sign in sign up
<<
Home , Al Foster, Badal Roy, Bennie Maupin, Bitches Brew, Bob Belden, Carlos Garnett

MILES DAVIS THE COMPLETE SESSIONS

DELUXE 6-CD ‘METAL-SPINE’ BOX SET CONTAINS MORE THAN 6 HOURS OF MUSIC – COVERING 16 SESSIONS FROM ON THE CORNER (1972), BIG FUN, AND (1974)

12 PREVIOUSLY UNISSUED TRACKS PLUS FIVE TRACKS PREVIOUSLY UNISSUED IN FULL – MORE THAN TWO HOURS OF “NEW” MUSIC

Musicians joining Miles in ever-changing session lineups include: , , John McLaughlin, , , , , Jack DeJohnette, , , , , , , , and many others

120-page full-color booklet includes liner notes essays by Grammy-winning producer , journalist Tom Terrell, and acclaimed arranger and , close friend and collaborator with Miles

Plus: Dozens of rare photographs, and new illustrations by original On The Corner LP cover artist Cortez ‘Corky’ McCoy

Final entry in 8-time Grammy-winning Series of ‘metal-spine’ multi-CD box sets, arrives in stores September 25, 2007, on Columbia/Legacy

“…it was the Stockhausen which so totally caught his attention that he placed that disc on the auto-changer, and, since he had had speakers installed throughout his house, had Gruppen playing, loud, over and over again. At one point, he had turn the record over and play, repeatedly, Mixtur. This music filled his house for the better part of the day, and also on other subsequent days. He obtained a cassette copy of Stockhausen’s , and found that piece most intriguing. I saw in fact that he had that cassette in his Lamborghini Miura…” – from the liner notes written by Paul Buckmaster

“A dense, shape-shifting matrix of wah-wah , distorted electric , pixilated drones, boombapping drums/tic-tic-tic-ticking hi- hat, congas/ stuttering in 3/4-to-4/4-to-7/4-15/8 time, handclaps- bells, squirrelly-chirpy woodwinds, sci-fi keyboards, bubbling/burbling bass and a very tenacious whistler (‘woooo-woo-woo-woo-woo’) aurally manipulated ’n’ trombipulated by to a near- hallucinogenic state of rhythm trance satori, On The Corner was so one- giant-step-for-mankind future perfect, it was its own genre.” – from the liner notes written by Tom Terrell

“Teo would change the shape of the music with simple things; starting the edit early, giving the impression of some odd-metered phrase; looping solo phrases so that one would feel the presence of melody; and creating a 45- rpm single that was edited from the master differently from the LP. That so many important producers consider this recording to be ahead of its time speaks well for the enduring charm of Miles Davis, but more for the innovative production methods of Teo Macero.” – from the liner notes written by Bob Belden

