for one night at the Saratoga (NY) Performing Arts Center (September 19), and made an extensive European tour in October-November with George Wein's "Newport Jazz Festival in Europe." The itinerary was as follows:

October 17: Kongress-Saal, Deutsches Museum, Munich (two concerts)
October 18: Jahrhunderthalle Hoechst, Frankfurt (two concerts)
October 19 (?) Stuttgart: Beethoven-Saal (two concerts)
October 21: Conservatorio Giuseppe Verdi, Milan
October 22: Neue Stadthalle, Dietikon (two concerts)
October 23: Théâtre Nationale Populaire, Paris
October 26: Palais des Beaux Arts, Brussels
October 27: Théâtre Nationale Populaire, Paris (two concerts)
October 29: De Doelen, Rotterdam
November 3: Dom Sindikata, Belgrade
November 5: Wiener Konzerthaus, Vienna
November 6: Philharmonie, Berlin
November 7: Universitets Aula, Uppsala
November 8: Tivoli Konsertsal, Copenhagen
November 9: Chateau Neuf, Oslo
November 12: Sartory Festsaal, Cologne
November 13: Royal Festival Hall, London (two concerts)
November 14: Teatro della Fenice, Venice
November 15: Palazzo dello Sport, Bologna
November 16: Palazzo dello Sport, Turin
November 18: Théâtre Alhambra, Bordeaux
November 20: Sports Pavilion, Cascais

Many of these concerts were recorded, though some are not complete. Thanks to Hans-Dieter Klinger for information about the concerts in Germany at the beginning of the tour, and to Alexander Keth for information about the Bordeaux concert. And thanks to Mario Grenz for alerting me to the recent SRF rebroadcast of the second show,

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