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Miles Ahead session details

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September 14, 1972 (7 items; TT = 51:39)
Paul's Mall, Boston MA
WBCN-FM radio broadcast (B+)

Miles Davis (tpt); Carlos Garnett (ss); Reggie Lucas (g); Khalil Balakrishna (sitar); Cedric Lawson (keyb); Michael Henderson (el-b); Al Foster (d); James Mtume Forman (cga, perc); Badal Roy (tabla)

1 Band warming up 1:12

Voiceover introduction until 0:07 of "Black Satin"
2 Black Satin (M. Davis) 10:20

Incomplete (9:45) on Luxury
3 Chieftain (M. Davis) 10:00
4 Rated X (M. Davis) 5:35
5 Honky Tonk (M. Davis) 9:58
6 Right Off (M. Davis) 13:48

Incomplete (11:47) on Luxury
7 Sanctuary (closing theme, applause, announcement) (W. Shorter-M. Davis) 0:46


1 Band warming up
CD: Core Collections CC-002, Eat to the Beat ETTB 0771

2 Black Satin
CD: Super Sonic SS 201057, Core Collections CC-002, Luxury no number, Eat to the Beat ETTB 0771

3 Chieftain
CD: Super Sonic SS 201057, Core Collections CC-002, Luxury no number, Eat to the Beat ETTB 0771

4 Rated X
CD: Super Sonic SS 201057, Core Collections CC-002, Luxury no number, Eat to the Beat ETTB 0771

5 Honky Tonk
CD: Super Sonic SS 201057, Core Collections CC-002, Luxury no number, Eat to the Beat ETTB 0771

6 Right Off
CD: Super Sonic SS 201057, Core Collections CC-002, Luxury no number, Eat to the Beat ETTB 0771

7 Sanctuary (closing theme, applause, announcement)
CD: Core Collections CC-002, Eat to the Beat ETTB 0771


This set was broadcast live on WBCN-FM radio. The closing announcement mentions that the Davis Nonet is at Paul's Mall "for the rest of the weekend" -- probably from Thursday the 14th through the following Sunday, the 17th. Another set, probably from a different night, was recorded by someone in the audience and is sonically inferior. See the listing for September 15-17, 1972 for details.

A Super Sonic CDR wrongly lists this music as recorded "live at the Quaker Jazz Festival, Philadelphia, NJ / September 24, 1972." In addition, the track indexes are wrong:

  1. Black Satin (9:31)
  2. Rated X (15:13)
  3. Honky Tonk (9:34)
  4. Right Off (11:45)

The Luxury CD is subtitled "WBCN Broadcast New Master" and the sound is improved over other issues. The indexes are placed incorrectly, however:

  1. Black Satin (9:25)
  2. Rated X (14:42)
  3. Honky Tonk (6:46)
  4. Right Off (inc) (14:15)

"Chieftain" was first recorded in the studio on August 23. It is commonly performed in a medley with "Rated X" during this period. The transition occurs when Henderson begins the distinctive (and insistent) el-b vamp. I am grateful to Jim Szabo for discussion of these tunes.

The Davis Nonet was busy during this period: Paul's Mall, Boston (September 14-17); Spectrum, Philadelphia (September 23); Lincoln Center, New York (September 29); Stanford University Amphitheater, Palo Alto (October 1); Civic Theatre, San Diego (October 8).

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