Session details: Columbia Studio (October 9, 1963)

Miles Ahead session details

October 9, 1963 (59 items; TT = 46:08)

Columbia Studio, Hollywood CA

Commercial for Columbia

Show chatter

Miles Davis (tpt); Dick Leith (tb); Richard Perissi (frh); Bill Hinshaw (frh); Arthur Maeba (frh); Paul Horn (fl, alto fl, as); Buddy Collette (fl, alto fl, ts); Gene Cipriano (oboe, alto fl, ts); Fred Dutton (bssn); Marjorie Call (harp); Herbie Hancock (p); Ron Carter (b); Tony Williams (d); Gil Evans (arr, cond)

1	Studio chatter	0:19
	Irving Townsend: "I'm askin' you out there, when you're ready you'll have to let us know in here. We can't read your minds. All right now, you ready? Stand by, please. Everybody stop movin' around, we'll get it." Evans: "OK, this is cue number 8."
2	The Time of the Barracudas (Cue #8, take 1) (G. Evans-M. Davis)	0:56
	Townsend: "This is HCO 71557, number 8, take one..." They play (0:24). Davis: "Irving, you know you have to put your heart in this." Townsend: "You scared the hell out of me." Unknown: "It sounds good, yeah." Davis: You still have to put your heart in it." Townsend: "My heart's in it." Davis: "All right." Horns play. Davis: "Play it back." Townsend: "Yeah." Unknown: "You in the right register?" Unknown: "Yeah, yeah... Sounded like it."
3	The Time of the Barracudas (Cue #8, take 2) (G. Evans-M. Davis)	0:52
	Townsend: "This is number 8, take 2." Unknown: "Three, right?" Unknown: "Right..." Flute plays. Evans: "I'll tell you before we make it, the woodwinds need more presence -- the horns are stronger than the woodwinds." Townsend: "Yeah, that's what I thought that time, especially the top horn." Evans: "So, could you do anything about it in there?" Townsend: "Yeah, we can." Evans: "Fine." Davis: "OK, Teo?" Townsend: "OK, Teo... Here we go, take two." Evans: "... and get real soft there. Three, four..." They play (0:12). Davis, "Oh, shit, that's really buzzin'..."
4	The Time of the Barracudas (Cue #8, take 3) (G. Evans-M. Davis)	0:39
	Townsend: "One more." Evans: "Three, four..." They play (0:22). Evans: "What are those things?" Call: "If we were about to play something, it seems like I'm [undecipherable]..." Davis: "It doesn't matter." Evans: "Not, it don't make no difference." Call: "It means that I can't play it, man, I can't play it [undecipherable]."
5	The Time of the Barracudas (Cue #8, take 4) (G. Evans-M. Davis)	0:35
	Townsend: "Take four, number 8." Evans: "Three, four." They play (0:23)
6	The Time of the Barracudas (Cue #8, take 5 fs) (G. Evans-M. Davis)	0:15
	Townsend: "Now come in..." They play (0:09). Townsend: "Hold it a minute." Evans: "You weren't set for the horns, huh?" Townsend: "Wait for us, yeah. We're on now." Evans: "Oh, I'm sorry..."
7	The Time of the Barracudas (Cue #8, take 5) (G. Evans-M. Davis)	0:35
	Townsend: "This is take five." Evans: "Now you can turn the horn mic up. Townsend: "OK, OK." Evans: "Three, four..." They play (0:22). Davis: "Play some of that..."
8	The Time of the Barracudas (Cue #9, rehearsal 1) (G. Evans-M. Davis)	0:05
9	The Time of the Barracudas (Cue #9, rehearsal 2) (G. Evans-M. Davis)	0:14
	Evans: "We're in three, I'll count a few bars. One, two three, one, two three... They play (0:11)
10	The Time of the Barracudas (Cue #9, rehearsal 3) (G. Evans-M. Davis)	0:12
	Counting throughout
11	The Time of the Barracudas (Cue #9, rehearsal 4) (G. Evans-M. Davis)	0:14
	Counting throughout. As the music winds down, Evans: "All right, look. I'm gonna read it to you again. Look..."
12	The Time of the Barracudas (Cue #9, take 1) (G. Evans-M. Davis)	1:26
	Townsend: "OK. 71558, number 9, take one." Evans: "One, two, three, Two, two. three..." They play (1:10). Afterward, Townsend: "Yeah."
13	The Time of the Barracudas (Cue #9, take 1, section 2) (G. Evans-M. Davis)	1:30
