Session details: Columbia Studio D (October 26, 1955)

Miles Ahead session details

October 26, 1955 (31 items; TT = 112:14)

Columbia Studio D, New York NY

Commercial for Columbia

Show chatter

Miles Davis (tpt); John Coltrane (ts); William "Red" Garland (p); Paul Chambers (b); Philly Joe Jones (d)

1	Two Bass Hit (take 1) (J. Lewis-D. Gillespie)	3:50
	False start (0:03), then complete take
2	Two Bass Hit (take 2) (J. Lewis-D. Gillespie)	4:12
	"Co 54129, take two..."
3	Two Bass Hit (take 3 (fs + inc)) (J. Lewis-D. Gillespie)	1:45
	"Co 54129, take three..." False start (0:06), then incomplete take
4	Two Bass Hit (take 4 (fs)) (J. Lewis-D. Gillespie)	0:23
	"Co 54129, take four..." Two false starts
5	Two Bass Hit (take 5) (J. Lewis-D. Gillespie)	3:45
	"Co 54129, take five..."
6	Two Bass Hit (take 2/5) (J. Lewis-D. Gillespie)	3:41
	The issued version consists of take 2 through most of ts solo, then remainder from take five. The edit point is 2:31
7	Ah-Leu-Cha (take 1) (C. Parker)	6:07
	"Co 54130, take one..."
8	Ah-Leu-Cha (take 2 (fs)) (C. Parker)	0:21
	"Co 54129, take two..."
9	Ah-Leu-Cha (take 3 (inc)) (C. Parker)	1:33
	"Call it take three..."
10	Ah-Leu-Cha (take 4) (C. Parker)	6:21
	Coltrane practicing, then "Co 54130, take four. Quiet out there, everybody..." False start (0:03) then incomplete take
11	Ah-Leu-Cha (take 5) (C. Parker)	6:10
	"Co 54130, take five... John, move the tenor in a little closer to the mike during your solo only..."
12	Ah-Leu-Cha (take 5/4) (C. Parker)	5:49
	The issued version consists of take 5 to middle of tpt solo, then remainder from take 4. The edit point is 1:58
13	Billy Boy (take 1 (inc)) (Traditional)	0:54
	"Co 54131, take one..."
14	Billy Boy (take 2) (Traditional)	11:31
	"Take two..." False start (0:03), then complete take
15	Billy Boy (take 3) (Traditional)	8:40
	"Co 54131, take three..."
16	Little Melonae (rehearsal) (J. McLean)	0:09
17	Little Melonae (take 1 (inc)) (J. McLean)	1:24
	"Melonae, take one..."
18	Little Melonae (take 2) (J. McLean)	9:08
	"Co 54132, take two..." Two false starts (0:05, 0:03), then complete take
19	Little Melonae (take 3) (J. McLean)	7:19
	"Co 54132, take two [sic]..."
20	Little Melonae (take 2/3) (J. McLean)	7:19
	The issued version consists of take 2 to middle of tpt solo, then remainder from take 3. The edit point is 1:57. There is an additional splice at 6:57, so the final statement of the theme is from another take
21	Budo (rehearsal) (B. Powell-M. Davis)	0:55
	Rehearsal (0:36), then chatter
22	Budo (rehearsal) (B. Powell-M. Davis)	1:58
	Chatter + rehearsing (0:19). They play (0:19-0:41)
23	Budo (take 1) (B. Powell-M. Davis)	5:17
	Unintelligible exchange between Davis and George Avakian, then "Co 54133, take one..."
24	Budo (take 2) (B. Powell-M. Davis)	4:42
	"Co 54133, take one... two..." False start (0:11), then complete take
25	Budo (take 2 (insert)) (B. Powell-M. Davis)	1:09
	At the end Avakian says "I really like this much better now, we've, ah, put some echo on, which takes away the harshness. Uh, let's, let's take it right from the top, and if the, ah, balance between the two horns isn't right we'll stop you right away..."
26	Budo (take 3 (fs)) (B. Powell-M. Davis)	0:22
	"CO 54133, take three..." Avakian interrupts at 0:07: "Yeah, Miles, uh, try backing up a little bit more..."
27	Budo (take 4 (fs)) (B. Powell-M. Davis)	0:22
	"Uh, take four..." Avakian interrupts again at 0:07: "Uh, sorry to do it again. Too much tenor now. That's it. Yeah, you got it. You back up too, John, uh, I think we got the right sound now..."
28	Budo (take 5 (fs)) (B. Powell-M. Davis)	0:38
	"All right, this is take five..." Two false starts (0:09, 0:12). Avakian: "Yeah, this is a good sound now."
29	Budo (take 6 (inc)) (B. Powell-M. Davis)	1:18
	"Co 54133, take six..." Avakian interrupts at 0:49: "Miles? Miles, excuse me. Could we, could we take it once again from the top? There are a couple little clams there, and John, again we've got a little spit sound, that's probably 'cause you're blowin' soft, you know? If you go back, you'll, ah, you'll enable you to blow a little stronger..."
30	Budo (take 7 (inc)) (B. Powell-M. Davis)	0:47
	"OK, Co 54133, take seven..." Breakdown at 0:32. Avakian: "Sounds really good now..."
31	Budo (take 8) (B. Powell-M. Davis)	4:25
	"Take eight..." The issued version of take 8 includes the opening theme from take 1 and the coda from take 2. The edit points are 0:42 and 3:55


