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Miles Ahead session details

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December 18, 1957 (4 items; TT = 12:32)
Beethovensaal, Stuttgart (Germany)
Süddeutscher Rundfunk (SDR) TV broadcast (B)

Miles Davis (tpt); Horst Jankowski (p); Peter Witte (b); Hermann Mutschler (d); Südfunk-Tanzorchester (unknown personnel); Erwin Lehn (arr, cond)
1 Yesterdays (J. Kern-O. Harbach) 2:35

Splice in Davis solo at 0:50
2 'Round Midnight (B. Hanighen-C. Williams-T. Monk) 4:43
3 Walkin' (incomplete) (R. Carpenter) 2:15

No closing theme; faded during Davis solo
4 Walkin' (R. Carpenter) 2:59

1 Yesterdays
CD: Jazz Unlimited JUCD 2050, Storyville STA 130467

2 'Round Midnight
CD: Jazz Unlimited JUCD 2050, Storyville STA 130467

3 Walkin' (incomplete)
CD: Jazz Unlimited JUCD 2050, Storyville STA 130467

4 Walkin'
Video: Treffpunkt Jazz

This concert was scheduled at the end of Davis' European sojourn. It was broadcast on SDR-TV's Treffpunkt Jazz. Listed in the SWR Stuttgart archives are the following titles:

  1. Davis and Jankowski discussion (0:55 - Archiv-Nr. 5700863)
  2. Walkin' (Davis + orchestra) (2:53 - Archiv-Nr. 5700863)
  3. Tune Up (Davis + Jankowski Trio) (3:35 - lost)
  4. But Not for Me (Davis + Jankowski Trio) (3:00 - lost)
  5. Yesterdays (Davis + Jankowski Trio) (2:30 - Archiv-Nr. 31-09279)
  6. Bags' Groove (Davis + Jankowski Trio) (3:15 - Archiv-Nr. 31-09279)
  7. 'Round Midnight (Davis + Orchestra) (4:41 - Archiv-Nr. 31-09280)
  8. Walkin' (Davis + Orchestra) (2:46 - Archiv-Nr. 31-09280)
  9. My Funny Valentine [encore] (Davis + Orchestra) (2:45 - lost)

It is not clear which of the two versions of "Walkin'" is included on Jazz Unlimited 2050. But the other one, which is complete -- it consists of the opening chorus, a short solo by Davis, and a closing theme -- was broadcast on Treffpunkt Jazz. It begins with Davis walking onstage, wearing dark sunglasses and an Italian scarf given to him by Jeanette Urtreger; Lehn counts off and the orchestra begins. Davis' solo after the opening chorus (beginning at 0:37) is very different than the solo on the other version. Fragments of "Walkin'" are included in several documentaries, e.g. Mike Dibb's The Miles Davis Story (2001).

Additional titles were performed by the Erwin Lehn and his Südfunk-Tanzorchester, and by the Johannes Rediske Quintet with Ingrid Werner (voc).

Davis returned to the U.S. in late December, and after the new year a sextet with Coltrane, Cannonball Adderley, Garland, Chambers, and Jones began a two-week engagement at Birdland (January 2-15, 1958).

Thanks to Alexander Keth for the details of what's in the Stuttgart archive, and to Lewis Porter for additional help.

All original content on this website is licensed by Peter Losin under a Creative Commons License