1 Shhh/Peaceful (composite)
12" LP: Mosaic MQ5-209
CD: Columbia Legacy C3K 65362, Columbia Legacy C3K 90921, Sony SICP 35/7, Sony SICP 924/6

3 In a Silent Way (rehearsal (take 1))
12" LP: Mosaic MQ5-209
CD: Columbia Legacy C3K 65362, Columbia Legacy C3K 90921, Sony SICP 35/7, Sony SICP 924/6

4 In a Silent Way (take 2)
45 rpm: Columbia 88725 473257 SV
12" LP: Mosaic MQ5-209
CD: Columbia Legacy C3K 65362, Columbia Legacy C3K 90921, Sony SICP 35/7, Sony SICP 924/6

5 It's About That Time (composite)
12" LP: Mosaic MQ5-209, Vinyl Me, Please A017
CD: Columbia Legacy C3K 65362, Columbia Legacy C3K 90921, Columbia 69699 89152, Sony SICP 35/7, Sony SICP 924/6

6 Shhh/Peaceful (LP version)
12" LP: Columbia CS 9875 (= PC 9875), Music on Vinyl MOV LP028, Mobile Fidelity Sound Laboratory MFSL 1-377, CBS/Sony SONP 50131, CBS/Sony SOPL 170, CBS/Sony 18AP 2075, CBS/Sony 23AP 2575, CBS/Sony 25AP 770, Mosaic MQ5-209, Vinyl Me, Please A017
CD: Columbia CK 40580, Columbia Legacy C3K 65362, Columbia Legacy C3K 90921, Columbia CK 86556, Mobile Fidelity Sound Laboratory UDSACD 2088, CBS/Sony 35DP 70, CBS/Sony 32DP 730, Sony SRCS 5712, Sony SRCS 9117, Sony SRCS 9713, Sony SRGS 4511, Sony SIGP 29, Sony SICP 35/7, Sony SICP 924/6, Sony SICP 833, Sony SICP 1219, Sony SICP 20059, , Sony SICP 30266, Sony SICJ 30076, Columbia Legacy 86975 24922 [= Columbia (F) 86975 52492] (CD 32)

7 In a Silent Way - It's About That Time (LP version)
12" LP: Columbia CS 9875 (= PC 9875), Music on Vinyl MOV LP028, Mobile Fidelity Sound Laboratory MFSL 1-377, Columbia C5X 45000, CBS/Sony SONP 50131, CBS/Sony SOPL 170, CBS/Sony 18AP 2075, CBS/Sony 23AP 2575, CBS/Sony 25AP 770, CBS/Sony 00AP 2076/81, Mosaic MQ5-209
CD: Columbia CK 40580, Columbia Legacy C4K 45000, Columbia Legacy C4K 86569, Columbia Legacy C3K 65362, Columbia Legacy C3K 90921, Columbia CK 86556, Mobile Fidelity Sound Laboratory UDSACD 2088, CBS/Sony 35DP 70, CBS/Sony 32DP 730, Sony SRCS 5712, CBS/Sony 80DP 872/5, Sony SRCS 5691/4, CBS/Sony 80DP 5430/3, Sony SICP 5037/40, Sony SRCS 9117, Sony SRCS 9713, Sony SRGS 4511, Sony SIGP 29, Sony SICP 35/7, Sony SICP 924/6, Sony SICP 833, Sony SICP 1219, Sony SICP 20059, , Sony SICP 30266, Sony SICJ 30076, Columbia Legacy 86975 24922 [= Columbia (F) 86975 52492] (CD 32)

About forty minutes of music was recorded during this session, which ran from 10:00 am until 1:30 pm. The listings above include a number of edited versions which combine bits in different ways.

Thirteen takes of "Shhh/Peaceful" were recorded. Teo Macero combined them to create the composite take (item 1 above), which was first included in the Complete In a Silent Way Sessions sets issued by Mosaic and Columbia in 2001. In his notes to the boxed set, Bob Belden suggests that this version "is as close as we will get to how the band actually played it (in pieces of course) that day." He also claims that "it contains all the usable music recorded." Macero's composite working version of "Shhh/Peaceful" is deconstructed below (first table). The composite version is the starting-point for the version issued on side A of the original LP (second table).

* The "parts" referred to here are different themes or motives; we may never know if they represent separate "takes." In the table, entries like "Part 2 (g solo)" and "Part 2 (ss solo)" refer to the same underlying theme or motive with different solos on top.

"It's About That Time" (item 5) was also assembled by Macero from several "takes" -- but in the absence of the unedited material it is impossible to say whether these were in fact different takes in the traditional sense. In any case, the tune includes two distinct bass vamps: one is a quick three-note repeated suspended pattern which Belden describes as "hover[ing] between E-flat and F" (call this vamp #1) and a longer sinewy pattern whose tonality is "definitely F mixolydian" (vamp #2) (first table below). Side B of the original LP began and ended with Zawinul's "In a Silent Way," between which Macero included a lightly-edited version of the composite working version (second table).

** The issued composite version of "It's About That Time" (item 5) begins with a fade-in of the closing vamp from "Shhh/Peaceful." This might be taken to indicate that this is a complete performance (the two tracks together making up a single 30:19 track). This appearance of continuity is almost certainly an illusion created by Macero's skillful editing. There is an audible splice at 0:18 of the issued "It's About That Time" composite indicating where the tunes were joined (if they ever were joined). Of the five distinct takes of this tune Macero preserved 0:34 of take 1, 1:56 of take 2, 0:17 of take 3, 1:45 of take 4, and 6:32 of take 5.

The Mosaic/Columbia Complete In a Silent Way Sessions (Mosaic MQ5-209, Columbia Legacy C3K 65362) includes, in addition to the first four titles listed here, the original LP versions of "Shhh/Peaceful" (18:16) and "In a Silent Way" (4:11) - "It's About That Time" (11:27) - "In a Silent Way" (4:13). What I have listed as the first "rehearsal" of "In a Silent Way" is not included in the Mosaic/Columbia sets: it has Davis getting familiar with the melody with the rhythm section; Shorter does not play on this take.

Bill Laswell's Panthalassa (Columbia CK 67909, Sony SRCS 8457) includes a 5:10 excerpt/remix of "Shhh/Peaceful," a 5:22 remix of "In a Silent Way," a 3:33 excerpt/remix of "It's About That Time," and a 1:08 remix of "In a Silent Way."

The collaboration Panthalassa: The Remixes (Columbia CK 69897, Sony SRJS 6010, Sony SRCS 8906) includes a 10:24 remix of "Shhh/Peaceful" listed as "SEA4 Miles Remix," and a 5:02 remix of "In a Silent Way."

There is a 4:53 remix of "It's About That Time" on Evolution of the Groove (Columbia Legacy 89152). Additional musicians include: Carlos Santana (g), Pat Thrall (g, programming), Geri Allen (el-p), Charlie Drayton (el-b, programming), Vincent Wilburn, Jr. (d), Aziza Faye and Ndongo Mbaye (perc).

A tour of Japan was scheduled for the first week(s) of January, but it was canceled. Later in the month the Quintet -- Davis, Shorter, Corea, Holland, and De Johnette -- was booked for three weeks at Club Baron in New York (January 25-February 16).