Session details: Columbia Studio B (March 3, 1970)

Miles Ahead session details

March 3, 1970 (30 items; TT = 184:01)

Columbia Studio B, New York NY

Commercial for Columbia

Show chatter

Miles Davis (tpt); Steve Grossman (ss); John McLaughlin (g); Dave Holland (b, el-b); Jack De Johnette (d)

1	Archie Moore (take 1) (M. Davis)	5:20
	Edited (4:42) on Columbia Legacy C5K 86359
	False start (0:09); complete run-through (4:42) followed by McLaughlin tuning and undecipherable chatter
2	Go Ahead John (take 1) (M. Davis)	8:09
	Macero: "Take one..." Holland plays; Davis: "Jack plays mm-bop-mmm, bop-mmm -- leave it open. Mm-bop-mm, bop-mm... Holland and De Johnette play. Davis: "Wait a minute, this is somethin' else. Go ahead, keep on it." De Johnette plays; Davis: "Don't do it the same way every time, you know what I mean?, after you get into it... (McLaughlin joins) No, just play -- just play like -- baba-pababa, baba-pababa -- like that. Keep you hands [undecipherable] Yeah -- but you play like, bap -- bap... McLaughlin, Holland, De Johnette work on the rhythm (1:32). Davis: "Stop resolving it, Dave, stop resolving it. Just let it hang now -- like that. Play it -- with Jack. Jack, connect it. Here we go, here we go... Hey Dave... Dave -- start bop-BOW! Bop-mm-bop..." They play again (0:51). Grossman joins at 5:14. McLaughlin, Holland, De Johnette work on the rhythm (2:26)
3	Go Ahead John (take 2) (M. Davis)	1:03
	Macero: "Two..." Davis counts. "Jack, you gotta attack -- it's gotta be [undecipherable]" Rhythm section plays (0:42). Davis: "You can keep it. Jack, you do the same thing, it's monotonous..."
4	Go Ahead John (take 3) (M. Davis)	1:56
	Macero: "Three..." Davis: "John, you just say, slup -- bup..." Rhythm section plays (1:42). Davis: "That's great. You gotta play heavier, Jack. You gotta play real heavy..."
5	Go Ahead John (take 4) (M. Davis)	1:30
	Macero: "Four..." Davis: "Real heavy, and raunchy. You gonna go bop-mm-bop-mm-bop..." De Johnette: [undecipherable] Davis: "I want that, but I want it broken up. Here you go, bop-bop-bop-bop..." Rhythm section plays (0:27). Davis: "OK, play the slow way, and it goes into that. But Jack, you know it has to be real... almost suggestive, but loud. It has to be suggestive but loud, you know? I mean, yeah, yeah..." De Johnette: "We playin' loud, but I'm pretty sure..." Davis: "Yeah, I know."
6	Go Ahead John (take 5) (M. Davis)	15:22
	Macero: "Five..." Davis: "Play it... play it the slow way." Davis plays (fs, 0:30), then long run-through (14:30). Davis: "Steve, start playin', but play it up. Play at the tempo..."
7	Go Ahead John (take 6) (M. Davis)	0:49
	Macero: "Six..." Davis: "Here we go. One, two, bup-ba-bup-bup..." False start (0:16). Davis: "Stay in the middle, like a soprano. Start off -- Dave, start off..." Rhythm section plays (0:15). Davis: "Jack, play bop..."
8	Go Ahead John (take 7) (M. Davis)	0:21
	Macero: "Seven..." Davis: "No, that's the tempo, but open it up. Dave, just play, like uh, not so many notes. Just, just... stay like them but keep that feeling, and let John play the rhythm. Yeah, here we go, one, two..." Macero: "Give us a minute, we have to change the tape..."
9	Go Ahead John (take 7A) (M. Davis)	1:34
	Macero: "Seven..." De Johnette begins, then McLaughlin; Davis interrupts: "There -- F and B-flat, and that's all you play. Now, just play that. One, two, three, four..." Rhythm section plays (0:58). Davis: "See? All of those... you can play F..."
10	Go Ahead John (take 8) (M. Davis)	1:46
	Macero: "Eight." Davis (continuing): "...B-flat, then a C, then a D, and F again, then an A -- that's all you need to play. OK, come on, [undecipherable]. But you play on everything. Here you go..." Rhythm section plays (1:08), then Davis: "It has to wake up, but you just follow the line, and play any note you wanna play there, you understand?" Holland: "I follow the line here, you mean." Davis: "Yeah..."
11	Go Ahead John (take 9A) (M. Davis)	3:24
	Macero: "Nine." Davis: "Steve, you play on [undecipherable] OK, give 'em a whole chorus to vamp in. One, two, three, four..." False start (0:11); short run-through (2:23), then Davis: "Steve, you gotta play in there." Grossman: "Yeah, I don't know where I am." Davis: "OK, you start on the rhythm. And Dave, you gotta play them dips, man." Macero: "D'you you want me to lower... lower the mic for you?" Davis: "Yes..."
12	Go Ahead John (take 9B) (M. Davis)	5:15
	Long run-through, with soprano soloing throughout (5:08); at the end Davis: "No, no, no; just cut 'em all off, that's when you [undecipherable]. Try it again..."