	Evans: "Let me hear section two." Townsend: "I know." Unknown: "Section two?" Macero: "Oh, that's beautiful." Piano and harp practicing. Davis: "Play it back, Irving." Townsend: "OK." Evans: "Three horns..." They play (0:54). Evans: "I'm not cuttin' you out, I'm cuttin' the horns out. The rhythm never stops." Unknown: "That's f minor seventh, right?" Unknown: "Yeah. Hit that note again?" Evans: "Play that note in, uh, that little triplet in bar 19, play it strong." Unknown: "Strong where?" Evan sings -- "Hear that extra now" -- sings again. Unknown: "OK."
14	The Time of the Barracudas (Cue #9, take 2) (G. Evans-M. Davis)	1:11
	Townsend: "Let's try it." Evans: "OK". Townsend: "Take nine, I mean take two, number 9..." They play (0:46). Call: "Would you give us a cue for entering number 2 please?" Unknown: "... go to bar 48..." Evans: "There's got to be a rest there of some kind. You can't be holdin' that note, Paul."
15	The Time of the Barracudas (Cue #9, take 3) (G. Evans-M. Davis)	2:17
	Townsend: "Here we go, take three." They play (2:03). Unknown: "Well, see that's a vamp that goes back, did you go back to number 2?"
16	The Time of the Barracudas (Cue #9, take 4) (G. Evans-M. Davis)	3:33
	Townsend: "Take four." They play (3:20). Davis: "Just keep the thing, 'cause [undecipherable]."
17	The Time of the Barracudas (Cue #10, take 1 fs) (G. Evans-M. Davis)	0:13
	Townsend: "Here we go. 71559, cue number 10, take one." Evans: "One, two, three, two, two, three." False start (0:02)
18	The Time of the Barracudas (Cue #10, take 2) (G. Evans-M. Davis)	0:23
	Townsend: "Take two." Evans: "Let's start out with the rhythm, huh? Start out with the rhythm, let them play some bars." Unknown: "Six bars?" Evans: "Yeah, play six bars. ready? One, two, three, two, two, three." They play (0:09). Evans: "No, [undecipherable]."
19	The Time of the Barracudas (Cue #10, take 3) (G. Evans-M. Davis)	0:32
	Townsend: "Three. You're on." They play (0:21). Evans undecipherable comment
20	The Time of the Barracudas (Cue #10, take 4) (G. Evans-M. Davis)	0:45
	Townsend: "You want to go once more?" Evans: "Yeah, can't hurt." Townsend: "Once more. take four." Evans: "Actually it's no good [undecipherable]. One, two, three, two, two, three." They play (0:20). Townsend: "Got it. You want to hear it?"
21	The Time of the Barracudas (Cue #11, take 1) (G. Evans-M. Davis)	1:15
	Trumpet warming up. Townsend: "Here we go. 71559 [sic], part 11, take one." They play (0:18). Evan undecipherable comment. Townsend: "We'll play it." Davis: "How'd you like that?" Unknown: "You don't play it first time?" Unknown: "No." Call: "But you want me to go to [undecipherable]." Evans: "Maybe a little pause and then..." Call: "But you want the [undecipherable] at the end of both bars? You said you wanted that" -- she plays. Unknown: "Hey Rich, these are good cigars, man." Call: "Can I do them once through before we record?" Warming up and chatter
22	The Time of the Barracudas (Cue #12, take 1) (G. Evans-M. Davis)	1:12
	Townsend: "Ready? Stand by. Everybody else, quiet please. This is 71561, cue 12, take 1." Call plays (0:23). Evans: "Why don't you do them plain, without the ah..." Call plays (0:21). Undecipherable discussion between Call and Evans
23	The Time of the Barracudas (Cue #12, take 2) (G. Evans-M. Davis)	0:42
	Evans: "Harp and woodwinds." Townsend: "OK, take two, harp and woodwinds." Unknown: "No, no." Unknown: "Oh, here, between the three." They play (0:12). Evans: "Play a, yeah, I need more... high up..."
24	The Time of the Barracudas (Cue #12, take 3) (G. Evans-M. Davis)	0:23
	They play (0:13). Evans: "I like the last one -- OK, the second one. Just great time."
25	The Time of the Barracudas (Cue #12, rehearsal 1) (G. Evans-M. Davis)	0:12
	They play (0:04). Evans: "You're too loud."
26	The Time of the Barracudas (Cue #12, rehearsal 2) (G. Evans-M. Davis)	0:18
	They play (0:25). Evans: "Perfect."
27	The Time of the Barracudas (Cue #12, rehearsal 3) (G. Evans-M. Davis)	0:11
