George Coleman departed from the Davis Quintet in March or April 1964, leaving Davis
once again without a saxophone player. In April Gary Peacock replaced Carter, who
took a job with Sonny Rollins. By June 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 varying personnel -- continued to perform: e.g. the
It Club, Los Angeles (March 26-April 5); Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles (with Count
Basie, April 3); Jazz Workshop, San Francisco (April 7-19); 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.
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. Wayne Shorter was hired as his replacement, 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.
|