Session details: Café Bohemia (May 17, 1958)

Miles Ahead session details

May 17, 1958 (5 items; TT = 19:54)

Café Bohemia, New York NY

Mutual Network radio broadcast (B)

Show chatter

Miles Davis (tpt); John Coltrane (ts); William J. "Bill" Evans (p); Paul Chambers (b); Philly Joe Jones (d); Guy Wallace (ann)

1	Introduction (Guy Wallace)	0:13
	"The controversial Miles Davis... We call him controversial because some people like him, some people don't. We love him, and we're trying to get you to love him, and after you hear him tonight, if you're hearing him for the first time, we know that you will love him."
2	Four (E. Vinson)	4:48
	Issued as "Four Plus One More" on Chakra and Black Label
3	Bye Bye Blackbird (R. Henderson-M. Dixon)	6:49
	Davis quotes "Maria" from West Side Story at 1:07-1:15, 1:48-1:57, and obliquely at 2:48-2:54
4	Walkin' (R. Carpenter)	6:28
	Issued as "Rollin' and Blowin'" on Chakra and Black Label. Davis quotes "Sonnymoon for Two" at 1:29-1:33
5	Two Bass Hit (J. Lewis-D. Gillespie)	1:36
	Incomplete on Yadeon 502 (first 0:48) and on Jazz Band (last 1:06)
	Voiceover 0:45-1:37. Guy Wallace: "That's the one... Miles Davis, Miles Davis and his horn, playing for you from the Café Bohemia, 15 Barrow Street in Greenwich Village, Jimmy Giarofolo's home of modern jazz. How 'bout the personnel, Don, do you know who was with Miles tonight?" Don Cerulli: "Well, there's Miles of course on trumpet, and John Coltrane, the very distinctive-sounding tenor sax player, Bill Evans on piano, and if you heard in the last tune, that beautiful arco passage, you knew it was Paul Chambers on bass, and Philly Joe Jones on drums." Wallace: "Thank you very much Don Cerulli, the New York editor of Down Beat, as I'm sure you gathered from that erudite, ah, discussion of who's at the Bohemia. Incidentally, if you wanna get down to the Bohemia some Sunday afternoon, it's a great place to go, wonderful place to go. They have a jazz concert section down there -- you just go in, pay your admission price, and that's all, you don't have to buy anything else."


1 Introduction (Guy Wallace) 12" LP: Bandstand BLP 1501, Jazz Band EB 418, Bandstand (J) 25BLL-3001 CD: Bandstand BDCD 1501, Bandstand (J) 32JBB-133, Yadeon 502, Jazzband EBCD 2101, Tokuma TKCB-30458 (= TKCB-70811), Prestige PRCD4-4444, Domino 891221, United Archives NUA 10
2 Four 12" LP: Chakra TH100MD, Jazzbird JAZ 3005, Bandstand BLP 1501, Bandstand (J) 25BLL-3001, Jazz Band EB 418 CD: Prestige PRCD4-4444, Bandstand BDCD 1501, Bandstand (J) 32JBB-133, Black Label BLCD 8027, Yadeon 502, Jazzband EBCD 2101, Tokuma TKCB-30458 (= TKCB-70811), Jazz Music Yesterday JMY ME-6402, Tokuma TKCB-71062 (= TKCB-71892), Jazz Door JD 1242, Music Trax MTI 9017, Gambit 69220, Domino 891221, United Archives NUA 10
3 Bye Bye Blackbird 12" LP: Chakra TH100MD, Jazzbird JAZ 3005, Bandstand BLP 1501, Bandstand (J) 25BLL-3001, Jazz Band EB 418 CD: Prestige PRCD4-4444, Bandstand BDCD 1501, Bandstand (J) 32JBB-133, Black Label BLCD 8027, Yadeon 502, Jazzband EBCD 2101, Tokuma TKCB-30458 (= TKCB-70811), Tokuma TKCB-70066 (= TKCB-71062 = TKCB-71892), Jazz Music Yesterday JMY ME-6402, Jazz Door JD 1242, Music Trax MTI 9017, Gambit 69220, Domino 891221, United Archives NUA 10
4 Walkin' 12" LP: Chakra TH100MD, Jazzbird JAZ 3005, Bandstand BLP 1501, Bandstand (J) 25BLL-3001, Jazz Band EB 418 CD: Prestige PRCD4-4444, Bandstand BDCD 1501, Bandstand (J) 32JBB-133, Black Label BLCD 8027, Yadeon 502, Jazzband EBCD 2101, Tokuma TKCB-30458 (= TKCB-70811), Jazz Music Yesterday JMY ME-6402, Tokuma TKCB-71062 (= TKCB-71892), Jazz Door JD 1242, Music Trax MTI 9017, Gambit 69220, Domino 891221, United Archives NUA 10
5 Two Bass Hit 12" LP: Chakra TH100MD, Jazzbird JAZ 3005, Jazz Band EB 418 CD: Prestige PRCD4-4444, Black Label BLCD 8027, Yadeon 502, Jazzband EBCD 2101, Jazz Music Yesterday JMY ME-6402, Music Trax MTI 9017, Gambit 69220, Domino 891221, United Archives NUA 10

This is from the Mutual Network's Bandstand USA, which was broadcast live on Saturday nights from 8pm-10pm beginning in 1956.

The Davis Sextet was booked for two weeks at the Café Bohemia (April 25-May 18). Bill Evans replaced Red Garland on piano just before this engagement, and Philly Joe Jones left the group afterward to form his own group. He was immediately replaced by Jimmy Cobb. Evans himself left the group in November, and was replaced by Wynton Kelly.

The second half of 1958 was a very busy time for the Sextet: Café Bohemia, New York (April 25-May 4); Storyville, Boston (May 5-11); Café Bohemia, New York (May 12-18); Red Hill Inn, Pennsauken NJ (May 20-25); Village Vanguard, New York (May 27-June 1); Spotlite Lounge, Washington DC (June 10-15); Small's Paradise, New York (June 24-29); Newport Jazz Festival (Thursday, July 3, 8:30 pm); Montréal Theatre Maisonneuve (July 10, with other dates in Montréal and Quebec City); Village Vanguard, New York (July 22-August 3); Spotlite, Washington DC (August 5-10); Comedy Club, Baltimore (August 12-17); Randall's Island, New York (August 23: Third Annual NY Jazz Festival); Showboat, Philadelphia (September 1-6); Persian Room, Plaza Hotel, New York (Tuesday, September 9); Modern Jazz Room, Cleveland (September 15-21); Clarence's Blue Bird Inn, Detroit (September 23-28); Apollo Theatre, New York (October 17-23); Spotlite Lounge, Washington DC (October 29-November 2); Village Vanguard, New York (November 4-16 -- Evans left the group after this gig, and was replaced by Wynton Kelly); Town Hall, New York (Friday, November 28, 8:00 and 11:00 pm) Mosque Theatre, Newark NJ (November 29); Howard Theatre, Washington DC (December 12-18); Town Hall, New York (Saturday, December 27, 8:30 and 11:00 pm).

There was apparently another Bandstand USA broadcast from the Bohemia on May 10, but I don't know if it was recorded. Jan Lohmann's discography lists that show as from the Storyville Club in Boston, but that can't be right.

Thanks to Mark Elliott and Joe Medjuck for help with this session.