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Miles Ahead session details

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July 5, 1969 (4 items; TT = 23:59)
Festival Field, Newport RI
Commercial for Columbia

Miles Davis (tpt); Chick Corea (el-p); Dave Holland (b); Jack De Johnette (d)

1 Miles Runs the Voodoo Down (incomplete) (M. Davis) 10:21

Fade in at beginning
2 Sanctuary (W. Shorter-M. Davis) 3:53
3 It's About That Time (M. Davis) 9:17
4 The Theme (with applause) (M. Davis) 0:28


1 Miles Runs the Voodoo Down (incomplete)
12" LP: Music on Vinyl MOV LP278
CD: Sony 81485, Sony SICJ 30079, Columbia 88875 08195

2 Sanctuary
12" LP: Music on Vinyl MOV LP278
CD: Sony 81485, Sony SICJ 30079, Columbia 88875 08195

3 It's About That Time
12" LP: Music on Vinyl MOV LP278
CD: Sony 81485, Sony SICJ 30079, Columbia 88875 08195

4 The Theme (with applause)
12" LP: Music on Vinyl MOV LP278
CD: Sony 81485, Sony SICJ 30079, Columbia 88875 08195


This incomplete set was recorded by Columbia at the Newport Jazz Festival. Wayne Shorter missed this date because of traffic into Newport, so the group performed as a quartet. This is the earliest extant recording of "Miles Runs the Voodoo Down"; the studio version was recorded a couple months later at the August 20 Bitches Brew session.

The 1969 Newport Festival featured several rock acts -- Led Zeppelin, Ten Years After, Jethro Tull, Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention -- and rhythm and blues acts like James Brown and Sly and the Family Stone. Things didn't work out as George Wein had hoped, so he later returned to the more conservative format.

The Quintet was busy throughout the spring and summer of 1969, including three appearances at the Village Gate: April 25-26, May 23-24, and July 29-August 10. Other dates include: Lennie's on the Turnpike, West Peabody MA (May 5-11); Spectrum, Philadelphia (May 11); Plugged Nickel Club, Chicago (June 4-14); Blue Coronet Club, Brooklyn (June 21-29); Morgan State Jazz Festival, Baltimore (June 22); Miami Jai-Alai (Miami Jazz Festival) (June 27); Armstrong Stadium, Hampton VA (Hampton Jazz Festival) (June 28); Festival Field, Newport RI (Newport Jazz Festival) (July 5); Central Park, New York (Schaefer Music Festival) (July 7); Olympia Stadium, Detroit (Detroit Jazz Festival) (July 13); Memorial Auditorium, Dallas (Longhorn Jazz Festival) (July 18); Municipal Auditorium, Austin (Longhorn Jazz Festival) (July 19); Coliseum, Houston (Longhorn Jazz Festival) (July 20); Juan-les-Pins Festival, Antibes (July 25-26); Rutgers University Stadium, New Brunswick (Rutgers Jazz Festival) (July 27); Sheraton Park Hotel, French Lick (French Lick Jazz Festival) (July 31); Spectrum, Philadelphia (August 15); Kiel Auditorium, St. Louis (St. Louis Jazz Festival) (August 16); Grant Park Auditorium Theatre, Chicago (August 22); Crosley Field, Cincinnati (Ohio Jazz Festival) (August 23); Mid-South Coliseum, Memphis (Memphis Jazz Festival) (August 24).

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