1 Two Bass Hit (take 1) 12" LP: Mosaic MQ9-191 CD: Columbia Legacy C6K 65833, Columbia Legacy C6K 90922, Sony SRCS 2223/8, Sony SICP 651/6, Columbia Legacy 86975 24922 [= Columbia (F) 86975 52492] (CD 2)
6 Two Bass Hit (take 2/5) 12" LP: Columbia KC2 36278, CBS/Sony 36AP 1409/10, Mosaic MQ9-191 CD: Columbia Legacy C2K 46862, Columbia Legacy C6K 65833, Columbia Legacy C6K 90922, Columbia Legacy CK 85201, Columbia Legacy C2K 94750, CBS/Sony CSCS 5340/1, Sony SRCS 9308/9, Sony SRCS 2223/8, Sony SICP 651/6, Sony SRCS 9725, Sony SRGS 4517, Sony SRCS 9759/60, Sony SICJ 30111/2, Sony SICP 810, Sony SICP 892, Sony SICP 30211, Sony SICJ 30038, Columbia Legacy 86975 24922 [= Columbia (F) 86975 52492] (CD 3)
7 Ah-Leu-Cha (take 1) 12" LP: Mosaic MQ9-191 CD: Columbia Legacy C6K 65833, Columbia Legacy C6K 90922, Sony SRCS 2223/8, Sony SICP 651/6
11 Ah-Leu-Cha (take 5) 12" LP: Mosaic MQ9-191 CD: Columbia Legacy C6K 65833, Columbia Legacy C6K 90922, Columbia Legacy CK 85201, Columbia Legacy C2K 94750, Sony SRCS 2223/8, Sony SICP 651/6, Sony SICP 892
12 Ah-Leu-Cha (take 5/4) 12" LP: Columbia CL 949 (= CS 8649), Columbia 88765 48605, Speakers Corner CL 949, Mobile Fidelity Sound Laboratory MFSL 1-373, Nippon Columbia YS-302, Nippon Columbia SL-1012, CBS/Sony SONP 50033, CBS/Sony SOPC 57139, CBS/Sony SOPL 151, CBS/Sony 18AP 2052, CBS/Sony 23AP 2552, CBS/Sony 25AP 751, CBS/Sony 28AP 2831, Mosaic MQ9-191 CD: Columbia CK 40610, Columbia Legacy C6K 65833, Columbia Legacy C6K 90922, Columbia Legacy CK 85201, Columbia Legacy C2K 94750, Columbia Legacy 88883 75664, Mobile Fidelity Sound Laboratory UDSACD 2083, CBS/Sony 32DP 510, Sony SRCS 9101, Sony SRCS 2223/8, Sony SICP 651/6, Sony SRCS 9725, Sony SRGS 4517, Sony SICP 810, Sony SICP 892, Sony SICP 1201, Sony SICP 10081, Sony SICP 20004, Sony SICP 30211, Sony SICJ 30038, Sony SICJ 11, Sony SICP 30521/9, Columbia Legacy 86975 24922 [= Columbia (F) 86975 52492] (CD 2)
20 Little Melonae (take 2/3) 12" LP: Columbia PC 32025, CBS/Sony SOPM 140, CBS/Sony 20AP 1401, Mosaic MQ9-191 CD: Columbia CK 44052, Columbia Legacy C6K 65833, Columbia Legacy C6K 90922, CBS/Sony CSCS 5140, Sony SRCS 9102, Sony SRCS 2223/8, Sony SICP 651/6, Sony SRCS 9744, Sony SICP 1204, Sony SRGS 4517, Sony SICP 30211, Sony SICJ 30038, Columbia Legacy 86975 24922 [= Columbia (F) 86975 52492] (CD 2, CD 6)
23 Budo (take 1) 12" LP: Columbia C5X 45000, Mosaic MQ9-191 CD: Columbia Legacy C4K 45000, Columbia Legacy C4K 86569, Columbia Legacy C6K 65833, Columbia Legacy C6K 90922, Columbia Legacy CK 85201, Columbia Legacy C2K 94750, CBS/Sony 80DP 5430/3, Sony SICP 5037/40, Sony SRCS 2223/8, Sony SICP 651/6, Sony SICP 892, Sony SICP 1201, Sony SICP 10081, Sony SICP 20004, Sony SICP 30211, Sony SICJ 30038, Sony SICJ 11
31 Budo (take 8) 12" LP: Columbia CL 1020, Columbia PC 32025, Columbia JP 13811, Mosaic MQ9-191, CBS (F) BPG 62637, CBS/Sony SONP 50199, CBS/Sony SOPM 140 CD: Columbia CK 44052, Columbia Legacy C6K 65833, Columbia Legacy C6K 90922, Sony SRCS 2223/8, Sony SICP 651/6, Sony SICP 30211, Sony SICJ 30038, Columbia Legacy 86975 24922 [= Columbia (F) 86975 52492] (CD 2)

