Stitt plays alto saxophone on "All of You," "Well, You Needn't," "Autumn Leaves,"
and "The Theme." He plays tenor on the remaining tunes unless indicated otherwise.
Coltrane left the Davis Sextet briefly during July 1959; he was replaced by Jimmy
Heath but rejoined the group in August for the Birdland engagement (August 13-September
16). He left for good after the "Jazz at the Philharmonic" European tour (March-April
1960), as did Adderley. Jimmy Heath, Davis' first choice to replace Coltrane,
was still on parole and so could not travel freely. Wayne Shorter was committed
to Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers. Davis hired Sonny Stitt, who joined the Davis
Quintet for a swing through the west in June: Los Angeles Jazz Festival (June 17);
Blackhawk Supper Club (June 21-27); Sutherland Hotel Lounge, Chicago (July 9-17);
Apollo Theatre, New York (July 22-31); Village Vanguard, New York (August 2-20);
Randall's Island Jazz Festival (August 21); Minor Key, Detroit (September 6-11).
Norman Granz arranged for the Davis Quintet to tour Great Britain and a few continental
venues in the fall of 1960. Surprisingly few recordings from this tour have surfaced.
The itinerary was as follows:
September 24: Hammersmith Gaumont Theatre, London (two concerts)
September 25: Guildhall, Portsmouth
September 26: DeMontfort Hall, Leicester
September 27: Free Trade Hall, Manchester (two
concerts)
September 28: Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool
September 30: Colston Hall, Bristol
October 1: Finsbury Park Astoria Theatre, London
October 2: Lewisham Gaumont Theatre, London
October 5: Town Hall, Birmingham
October 7: City Hall, Newcastle
October 8: Hammersmith Gaumont Theatre, London
October 9: Kilburn Gaumont Theatre, London
October 11: Olympia Theatre, Paris (two concerts)
October 13: Konserthuset, Stockholm (two concerts)
October 15: Kurhaus, Scheveningen
October 16: Concertgebouw, Amsterdam
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