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Miles Ahead session details

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July 17, 1955 (6 items; TT = 23:48)
Festival Field, Newport RI
Voice of America (VOA) broadcast (B+)
Show chatter

Miles Davis (tpt); Zoot Sims [John Haley] (ts); Gerry Mulligan (bs); Thelonious Monk (p); Percy Heath (b); Connie Kay (d); Edward "Duke" Ellington (ann)

1 Introduction (Duke Ellington) 1:16
2 Introduction (Gerry Mulligan) 0:08
3 Hackensack (T. Monk) 7:48
4 Introduction (Gerry Mulligan) 0:10
5 'Round Midnight (B. Hanighen-C. Williams-T. Monk) 5:56
6 Now's the Time (C. Parker) 8:30

Stage chatter and count-off first 0:10


1 Introduction (Duke Ellington)
CD: Columbia Legacy 88875 08195, Sony SICJ 30001/4, Jazz Unlimited JUCD 2050, Storyville STA 130467, FAP 001/3, Definitive DRCD 11294

2 Introduction (Gerry Mulligan)
CD: Columbia Legacy 88875 08195, Sony SICJ 30001/4, Jazz Unlimited JUCD 2050, Storyville STA 130467, FAP 001/3, Definitive DRCD 11294

3 Hackensack
CD: Columbia Legacy 88875 08195, Sony SICJ 30001/4, Jazz Unlimited JUCD 2050, Storyville STA 130467, FAP 001/3, Definitive DRCD 11294

4 Introduction (Gerry Mulligan)
CD: Columbia Legacy 88875 08195, Sony SICJ 30001/4, Jazz Unlimited JUCD 2050, Storyville STA 130467, FAP 001/3, Definitive DRCD 11294

5 'Round Midnight
CD: Columbia Legacy 88875 08195, Sony SICJ 30001/4, Columbia Legacy C3K 89076, Columbia Legacy C2K 94750, Sony SICP 892, Jazz Unlimited JUCD 2050, Storyville STA 130467, FAP 001/3, Definitive DRCD 11294

6 Now's the Time
CD: Columbia Legacy 88875 08195, Sony SICJ 30001/4, Jazz Unlimited JUCD 2050, Storyville STA 130467, FAP 001/3, Definitive DRCD 11294


Davis was added at the last minute to this All-Star jam session; they appeared after the Count Basie Orchestra and before the Dave Brubeck Quartet. This is the Newport Jazz Festival at which Davis is supposed to have made such a remarkable comeback -- but remember that few of the excellent late-1954 recordings had been released at the time. For all the hype surrounding his playing on this date (including Davis' own in his autobiography), his playing on "'Round Midnight" begins very tentatively, and the applause following his solo is pretty tepid.

Nevertheless, probably on the strengths of his performance here, Davis was soon approached by George Avakian, who offered him a recording contract with Columbia Records.

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