	They play (0:04). Evans: "This time on the third one you'll go on blowing..."
28	The Time of the Barracudas (Cue #12, rehearsal 4) (G. Evans-M. Davis)	0:28
	They play (0:15). Various chatter. Evans: "That's the one we'll use, that last one."
29	The Time of the Barracudas (Cue #13, take 1) (G. Evans-M. Davis)	0:45
	Townsend: "71561, this is cue 13, take one." Someone counts off: "One..., two..., three..." They play (0:27). Evans: "And I'll be here with the woodwinds and the horns and everybody, huh?"
30	The Time of the Barracudas (Cue #13, take 2) (G. Evans-M. Davis)	0:57
	Townsend: "Ready?" Evans: "Yeah. Actually, first I wanna, I want you to, when you start doin' it, I just wanna do it with the harp and bass. I don't want the drums." Townsend: "Yeah." Evans: "OK, ready?" Townsend: "Take two." Evans: "One..., two..., three..." They play (0:35). Evans: "We don't really need the loud drums on that, do you think? Or do you want loud drums?" Davis: [undecipherable]
31	The Time of the Barracudas (Cue #13, take 3) (G. Evans-M. Davis)	0:35
	Townsend: "Take three." Evans: "After three, all right?" Sings rhythm. "OK? Tony, you pick up 'and ah' on the three." Call: "You want us to play through?" Evans: "OK. One..., two.,,, three..." They play (0:14)
32	The Time of the Barracudas (Cue #13, take 3A) (G. Evans-M. Davis)	0:36
	Evans: "Uh, lemme have it once more." Unknown: "One..., two..., three..." They play (0:21). Evans: "That'd be better, wouldn't it? Come in whenever you're ready, and then Miles, you come in when you're ready." Davis: "All right, OK." Unknown: "We'll just keep doin' it." Evans: "Irving, we're ready."
33	The Time of the Barracudas (Cue #13, take 4 fs) (G. Evans-M. Davis)	0:14
	Townsend: "Ready? Stand by. Take four." Count off to false start (0:02). Evans: "All right, one more."
34	The Time of the Barracudas (Cue #13, take 5) (G. Evans-M. Davis)	0:47
	Townsend: "Five..." Count off. They play (0:30). Evans: [undecipherable -- he wants to leave room at the entrance of the harp]. Count off
35	The Time of the Barracudas (Cue #13, take 5A) (G. Evans-M. Davis)	0:47
	They play (0:22). Davis: "...blowin' you gotta come in..." Evans: "Yeah, I think you should come in at the very beginning. We've got a take with us now [undecipherable]... right at the beginning -- one, two, three, bop, bop, bop." Horns warming up. Davis: "I like it starting soft -- just come in after they start..."
36	The Time of the Barracudas (Cue #13, take 6) (G. Evans-M. Davis)	1:00
	Townsend: "Ready?" Evans: "Yeah." Townsend: "Six..." Count off. They play (0:41). Unknown: "Arthur, you got any more matches?" Davis: "Tell him to play it back..." Call: [undecipherable]. Evans: "Irving, would you play it back, please?" Townsend: Yeah."
37	The Time of the Barracudas (Cue #13, take 7 fs) (G. Evans-M. Davis)	0:11
	Townsend: "Take seven of cue 13..." Count off to false start (0:04)
38	The Time of the Barracudas (Cue #13, take 8) (G. Evans-M. Davis)	0:57
	Townsend: "Eight..." Count off. They play (0:42). Bass warming up
39	The Time of the Barracudas (Cue #16, rehearsal 1) (G. Evans-M. Davis)	1:13
	Evans: "One and a, two and a, three and a..." They play (0:54). Evans: "The G-flat's supposed to be up high, too." Unknown: "Oh, so that's a G-flat." Hancock plays the tune. Unknown: "Sorry for the bad ear." Evans: "Oh, no, it's not bad. You probably read from the bass clef instead of the treble..."
40	The Time of the Barracudas (Cue #16, rehearsal 2) (G. Evans-M. Davis)	1:05
	They play (0:38). Someone sings the melody. Splice to warming up (0:21); someone says, "We're back to the same motion..."
41	The Time of the Barracudas (Cue #16, take 1) (G. Evans-M. Davis)	0:35
	Evans: "OK, ready?" Townsend: "Yeah, this is cue 16, take one..." Count off. They play (0:20). Evans: "Let's hear that back." Call: "He does one and one bars, right?" Count off
42	The Time of the Barracudas (Cue #16, take 2) (G. Evans-M. Davis)	1:49
