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Miles Ahead session details

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May 27, 1957 (16 items; TT = 44:17)
Columbia 30th Street Studio, New York NY
Commercial for Columbia
Show chatter

Miles Davis (flh); Ernie Royal (tpt); Bernie Glow (tpt); Louis Mucci (tpt); Taft Jordan (tpt); Johnny Carisi (tpt); Frank Rehak (tb); Jimmy Cleveland (tb); Joe Bennett (tb); Tom Mitchell (tb); Willie Ruff (frh); Tony Miranda (frh); Bill Barber (tuba); Romeo Penque (fl, cl, oboe); Eddie Caine (cl, fl); Lee Konitz (as); Danny Bank (bcl); Wynton Kelly (p); Paul Chambers (b); Arthur Taylor (d); Gil Evans (arr, cond)

1 I Don't Wanna Be Kissed (rehearsal) (H. Spina-J. Elliott) 2:08
2 I Don't Wanna Be Kissed (take 3) (H. Spina-J. Elliott) 3:00

Without overdubs
3 I Don't Wanna Be Kissed (master (takes 4/5/13)) (H. Spina-J. Elliott) 3:02

The issued version includes an overdubbed tpt solo from August 22
4 I Don't Wanna Be Kissed (take 5) (H. Spina-J. Elliott) 2:56
5 I Don't Wanna Be Kissed (take 8) (H. Spina-J. Elliott) 3:13
6 I Don't Wanna Be Kissed (take 8 (remix)) (H. Spina-J. Elliott) 3:05
7 The Meaning of the Blues (rehearsal) (L. Worth-B. Troup) 2:49
8 Lament (rehearsal) (J.J. Johnson) 2:17
9 Lament (take 1) (J.J. Johnson) 2:20
10 Lament (take 2) (J.J. Johnson) 2:34
11 The Meaning of the Blues (master (take 2)) (L. Worth-B. Troup) 2:50
12 Lament (master (take 2/1)) (J.J. Johnson) 2:18

Take 2 (0:00-0:16), then take 1 (0:16-2:18)
13 Springsville (remake take 7) (J. Carisi) 3:15
14 The Duke (take 3 (with piano)) (D. Brubeck) 1:52
15 Miles Ahead (take 1 (with piano)) (M. Davis-G. Evans) 3:06
16 I Don't Wanna Be Kissed (take 4 (with piano)) (H. Spina-J. Elliott) 3:32


1 I Don't Wanna Be Kissed (rehearsal)
12" LP: Mosaic MQ11-164
CD: Columbia Legacy CXK 67397, Columbia Legacy CXK 90923, Sony SRCS 7945/50, Sony SICP 657/62

2 I Don't Wanna Be Kissed (take 3)
12" LP: Mosaic MQ11-164
CD: Columbia Legacy CXK 67397, Columbia Legacy CXK 90923, Sony SRCS 7945/50, Sony SICP 657/62

3 I Don't Wanna Be Kissed (master (takes 4/5/13))
12" LP: Columbia CL 1041 (= CS 8633), Sony 88765 41386-1, Nippon Columbia YS-304, CBS/Sony SONP 50147, CBS/Sony SOPL 152, CBS/Sony 18AP 2053, CBS/Sony 23AP 2553, CBS/Sony 25AP 752, Mosaic MQ11-164
CD: Columbia CK 53225, Columbia Legacy CXK 67397, Columbia Legacy CXK 90923, Columbia Legacy 88883 75664, CBS/Sony 32DP 511, Sony SRCS 5697, Sony SRCS 9106, Sony SRCS 7945/50, Sony SICP 657/62, Sony SRCS 9703, Sony SRGS 4543, Sony SICP 811, Sony SICP 1202, Sony SICP 20052, Sony SICP 30212, Sony SICJ 30039, Sony SICJ 12, Sony SICP 30521/9, Columbia Legacy 86975 24922 [= Columbia (F) 86975 52492] (CD 4)

