Session details: Columbia Studio C (May 21, 1970)

Miles Ahead session details

May 21, 1970 (10 items; TT = 77:39)

Columbia Studio C, New York NY

Commercial for Columbia

Show chatter

Miles Davis (tpt); Keith Jarrett (el-p); John McLaughlin (g); Jack De Johnette (d); Airto Moreira (perc)

1	Konda (rehearsal) (M. Davis)	0:09
	Davis: "Just take the two bars [undecipherable]..."
2	Konda (take 1) (M. Davis)	0:36
	Macero: "Uh, take one..." Short run through (0:26). Davis: "Run all these things together..."
3	Konda (take 2) (M. Davis)	4:35
	Macero: "Two." Davis: "You'll have to take it... (McLaughlin plays) No, just play it..." McLaughlin and Jarrett play (0:11), then Jarrett alone (0:13). Davis: "[undecipherable] You're taking a bar in e minor..." Jarrett: "Oh. Say again what's that line close to the bar." He plays a few notes. McLaughlin: "We'll need that to fit with that." Jarrett: "Yeah, but I mean, I mean I need to be at the..." McLaughlin: "Yeah." They play (0:16 and 0:37). McLaughlin: "Why is he on the E-flat there?" Macero: "That was nice..." McLaughlin: "Both times you're doin' it on E-flat..." Jarrett: "Yeah, but I'm going straight to E, and I don't know whether to [undecipherable]..." They play (0:12 and 1:26). McLaughlin: "OK?" Davis: "Hey when you get to that c minor swell, then e-flat minor, you play it two [undecipherable]... He said, one-two-three, one-two-three-four-five-six on E-flat, boom..."
4	Konda (take 3) (M. Davis)	7:27
	Macero: "Three." McLaughlin: "What time?" Davis: "Yeah, sing it, you know, sort of..." McLaughlin: "It's just in the flat one bar of three and one bar of three?" Davis: "Yeah." McLaughlin: "Well, not in E-flat -- it's C..." Davis: "Yeah, c minor, three beats; e-flat minor, six beats. Then a pause... All right." McLaughlin: "We're doin', uh..." Davis: "Two bars of 6/8." McLaughlin: "We're doin' two bars of E-flat after C -- it sounds right." Davis: "Good. Well it's two bars of 6/8." McLaughlin: "Yeah, right." McLaughlin: "So it's one 3/8, then two minor 3/8... bars. All c minor bars are 3/8 bars..." False start (0:13). Undecipherable exchange between Jarrett and McLaughlin, then Davis: "Now you've got your Brazilian jazz, motherfucker..." Another false start (0:10). Short exchange between Moreira and McLaughlin, then Davis practicing with effects (0:13). Davis plays with McLaughlin accompanying (0:25). Holland: "Let's try it..." Davis: "No, I'll play it first..." Several short practice runs with trumpet (0:28, 0:35, 1:08). McLaughlin: "But like the E-flat, the C is now six-beat bars... Right? And the E-flat gets one six-beat bar, and then our B-flat..." McLaughlin and Jarrett play (0:22); Davis interrupts: "Wait a minute, wait a minute. What's that time?" McLaughlin plays several chords: "D-flat?" Davis: "Just play the D... play the D." McLaughlin plays the chord. Short run-through with Jarrett, McLaughlin, and Moreira (0:29). Davis: "I don't understand what you're doin'..." McLaughlin: "We're doing two beats on A, you know, in the first bit..." [splice] Rhythm section plays (0:17), McLaughlin explains changes: "...six on the E-flat, then three on the D." Two more demonstrations (0:18, 0:08), then Davis: "No they just play straight..."
5	Konda (take 4) (M. Davis)	7:37
	Macero: "Four." Short run-through with trumpet solo (1:26), interrupted by Davis: "Too much rhythm in there, man... Leave it out, leave everything out. Leave everything out for a while..." Davis plays melody with minimal accompaniment (0:45), then a short run-through with just Davis, McLaughlin, and Jarrett (0:27); Davis interrupts: "Wait a minute. Do it again..." Another try (0:27); Davis interrupts again: "What you on the d minor? What you on the d minor?" McLaughlin: "Three on the d minor." Davis: "Three? I thought it was two." McLaughlin: "Three beats on the chord..." Davis: "So it's one-two-three-four-five-six..." McLaughlin: "Yeah, six on the E-flat..." [splice] Longer run-through with whole group (3:12); Davis interrupts: "Don't play the c minor..." McLaughlin: "What's that?" Davis: "Don't play the c minor..." McLaughlin: "Straight E-flat." Davis: "No, just play A and G..." Another run-through (0:38). Davis: "We're not playin' the last [undecipherable]..."
6	Konda (take 5) (M. Davis)	6:14
	Macero: "OK, five..." Unknown: "The ending..." McLaughlin plays a passage, then Davis: "Now you do... Can you, can you just get the... [undecipherable] one more time..." Davis, McLaughlin, Jarrett play (0:10). Davis: "Play it three on the first, and we go into the second one... and just lay there for a while..." McLaughlin: "Three -- oh, three at the first and then lay on..." He plays. Davis: "How you gonna play it, John? Play it straight a couple times..." McLaughlin: "Help me out [undecipherable]" Davis: "Yeah, well, I will too." Short run-through (0:38). Unknown: "Play it [undecipherable], Miles." Davis: "I am. It was just the second one. Uh-ugh." Undecipherable exchange. Davis: "No, I play..." He plays four notes. McLaughlin: "One?" Davis: "No, that's not one." McLaughlin: "Oh -- what's one?" Davis: "One is up to the... to the, uh, A and G over and over again..." McLaughlin: "Yeah, so that's twice, and then I tried..." Davis: "Three differents, John." McLaughlin: "Three times..." Another run-through (3:39). At the end Macero: "OK, we'll play it back..."
7	Konda (take 6) (M. Davis)	5:29
	Macero: "Six..." Begins with Moreira and McLaughlin playing a busy vamp; Jarrett joins, then De Johnette. Jarrett solos over rhythm section. No trumpet. Cut off at 5:28
8	Konda (LP composite) (M. Davis)	14:02
9	Konda (CD composite) (M. Davis)	16:42
10	Konda (alternate composite) (M. Davis)	14:48
	This composite take is longer than the version originally issued on Columbia KC2 36474, and shorter than the one issued on Columbia C5K 90926. See below for comparison.