	They play (1:42). Davis: "Man..." Evans: "More than that, Tony?" Williams (laughing): "That was wild..."
43	The Time of the Barracudas (Cue #18, rehearsal 1) (G. Evans-M. Davis)	0:13
	Bass warming up, then ensemble, then bass
44	The Time of the Barracudas (Cue #18, rehearsal 2) (G. Evans-M. Davis)	0:18
	They play the ascending figure (0:07). Evens: "Like a little crescendo... [undecipherable] OK, I'll give you two fast beats, ready?"
45	The Time of the Barracudas (Cue #18, rehearsal 3) (G. Evans-M. Davis)	0:22
	They play (0:10). Evans: "When you get to that trill -- sings -- keep that trill going strong. It'll be some kind of a tension, you know. Ready?"
46	The Time of the Barracudas (Cue #18, rehearsal 4) (G. Evans-M. Davis)	0:52
	They play (0:27). Evans: "Hold it... [undecipherable] I'm gonna write that out to be an accurate time, you have to stretch it more." Hancock plays his part. Evans: "After the intro -- the section after the intro..."
47	The Time of the Barracudas (Cue #18, rehearsal 5) (G. Evans-M. Davis)	0:39
	They play (0:33). Undecipherable discussion
48	The Time of the Barracudas (Cue #18, take 1) (G. Evans-M. Davis)	1:07
	Townsend: "This is cue 18, take one..." They play (0:36). Evans: "Yeah, you don't have to do that double run, or you could put it with [undecipherable]." Call warming up
49	The Time of the Barracudas (Cue #18, take 2) (G. Evans-M. Davis)	1:17
	Townsend (sounding exasperated): "Cue 18, take two..." Evans: "Everybody's gonna do it on their own, do what you wanna do... Basically, it's all valid [undecipherable]. Irving?" Townsend: "Yeah? ready? You're on, take two..." False start (0:07). Evans: "Cut. Uh, can you hear the harp in there?" Townsend: "Yeah, just barely. -- Evans undecipherable -- OK." Evans: "And where are you playin' that D?" Call: "Well..." Hancock plays the spot. Evans: "That's right." Call: "See I can't make an add harmonic on D natural, so it sounds kinda stiff." Evans: "Never mind playing anything but the [undecipherable] -- if you can't play the bottom..." Call and Hancock work on the passage. Call: "Like that? You want it..."
50	The Time of the Barracudas (Cue #18, take 3) (G. Evans-M. Davis)	1:00
	Townsend: "You ready? Take three..." They play (0:51)
51	The Time of the Barracudas (Cue #18, take 4) (G. Evans-M. Davis)	1:06
	Townsend: "Take four, cue 18..." They play (0:55)
52	The Time of the Barracudas (Cue #21, take 1) (G. Evans-M. Davis)	0:48
	They play (0:31). Davis: "Ohhhh..." Laughter. Townsend: "Miles was great in that..."
53	The Time of the Barracudas (Cue #21, take 2) (G. Evans-M. Davis)	0:47
	Townsend: "Cue 21, take two..." They play (0:25). Evans: "We have to make another one, Irving." Townsend: "OK."
54	The Time of the Barracudas (Cue #21, take 3) (G. Evans-M. Davis)	0:41
	"Ready? Take three, cue 21..." They play (0:29). Townsend: "Good."
55	The Time of the Barracudas (Cue #19A, take 1) (G. Evans-M. Davis)	1:09
	Townsend: "Cue 19A, take one." Horns warm up (0:15). Ensemble plays (0:26)
56	The Time of the Barracudas (Cue #19A, take 2) (G. Evans-M. Davis)	0:36
	Townsend: "19A, take two..." Count off. They play (0:24)
57	The Time of the Barracudas (Cue #19A, take 3) (G. Evans-M. Davis)	0:38
	Townsend: "19A, take three..." Count off. They play (0:25). Townsend: "Ease in there, Gil, we..." (cut off)
58	The Time of the Barracudas (Cue #23, take 1) (G. Evans-M. Davis)	0:31
	Townsend: "Cue 23, take one..." They play (0:07). Undecipherable chatter
59	The Time of the Barracudas (Cue #23, take 2) (G. Evans-M. Davis)	0:41
	They play (0:08). Discussion. Unknown: "That sounded good... Move that note up to the last eight..." Evans sings, then "Play the down beat at the second bar. ready? here we go..."
60	The Time of the Barracudas (Cue #23, take 3) (G. Evans-M. Davis)	0:25
	They play (0:09). Townsend: "Yeah!" Evans: "Is that right?" Townsend: "Is that it? Thank you..."