13	Go Ahead John (take 10) (M. Davis)	3:37
	Macero: "Ten." Davis: "Jack and John start it out..." Short run-through (2:05), then Davis: "It's actually where the lead goes for them [undecipherable], but you stop. You know what I mean? OK, here you go..." Short run-through, rhythm section only (1:04), then Davis: "You gotta cut off that note [undecipherable]..."
14	Go Ahead John (take 11) (M. Davis)	3:24
	Macero: "Eleven." De Johnette begins, then Holland joins. Davis: "Hey, need a wah-wah... No, it's G... Yeah, good. One, two, three, four..." Rhythm section (0:19); Davis: "Wait, that's just to start, Dave, just to start. You play any other notes you want. That G is nice to start out with, you know? Yeah, one, two... Yeah, yeah, yeah. That G is just outtasite to start out with..."
15	Go Ahead John (take 12) (M. Davis)	2:05
	Macero: "Twelve." Davis: "One, two... Wait till he starts [undecipherable]..." Rhythm section run-through (1:34). Davis: "Connect it, Dave. That's the weight of it, you like that? Connect it, just play longer notes, and then shorter runs. Hey Jack, John, play so he..." [cut off]
16	Go Ahead John (new take 1) (M. Davis)	2:10
	Macero: "New take 1..." Short rhythm section run-through (2:02), then Davis: "Why don't you just play F and B-flat?"
17	Go Ahead John (new take 2) (M. Davis)	2:26
	Short rhythm section run-through (0:26). Davis: "Just play the F -- one, two..." Unknown: "F chord." Davis: "Yeah, that's the one -- one, two, three, four... " Another short run-through (0:32). Davis: "Run yours together, Dave, like it's in a solo. One, two, three, four..." Another short run-through (0:34); Davis interrupts: "Hey, hold it, hold it. Then when you change, put a c minor on top of it, you know, John?" Davis and Holland rehearse (0:15)
18	Go Ahead John (new take 3) (M. Davis)	5:22
	Macero: "Three." Davis: "One, two..." False start (0:06), then Davis: "Make 'em real long and lazy. One, two, three, four..." Long run-through (4:59)
19	Go Ahead John (new take 4) (M. Davis)	10:53
	Macero: "Four..." [undecipherable discussion] Davis: "OK, but they're just founded on F, and B-flat, at first..." Rhythm section run-through (0:55), interrupted by Davis: "Dave, you gotta get on time, man, you know? It's just [undecipherable] -- one, two, three, four..." Another run-through (1:41), interrupted by Davis: "Just F and B-flat -- one, two, three, four..." Short run-through (0:19), interrupted by Davis: "Dave, let John start after Jack starts, and you just hit one note until you think of something else to play. Right -- one, two, three, four..." Another short run-through (0:39), then a long run-through with soprano saxophone and guitar solos (6:29). Afterward Davis: "Play, uh... Play this -- play F, and B-flat vamp; and play D-flat, A, back..." [cut off]
20	Go Ahead John (new take 5) (M. Davis)	1:12
	Macero: "Five..." Short rhythm section run-through (0:53), then Davis: "Yeah, well play it, and look at him when you're gettin' ready to play it, and he just play it with you... (McLaughlin plays a few chords with De Johnette backing) Yeah, you can kind of lay on that A if you wanna." McLaughlin: "Yeah..."
21	Go Ahead John (new take 6) (M. Davis)	7:33
	Macero: "Six." Davis: "Vamp first. One... OK..." Long run-through with guitar solo (7:00). Davis: "That's some great shit, boy -- isn't that fine? Hey John, you wanna play it slow like we were doin' in the first [undecipherable]" McLaughlin: "Yeah, I'd like to..." Davis: "Teo, can we..." Macero: "Oh wait -- wanna hear some of that?" Davis: "Yeah..."
22	Go Ahead John (new take 7) (M. Davis)	10:12
	Macero: "Seven." Davis counts tempo, then long run-through interrupted by Davis at 10:02: "Start it over and you play John. One, two, three, bop-mm..."
23	Go Ahead John (new take 8) (M. Davis)	3:57
	Another run-through (3:37), then Davis: "John, play this [undecipherable], just start it. One, two, three... No, you just real slow..."
24	Go Ahead John (new take 9) (M. Davis)	11:22
	Davis (still talking to McLaughlin, who is playing some bluesy notes): "Come down..." False start (0:08), then a long run-through (11:07) with guitar and trumpet solos
25	Go Ahead John (part 1) (M. Davis)	13:06
	An excerpt (2:32) is listed as "The Little Blue Frog" on CBS (F) 450472
26	Go Ahead John (part 2a) (M. Davis)	7:00
27	Go Ahead John (part 2b) (M. Davis)	10:06
28	Go Ahead John (part 2c) (M. Davis)	3:38
29	Go Ahead John (part 1 remake) (M. Davis)	11:06
30	Go Ahead John (issued composite) (M. Davis)	28:23