4 I Don't Wanna Be Kissed (take 5)
12" LP: Columbia CJ 40784, Mosaic MQ11-164
CD: Columbia CK 40784, Columbia Legacy CXK 67397, Columbia Legacy CXK 90923, CBS/Sony 32DP 511, Sony SRCS 5697, Sony SRCS 9106, Sony SRCS 7945/50, Sony SICP 657/62, Sony SRCS 9703, Sony SRGS 4543, Sony SICP 811, Sony SICP 1202, Sony SICP 20052, Sony SICJ 12

5 I Don't Wanna Be Kissed (take 8)
12" LP: Mosaic MQ11-164
CD: Columbia CK 65121, Columbia Legacy CXK 67397, Columbia Legacy CXK 90923, Sony SRCS 7945/50, Sony SICP 657/62, Sony SRCS 9703, Sony SRGS 4543, Sony SICP 811, Sony SICP 30212, Sony SICJ 30039

6 I Don't Wanna Be Kissed (take 8 (remix))
12" LP: Mosaic MQ11-164
CD: Columbia CK 53225, Columbia Legacy CXK 67397, Columbia Legacy CXK 90923, Sony SRCS 7945/50, Sony SICP 657/62

7 The Meaning of the Blues (rehearsal)
12" LP: Mosaic MQ11-164
CD: Columbia CK 65121, Columbia Legacy CXK 67397, Columbia Legacy CXK 90923, Sony SRCS 7945/50, Sony SICP 657/62, Sony SRCS 9703, Sony SRGS 4543, Sony SICP 811, Sony SICP 30212, Sony SICJ 30039, Columbia Legacy 86975 24922 [= Columbia (F) 86975 52492] (CD 4)

8 Lament (rehearsal)
12" LP: Mosaic MQ11-164
CD: Columbia CK 65121, Columbia Legacy CXK 67397, Columbia Legacy CXK 90923, Sony SRCS 7945/50, Sony SICP 657/62, Sony SRCS 9703, Sony SRGS 4543, Sony SICP 811, Sony SICP 30212, Sony SICJ 30039

9 Lament (take 1)
12" LP: Columbia CJ 40784, Mosaic MQ11-164
CD: Columbia CK 40784, Columbia Legacy CXK 67397, Columbia Legacy CXK 90923, Sony SRCS 7945/50, Sony SICP 657/62

10 Lament (take 2)
12" LP: Mosaic MQ11-164
CD: Columbia Legacy CXK 67397, Columbia Legacy CXK 90923, Sony SRCS 7945/50, Sony SICP 657/62

11 The Meaning of the Blues (master (take 2))
12" LP: Columbia CL 1041 (= CS 8633), Sony 88765 41386-1, Nippon Columbia YS-304, CBS/Sony SONP 50147, CBS/Sony SOPL 152, CBS/Sony 18AP 2053, CBS/Sony 23AP 2553, CBS/Sony 25AP 752, Mosaic MQ11-164
CD: Columbia CK 53225, Columbia Legacy CXK 67397, Columbia Legacy CXK 90923, Columbia Legacy 88883 75664, CBS/Sony 32DP 511, Sony SRCS 5697, Sony SRCS 9106, Sony SRCS 7945/50, Sony SICP 657/62, Sony SRCS 9703, Sony SRGS 4543, Sony SICP 811, Sony SICP 1202, Sony SICP 20052, Sony SICP 30212, Sony SICJ 30039, Sony SICJ 12, Sony SICP 30521/9, Columbia Legacy 86975 24922 [= Columbia (F) 86975 52492] (CD 4)

