Session details: Birdland (May 16, 1953)

Miles Ahead session details

May 16, 1953 (11 items; TT = 27:50)

Birdland, New York NY

WABC-AM radio broadcast (C+)

Show chatter

Miles Davis (tpt); Sahib Shihab [Edmund Gregory] (bs); Wade Legge (p); Lou Hackney (b); Al Jones (d); Candido Camero (cga); Joe Carroll (voc); Bob Garrity (ann)

1	Introduction (Bob Garrity)	0:28
	Garrity: "...The music, that's enough of the talk for the time being. We have a lot more of it for you, live type until three o'clock. We have on the stage right now, with the exception of Dizzy, his entire group is here, we'll have Candido coming up very shortly, and Joe Carroll. But right now, another of the very great... guys in modern jazz trumpet, let's bring him to the stand with the proper welcome, Mr. Miles Davis, ladies and gentlemen, Miles... And in the Miles Davis repertoire, this one you have to hear, Miles doing 'Move'..." ("Go, Miles" from a man and woman in the audience)
2	Move (D. Best)	5:35
3	Introduction (Bob Garrity)	0:34
	Garrity: "And it sure does 'Move', by Miles Davis. And in the process of giving due credit, the rest of the guys here on the stand feature, first of all, the rhythm section, on the piano Wade Legge. Wade Legge at the piano, ladies and gentlemen... Lou Hackney at the pi..., at the bass, and Allen Jones on drums. The baritone belongs to Sahib Shihab, on baritone... Course, you know Miles Davis on trumpet. How 'bout something real quiet and pretty, Miles, right now, something like the beautiful standard 'Tenderly'..."
4	Tenderly (W. Gross-J. Lawrence)	4:40
5	Introduction (Bob Garrity)	0:17
	Garrity: "Tenderly, real 'Tenderly', Miles. Miles Davis and the All-Stars..." (splice) "In addition to the guys we have on the stand we'd like to make one more addition, and bring some very fine Cuban rhythm to the stage at Birdland, in the person of the amazing Candido. Candido, ladies and gentlemen, doing 'A Night in Tunisia'. Miles..."
6	A Night in Tunisia (D. Gillespie-F. Paparelli)	6:08
	Add Candido (cga)
7	Introduction (Bob Garrity)	0:23
	Garrity: "Candido, on the congas, and Candy and Miles, before, ah, before we bring Joe Carroll on we have room for just kind of a short one, so maybe we'll do that thing that Miles has recorded for... Prestige label... That the one you wanna do, Miles, thing titled 'Dig', huh? OK..."
8	Dig (J. McLean)	3:45
	Add Candido (cga)
9	Introduction (Bob Garrity)	0:36
	Add Carroll (voc)
	Garrity: "Thank you, Candido. There's a guy who certainly gets some great sounds... from some congas. He's got one set here of, of three, all mounted together in a stand, the ones he was playing during the last one. I wish we had a lot more time... for Candido... and for the fine sounds. But before we... get to the three o'clock point (and we're getting rather close), I'd like to bring to the stand right now, of Birdland, to join... Miles and the guys... Mr. Oo-shoobie-doobie himself, Mr. Joe Carroll... Joe? I understand that you got rhythm." Carroll: "Always!" Garrity: "All right, go..."
10	I Got Rhythm (G. Gershwin-I. Gershwin)	4:57
11	Lullaby of Birdland (with voiceover) (G. Shearing-G. Weiss)	0:27
	Garrity: "Wow. I'm sorry I have to do this, but I'm afraid that's about it. It's about three o'clock, in fact we're about a minute over. [The group starts playing] And during the past hour from the stage of Birdland, Broadway at 52nd, the Kai Winding Septet and also... the Miles Davis/Dizzy Gillespie Group, Candido, and Joe Carroll. I hope you've enjoyed our live sounds during the past hour. Right now, we're due to get back to records over WABC, 770 New York..."


1 Introduction (Bob Garrity) CD: Charly/Le Jazz CD 45, FAP 001/3
2 Move CD: Charly/Le Jazz CD 45, FAP 001/3
3 Introduction (Bob Garrity) CD: Charly/Le Jazz CD 45, FAP 001/3
4 Tenderly CD: Charly/Le Jazz CD 45, FAP 001/3
5 Introduction (Bob Garrity) CD: Charly/Le Jazz CD 45, FAP 001/3
6 A Night in Tunisia CD: Charly/Le Jazz CD 45, FAP 001/3
7 Introduction (Bob Garrity) CD: Charly/Le Jazz CD 45, FAP 001/3
8 Dig CD: Charly/Le Jazz CD 45, FAP 001/3
10 I Got Rhythm 12" LP: Chakra TH-100MD, Bopera 2-100, Jazzbird JAZ 2005 CD: Black Label BLCD 8027, Music Trax MTI 9017, FAP 001/3

The Charlie Parker Quartet, the Dizzy Gillespie Group, and the Bud Powell Trio were all booked at Birdland May 16-26; Parker remained (opposite Ella Fitzgerald) through June 3. Davis replaced Gillespie on this night (Gillespie was probably still in Toronto where he'd taken part in the Massey Hall concert with Parker, Powell, Charles Mingus, and Max Roach). Davis joined Gillespie as a second trumpet one week later (May 23). Thanks to James Accardi for help with this session.