This is Davis' first session for Columbia, undertaken while he was still under exclusive contract with Prestige. (The Columbia material was not released until after Davis had fulfilled the terms of his Prestige contract.)

"Budo" is Bud Powell's "Hallucinations," recorded for Mercury in 1951. When the tune was recorded by Davis Nonet for Capitol in January 1949, the title had changed to "Budo" and Davis was co-credited as composer.

Although the originally-issued version of "Two Bass Hit" is often listed as a composite of takes 2 and 5, Carl Woideck has noted that Coltrane's solo is cobbled together from his solos on take 2 (71 mm), take 5 (14 mm), and take 1 (24 mm).

Several incomplete takes of "Ah-Leu-Cha" and "Budo" are included in Steve Rowland's The Miles Davis Radio Project, broadcast by American Public Radio in 1990. Davis and Coltrane are out on "Billy Boy." Most of the takes of "Ah-Leu-Cha" and "Billy Boy" are included on The Making of 'Round About Midnight (Kind of Blue KOB 004).

Coltrane joined the Davis Quintet in late September at the Club Las Vegas in Baltimore. For the rest of the year they were quite busy: Club Las Vegas, Baltimore; (September 27-October 2); Blue Bird Inn, Detroit (possibly October 4-9); Birdland, New York (October 13-16); Carnegie Hall, New York (Saturday, October 15, 8:30pm); Andy's Log Cabin, Gloucester Heights, NJ (October 17); Jazzarama, Boston (October 27-November 6); Cotton Club, Cleveland (November 7-13); Hudson Theatre, New York (Tonight Show, November 17); Basin Street, New York (November 18-19); Olivia's Patio Lounge, Washington DC (November 21-26); Blue Note, Philadelphia (December 5-10); Birdland Show Lounge, Chicago (December 21-January 1, 1956).