12 Lament (master (take 2/1))
12" LP: Columbia CL 1041 (= CS 8633), Sony 88765 41386-1, Nippon Columbia YS-304, CBS/Sony SONP 50147, CBS/Sony SOPL 152, CBS/Sony 18AP 2053, CBS/Sony 23AP 2553, CBS/Sony 25AP 752, Mosaic MQ11-164
CD: Columbia CK 53225, Columbia Legacy CXK 67397, Columbia Legacy CXK 90923, Columbia Legacy 88883 75664, CBS/Sony 32DP 511, Sony SRCS 5697, Sony SRCS 9106, Sony SRCS 7945/50, Sony SICP 657/62, Sony SRCS 9703, Sony SRGS 4543, Sony SICP 811, Sony SICP 1202, Sony SICP 20052, Sony SICJ 12, Sony SICP 30521/9, Columbia Legacy 86975 24922 [= Columbia (F) 86975 52492] (CD 4)

13 Springsville (remake take 7)
12" LP: Mosaic MQ11-164
CD: Columbia CK 65121, Columbia Legacy CXK 67397, Columbia Legacy CXK 90923, Sony SRCS 7945/50, Sony SICP 657/62, Sony SRCS 9703, Sony SRGS 4543, Sony SICP 811, Sony SICP 30212, Sony SICJ 30039, Columbia Legacy 86975 24922 [= Columbia (F) 86975 52492] (CD 4)

14 The Duke (take 3 (with piano))
12" LP: Mosaic MQ11-164
CD: Columbia Legacy CXK 67397, Columbia Legacy CXK 90923, Sony SRCS 7945/50, Sony SICP 657/62

15 Miles Ahead (take 1 (with piano))
12" LP: Mosaic MQ11-164
CD: Columbia Legacy CXK 67397, Columbia Legacy CXK 90923, Sony SRCS 7945/50, Sony SICP 657/62

16 I Don't Wanna Be Kissed (take 4 (with piano))
12" LP: Mosaic MQ11-164
CD: Columbia Legacy CXK 67397, Columbia Legacy CXK 90923, Sony SRCS 7945/50, Sony SICP 657/62, Columbia Legacy 86975 24922 [= Columbia (F) 86975 52492] (CD 4)


This is the fourth of four studio sessions scheduled for the recording of Miles Ahead.

The issued version of "I Don't Wanna be Kissed" includes overdubbed solo passages recorded during another session on August 22, 1957. All of these tunes involve some kind of post-production. Phil Schaap's discographical notes in the booklet for Mosaic MQ11-164 document hundreds of edits in the various issued versions. The reels that yielded Miles Ahead are more or less complete, but much of the music -- false starts, incomplete takes, and many complete takes -- remains unissued. Schaap notes that complete reels for the later sessions that produced Porgy and Bess and Sketches of Spain no longer exist.

Throughout this session "I Don't Wanna Be Kissed" is referred to as "Ahmed's tune," "Ahmed's medley," and elsewhere as "Ahmed Smiles" or "Ahmed's Miles" (track sheets consistently misspell Jamal's name as "Ahmed"). The source of this arrangement is the version recorded by Ahmad Jamal and his trio with Ray Crawford (g) and Israel Crosby (b) on May 23, 1955 and released the same year on the LP Ahmad Jamal Plays (Parrot Records, no catalog number) and a year or two later on Chamber Music of the New Jazz (Argo LP 602), where the tune is simply titled "Medley." It is a medley: Jamal begins with "I Don't Wanna Be Kissed," and then modulates to another tune, "A - You're Adorable" by Sid Lippman, Buddy Kaye, and Fred Wise, composed in 1948 and sometimes called "The Alphabet Song." The arrangement here follows Jamal explicitly. On the issued master (take 4/5/13) the transition from "I Don't Wanna Be Kissed" to "A - You're Adorable" occurs at 2:13; and in all other complete takes the transition occurs at similar places: at 2:13 in take 3; at 2:12 in take 5; at 2:27 in take 8; at 2:07 in take 8 (remix).

(The transition also occurs in one of the overdub solos (#8) Davis performed during the August 22, 1957 session. The Jamal influence is pervasive.)

The master take of J.J. Johnson's "Lament" is a composite of takes 2 and 1, not a separate take 3 as listed by Mosaic and Columbia. Thanks to Tommaso Urbano for this correction.

I am grateful to James Bohen for discussion about "I Don't Wanna Be Kissed."

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