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Miles Ahead session details

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March 3, 1970 (30 items; TT = 184:01)
Columbia Studio B, New York NY
Commercial for Columbia
Show chatter

Miles Davis (tpt); Steve Grossman (ss); John McLaughlin (g); Dave Holland (b, el-b); Jack De Johnette (d)

1 Archie Moore (take 1) (M. Davis) 5:20

Edited (4:42) on Columbia Legacy C5K 86359
2 Go Ahead John (take 1) (M. Davis) 8:09
3 Go Ahead John (take 2) (M. Davis) 1:03
4 Go Ahead John (take 3) (M. Davis) 1:56
5 Go Ahead John (take 4) (M. Davis) 1:30
6 Go Ahead John (take 5) (M. Davis) 15:22
7 Go Ahead John (take 6) (M. Davis) 0:49
8 Go Ahead John (take 7) (M. Davis) 0:21
9 Go Ahead John (take 7A) (M. Davis) 1:34
10 Go Ahead John (take 8) (M. Davis) 1:46
11 Go Ahead John (take 9A) (M. Davis) 3:24
12 Go Ahead John (take 9B) (M. Davis) 5:15
13 Go Ahead John (take 10) (M. Davis) 3:37
14 Go Ahead John (take 11) (M. Davis) 3:24
15 Go Ahead John (take 12) (M. Davis) 2:05
16 Go Ahead John (new take 1) (M. Davis) 2:10
17 Go Ahead John (new take 2) (M. Davis) 2:26
18 Go Ahead John (new take 3) (M. Davis) 5:22
19 Go Ahead John (new take 4) (M. Davis) 10:53
20 Go Ahead John (new take 5) (M. Davis) 1:12
21 Go Ahead John (new take 6) (M. Davis) 7:33
22 Go Ahead John (new take 7) (M. Davis) 10:12
23 Go Ahead John (new take 8) (M. Davis) 3:57
24 Go Ahead John (new take 9) (M. Davis) 11:22
25 Go Ahead John (part 1) (M. Davis) 13:06

An excerpt (2:32) is listed as "The Little Blue Frog" on CBS (F) 450472
26 Go Ahead John (part 2a) (M. Davis) 7:00
27 Go Ahead John (part 2b) (M. Davis) 10:06
28 Go Ahead John (part 2c) (M. Davis) 3:38
29 Go Ahead John (part 1 remake) (M. Davis) 11:06
30 Go Ahead John (issued composite) (M. Davis) 28:23


1 Archie Moore (take 1)
CD: Columbia Legacy C5K 86359, Columbia Legacy C5K 90926, Sony SICP 431/5

25 Go Ahead John (part 1)
CD: Columbia Legacy C5K 86359, Columbia Legacy C5K 90926, Sony SICP 431/5

26 Go Ahead John (part 2a)
CD: Columbia Legacy C5K 86359, Columbia Legacy C5K 90926, Sony SICP 431/5

27 Go Ahead John (part 2b)
CD: Columbia Legacy C5K 86359, Columbia Legacy C5K 90926, Sony SICP 431/5

28 Go Ahead John (part 2c)
CD: Columbia Legacy C5K 86359, Columbia Legacy C5K 90926, Sony SICP 431/5

29 Go Ahead John (part 1 remake)
CD: Columbia Legacy C5K 86359, Columbia Legacy C5K 90926, Sony SICP 431/5

30 Go Ahead John (issued composite)
12" LP: CBS/Sony SOPW 5/6, CBS/Sony 20AP 1779/10, CBS/Sony 28AP 2159/60, CBS/Sony 36AP 1779/80, Columbia PG 32866, Vinyl Me, Please A017
CD: Columbia Legacy C2K 63973, CBS/Sony 50DP 705/6, Sony SRCS 5713/4, Sony SRCS 9321/2, Sony 8837/40, Sony SICP 669/72, Sony SRCS 9737/8, Sony SRCS 836/7, Sony SICJ 30080/1, Columbia Legacy 86975 24922 [= Columbia (F) 86975 52492] (CD 34)


"Archie Moore" may be a warm-up or rehearsal for "Go Ahead John." It employs the same chord progressions of 24 6/4 measures (or 48 3/4 measures) as Part 1 and Part 1 remake. Thanks to Tommaso Urbano for pointing out the harmonic similarity to me.

The Complete Jack Johnson Sessions (Columbia C5K 86359) includes five "parts" (items 25-29 above) used to construct the composite version of "Go Ahead John" (item 30) included on the LP Big Fun (Columbia PC 32866, etc.). All of these pieces are edited from the raw materials listed above (items 2-24). Here is a rough guide:

Issued part (C5K 86359) Source
Go Ahead John, part 1 Take 5, 2:11-15:19
Go Ahead John, part 2a New take 8, 0:08-7:08
Go Ahead John, part 2b New take 7, 0:05-10:12
Go Ahead John, part 2c New take 8, 0:00-3:57
Go Ahead John, part 1 remake New take 9, 0:14-11:17

The composite take originally issued on Big Fun (Columbia PC 32866, CBS/Sony SOPW 5/6, etc.) was constructed as follows:[1]

Go Ahead John (28:17) Source
LP version 00:00-01:39 New take 7, 0:22-2:22 = part 2b, 0:17-2:00
LP version 01:39-06:31 New take 7, 3:54-8:48 = part 2b, 3:49-8:42
LP version 06:31-11:39 New take 6, 0:55-6:10 = part 2a, 0:46-6:02
LP version 11:39-24:18 Take 5, 2:13-14:51 = part 1, 0:01-12:39
LP version 24:18-24:35 New take 4, 4:13-4:31 (no equivalent) [1]
LP version 24:35-28:17 New take 4, 6:00-9:41 (no equivalent) [1]

[1] The last four minutes of the LP version are not from part 2b, pace the liner notes to Columbia Legacy C5K 86359.

In addition to splices, crossfades, and other editing tricks, Teo Macero used devices to alter the stereo spectrum (part 1) and to loop solos (part 2), etc. In some places, especially the long middle stretch, Macero uses material from more than one take simultaneously. In the tables above, any overlapping times reflect the crossfades used on some of the transitions, and discrepancies in durations reflect small differences in analog tape speed.

The Davis Sextet maintained a busy touring schedule throughout this period: Cellar Door, Washington (January 12-17); Spectrum, Philadelphia (January 18); 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, Los Angeles (April 14-26); Both/And Club, San Francisco (April 28).

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