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Miles Ahead session details

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July 12, 1964 (7 items; TT = 39:00)
Hibaya Yagai Ongaku-do Hall, Tokyo (Japan)
Soundboard recording (B-)

Miles Davis (tpt); Sam Rivers (ts); Herbie Hancock (p); Ron Carter (b); Tony Williams (d)

1 Band warming up 0:06
2 Autumn Leaves (J. Prevert-J. Mercer-J. Kosma) 10:44
3 So What (M. Davis) 8:23
4 Stella by Starlight (N. Washington-V. Young) 10:29
5 Walkin' (R. Carpenter) 8:52
6 The Theme (with applause) (M. Davis) 0:19
7 Closing announcement (Teruo Isono) 0:07


2 Autumn Leaves
CD: Heavy Blow HB-001, Domino 891212, Eternal Grooves EGHO-001

3 So What
CD: Heavy Blow HB-001, Domino 891212, Eternal Grooves EGHO-001

4 Stella by Starlight
CD: Heavy Blow HB-001, Domino 891212, Eternal Grooves EGHO-001

5 Walkin'
CD: Heavy Blow HB-001, Domino 891212, Eternal Grooves EGHO-001

6 The Theme (with applause)
CD: Heavy Blow HB-001, Domino 891212, Eternal Grooves EGHO-001

7 Closing announcement (Teruo Isono)
CD: Heavy Blow HB-001, Domino 891212, Eternal Grooves EGHO-001


George Coleman departed from the Davis Quintet in May 1964, leaving Davis once again without a saxophone player. In April Gary Peacock replaced Carter, who took a job with Sonny Rollins. By May Peacock left to join the Bill Evans Trio, and Carter returned. That month Ralph J. Gleason wrote that "Miles Davis has broken up his group and is keeping only drummer Tony Williams and pianist Herbie Hancock. He has hired guitarist Grant Green and probably will work without a tenor saxophone in the future." ("Rhythm Section," The Milwaukee Journal June 27, p. A3).

Meanwhile, the Quintet -- with Peacock on bass -- continued to perform: e.g. the It Club, Los Angeles (March 27-April 5); Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles (April 3; with Count Basie); Jazz Workshop, San Francisco (April 7-19); Royce Hall, UCLA (April 24, two concerts); Village Vanguard, New York (May 5-14). Hancock and Carter were in Columbia's 30th Street Studio on May 26 and 27 with Bob Brookmeyer. Peacock left after the Village Vanguard engagement.

Since Coleman's departure Tony Williams had been trying to convince Davis to hire Sam Rivers, a fellow Bostonian with whom Williams had played for years. Rivers joined the Quintet, probably in late May or early June. The new group was booked at Birdland in New York (June 30-July 1).

The Quintet apparently performed only three concerts on this short tour: there are recordings from Hibaya Yagai Ongaku-do Hall, Tokyo (July 12), Shinjuku Kohseinenkin Hall, Tokyo (July 14), and Maruyama Ongaku-do Hall, Kyoto (July 15). The group performed without Davis at Osaka Festival Hall on July 13, but in the notes to Domino 891212, Japanese critic Tosiyuki Nomoto is quoted as saying that "the tape on the 13th has still slept in the warehouse of a broadcasting station. There is not a person who heard it." In any case, Rivers left the Quintet as soon as the group returned to the United States. Engagements at McKee's in Chicago (July 29-August 9) and at Birdland (July 30-August 12) were canceled, presumably because Davis was looking for Rivers' replacement. Wayne Shorter was hired, and joined the Quintet at the Hollywood Bowl on September 4.

I am grateful to Jan Lohmann and Rick Lopez for help with this session.

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