This is the first of two studio sessions devoted to recording Evans' program music. The surviving recordings from the second session are less extensive.

According to the notes to MQ11-164, "This score was recorded in a string of cues to be used on tape to accompany live performances of Peter Barnes' play The Time of the Barracudas. The cues are edited together in numerical (i.e. stage performance) order, which works best musically. It includes the compositions 'Hotel Me' and 'Barracudas' (aka 'General Assembly') which have since been recorded and performed as separate compositions."

The Time of the Barracudas opened at the Curran Theatre in San Francisco on October 21. Ralph J. Gleason's review in the San Francisco Chronicle (October 24) was not a rave: "Miles Davis' music is used in 'Time of the Barracudas' all right and it's a good thing it is, since the play at the Curran has little else to recommend it." The play closed on November 23 at the Huntington Hartford in Los Angeles.

The Davis Quintet was booked for three weeks at the Jazz Workshop in San Francisco (September 3-22), but the show was closed down on the 18th: the owner was charged with "employing a minor" -- Tony Williams! Other activity: Royce Hall, UCLA (September 28); It Club, Los Angeles (October 3-13); Adams-West Theatre (October 11-12 -- these were "after-hours jam sessions" scheduled for 2-6 am); La Grand Salle, Place des Arts, Montreal (October 26); Showboat, Philadelphia (November 4-10).

I am grateful to Eric Jooris for providing the review of the Montreal concert.