8 Konda (LP composite) 12" LP: Columbia KC2 36474, CBS/Sony 38AP 2017/8 CD: CBS/Sony CSCS 5135/6, Sony SRCS 9310/1, Sony SRCS 9761/62, Sony SICJ 30113/4, Columbia Legacy 86975 24922
9 Konda (CD composite) CD: Columbia C5K 86359, Columbia C5K 90926, Sony SICP 431/5

"Konda" is a composite pieced together from the materials listed above. There are three composite versions, one issued on Directions (Columbia KC2 36474, etc.), another issued on the Jack Johnson Sessions set (Columbia Legacy C5K 86359), and a third which remains unissued. The long version begins with a electric piano introduction that was omitted from the original issued version, and each uses slightly different combinations of the raw materials. Here is a guide to the three extant composite versions:

LP version (14:02) from Directions
00:00-01:25	Take 4, 0:03-1:28
01:25-01:45	Take 5, 2:25-2:46
01:45-02:02	Take 4, 2:57-3:14
02:02-05:37	Take 4, 3:37-7:31
05:37-09:02	Take 5, 2:34-5:58
09:02-14:02	Take 6, 0:03-5:25

CD version (16:28) from Jack Johnson Sessions
00:00-00:37	Take 2, 1:34-2:10
00:37-02:01	Take 2, 2:48-4:12
02:01-03:28	Take 4, 0:03-1:31
03:28-04:01	Take 4, 2:26-3:14
04:01-06:58	Take 4, 3:37-6:33
06:58-07:36	Take 4, 6:56-7:34
07:36-11:03	Take 5, 2:29-5:57
11:03-16:28	Take 6, 0:03-5:25

Unissued composite version (14:48)
00:00-01:27	Take 4, 0:03-1:28
01:27-01:48	Take 4, 2:25-2:46
01:48-02:05	Take 4, 2:57-3:14
02:05-05:10	Take 4, 3:37-6:37
05:10-05:45	Take 6, 6:56-7:31
05:45-09:14	Take 5, 2:34-5:58
09:14-14:48	Take 6, 0:03-5:25

Davis had various groups in the studio throughout the first half of 1970 -- fourteen dates in the first half of the year! Some of the music recorded in the studio during this period -- e.g. "Willie Nelson," "Honky Tonk," "The Mask" -- was immediately added to the live book.

The Davis Septet (with Corea and Jarrett on keyboards) was busy in the summer: Fillmore East, New York (June 17-20); Hampton Roads Coliseum (July 3); Central Park, New York (July 6); Hollywood Bowl (July 10); Randall's Island, New York (July 18); Madison Square Garden, New York (July 25); Shea Stadium, New York (August 6); SUNY Stony Brook (August 16); Berkshire Music Center, Tanglewood (August 18). At the end of the summer the Septet played at the Isle of Wight Festival (August 29).