1 Archie Moore (take 1) CD: Columbia Legacy C5K 86359, Columbia Legacy C5K 90926, Sony SICP 431/5
25 Go Ahead John (part 1) CD: Columbia Legacy C5K 86359, Columbia Legacy C5K 90926, Sony SICP 431/5
26 Go Ahead John (part 2a) CD: Columbia Legacy C5K 86359, Columbia Legacy C5K 90926, Sony SICP 431/5
27 Go Ahead John (part 2b) CD: Columbia Legacy C5K 86359, Columbia Legacy C5K 90926, Sony SICP 431/5
28 Go Ahead John (part 2c) CD: Columbia Legacy C5K 86359, Columbia Legacy C5K 90926, Sony SICP 431/5
29 Go Ahead John (part 1 remake) CD: Columbia Legacy C5K 86359, Columbia Legacy C5K 90926, Sony SICP 431/5
30 Go Ahead John (issued composite) 12" LP: CBS/Sony SOPW 5/6, CBS/Sony 20AP 1779/10, CBS/Sony 28AP 2159/60, CBS/Sony 36AP 1779/80, Columbia PG 32866, Vinyl Me, Please A017 CD: Columbia Legacy C2K 63973, CBS/Sony 50DP 705/6, Sony SRCS 5713/4, Sony SRCS 9321/2, Sony 8837/40, Sony SICP 669/72, Sony SRCS 9737/8, Sony SRCS 836/7, Sony SICJ 30080/1, Columbia Legacy 86975 24922 [= Columbia (F) 86975 52492] (CD 34)

"Archie Moore" may be a warm-up or rehearsal for "Go Ahead John." It employs the same chord progressions of 24 6/4 measures (or 48 3/4 measures) as Part 1 and Part 1 remake. Thanks to Tommaso Urbano for pointing out the harmonic similarity to me.

The Complete Jack Johnson Sessions (Columbia C5K 86359) includes five "parts" (items 25-29 above) used to construct the composite version of "Go Ahead John" (item 30) included on the LP Big Fun (Columbia PC 32866, etc.). All of these pieces are edited from the raw materials listed above (items 2-24). Here is a rough guide:

Issued part (C5K 86359)	Source
Go Ahead John, part 1	Take 5, 2:11-15:19
Go Ahead John, part 2a	New take 8, 0:08-7:08
Go Ahead John, part 2b	New take 7, 0:05-10:12
Go Ahead John, part 2c	New take 8, 0:00-3:57
Go Ahead John, part 1 remake	New take 9, 0:14-11:17

The composite take originally issued on Big Fun (Columbia PC 32866, CBS/Sony SOPW 5/6, etc.) was constructed as follows:[1]

Go Ahead John (28:17)	Source
LP version 00:00-01:39	New take 7, 0:22-2:22 = part 2b, 0:17-2:00
LP version 01:39-06:31	New take 7, 3:54-8:48 = part 2b, 3:49-8:42
LP version 06:31-11:39	New take 6, 0:55-6:10 = part 2a, 0:46-6:02
LP version 11:39-24:18	Take 5, 2:13-14:51 = part 1, 0:01-12:39
LP version 24:18-24:35	New take 4, 4:13-4:31 (no equivalent) [1]
LP version 24:35-28:17	New take 4, 6:00-9:41 (no equivalent) [1]

[1] The last four minutes of the LP version are not from part 2b, pace the liner notes to Columbia Legacy C5K 86359.

In addition to splices, crossfades, and other editing tricks, Teo Macero used devices to alter the stereo spectrum (part 1) and to loop solos (part 2), etc. In some places, especially the long middle stretch, Macero uses material from more than one take simultaneously. In the tables above, any overlapping times reflect the crossfades used on some of the transitions, and discrepancies in durations reflect small differences in analog tape speed.

The Davis Sextet maintained a busy touring schedule throughout this period: Cellar Door, Washington (January 12-17); Spectrum, Philadelphia (January 18); Schwab Auditorium, Pennsylvania State University (February 14); Hill Auditorium, Ann Arbor (February 21); Fillmore East, New York (March 6-7); Fillmore West, San Francisco (April 9-12); Shelly's Manne-Hole, Los Angeles (April 14-26); Both/And Club, San Francisco (April 28).