For Miles Davis (1926-1991), the period of musical development that took place in his career from 1972 to 1975 represented a profound new direction – his immersion into the improvisational funk that virtually dominated his music for the rest of his life. that he assembled and the music that he created over the course those springs and four summers were a revolution in thought and sound, played out over the course of three back-to-back on : the clarion call-to-arms of On The Corner (October 1972), followed by the expanded-length double-LP sets Big Fun (April 1974) and Get Up With It (November 1974). As with every phase of Miles’ tenure at Columbia for the previous two decades (since his signing to the company and first recordings for the label in 1955), the music contained on those three albums was a small fraction of his total output at Studio B on West . For the first time, the full panorama of sessions that took place from 1972 to ’75 – including over six and a half hours of music with 12 previously unissued tracks and another five tracks that are previously unissued in full – has been gathered together on MILES DAVIS: THE COMPLETE ON THE CORNER SESSIONS. The deluxe 6-CD ‘metal-spine’ box set is housed in a slipcase featuring the familiar playful street-scene cover illustration – with sculpted, embossed characters – by original artist Cortez ‘Corky’ McCoy, who has also rendered new illustrations for the package. Containing a 120-page full-color booklet, THE COMPLETE ON THE CORNER SESSIONS will arrive in stores September 25th as the final entry in the critically acclaimed Miles Davis Series on Columbia/Legacy, a division of SONY BMG MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT. In addition to the usual painstakingly annotated sessionographies, discographic and personnel data compiled by box set producers Bob Belden and , the booklet features three liner notes writers. The focal 2,200-word historic essay was written by Washington, D.C.-based journalist-photographer Tom Terrell, a frequent contributor to Global Rhythm, Vibe, Essence, Jazziz, and other publications, and annotator of more than 60 albums. A second essay of 2,300 words, “Remembering Miles And On The Corner,” was written by acclaimed British arranger-conductor and cellist Paul Buckmaster, and is his first foray into liner notes. Best known for his work with , , , and literally hundreds of other artists over the past four decades, it was Buckmaster who turned-on Miles in 1969 to the tape manipulation of post-war avant-garde electronic composer . The seismic effect that this had on Miles’ studio creativity, starting with , cannot be over-emphasized. Box set co-producer Bob Belden, who has won three for his work on the Miles Davis Series, has written the introduction to the booklet. He also closes the booklet with an appreciation of Miles’ long-time producer Teo Macero. “He brought to a higher standard of what sounded good and what didn’t,” Belden writes of Teo. “Columbia meant ‘first class’ and Teo delivered the goods with an uncanny sense of daring and the belief that whatever he thinks is right, is right. Years from now, students of music will be able to take courses on the productions of Teo Macero.” In the context of the great Miles Davis discography on Columbia Records, the creation of On The Corner in 1972 follows the February-June 1970 sessions that produced 1971’s A Tribute To and Live-Evil LPs. Though some 18 musicians participated in those sessions, the core lineup consisted of Miles on trumpet, on electric , a saxophonist (Dave Liebman or ), a guitarist ( or guest John McLaughlin), electric (replaced in April by 19-year old Michael Henderson, straight out of , and ’s backup group), drummer Jack DeJohnette, and percussionist . It was that lineup (with Henderson and McLaughlin) which can be heard on the revelatory 6-CD box set of 2005, Sessions 1970, recorded at the Washington, D.C. club the week before Christmas. Constant touring occupied Miles through most of 1971 as his performances “moved closer and closer to the funk based sound of and ,” Belden writes. “The musical continuity that had begun with Coltrane ended with Jarrett and David Liebman. There would no longer be a majority of musicians within the band who had strong musical ties to the Davis tradition.” With Henderson at his side, Miles undertook a great deal of experimentation as 1972 began. On June 1st, the first session took place yielding music that would be used for On The Corner, the four-part 20-minute variation-on-a-theme of “On The Corner/ Girl/Thinkin’ One Thing And Doin’ Another/Vote For Miles” and take 2 of “Black Satin.” Session records list 12 players at the date: Miles Davis (trumpet), Dave Liebman (soprano sax), Chick Corea (synthesizer), Herbie Hancock (electric piano), Harold Ivory Williams (organ), John McLaughlin (), Colin Walcott (), Michael Henderson (electric bass), Jack DeJohnette (drums), (congas), (tablas), Billy Hart (wood block, cowbell, percussion). The session also produced two versions of “On The Corner” that have been previously unissued in full until now. The next session took place quickly, on June 6th, with small variations in the lineup: Carlos Garnett (tenor sax, soprano sax) and Bennie Maupin (), and McLaughlin replaced by Dave Creamer. This session produced the other two tracks that would be used for On The Corner, “One And One” and the 23-minute “Helen Butte/Mr. Freedom X.” The session also produced versions of both that have been previously unissued in full until now. The On The Corner LP was released with “On The Corner/New York Girl/Thinkin’ One Thing And Doin’ Another/Vote For Miles” and “Black Satin” on side one; and “One And One” and “Helen Butte/Mr. Freedom X” on side two. It was the beginning of a three-year campaign that encompassed another 13 sessions, and (along with the aforementioned June 1972 crew) a kaleidoscopic array of musicians: young James ‘Mtume’ Heath (son of saxophonist and nephew of bassist ), guitarists Reggie Lucas and Pete Cosey (who also played drums!), Lonnie Liston Smith (electric piano), Al Foster (drums), Cedric Lawson (organ and electric piano), Khalil Balakrishna (electric sitar), and saxophonists Sonny Fortune and . Critical reaction to Miles’ new direction was never unanimous at the time – “newly converted Davis fans” (as Belden describes the younger rock audience) and the black music audience that had been following Miles both accepted every move of his favorably. But the mouldy fig jazz critical establishment was slow to catch on, and some of them never did at all, censuring Miles for hiring players whom (they felt) were not steeped in jazz. “Little did they know that we knew all about jazz,” Henderson told Terrell. “We just chose not to do it for this occasion. The truth is, they just didn’t like the fact that we had all these rhythms they didn’t understand and couldn’t get into. And since they couldn’t get into it, they’d rather shun it. They stigmatized us with that. Those same critics are giving us five stars now.” The three crucial years of this new box set, 1972-75, coincidentally turned out to mark a cataclysmic plateau for Miles Davis. In the early morning hours of October 21, 1972, just ten days after the release of On The Corner, Miles totaled his Lamborghini in a crash on Manhattan’s West Side Highway. He was hospitalized for two months and emerged on crutches with full-leg casts. Though he continued to record and tour – at the height of his popularity and money-earning power, selling-out stadiums around the world like the full-blown rock star he was – the pain was insufferable and could barely be contained by drugs. His final concert took place in ’75, during New York’s summer festival in Central Park. It was the beginning of a six-year hiatus from recording and touring that lasted until 1981, when he re-emerged on LP and went back . Therefore, for all , THE COMPLETE ON THE CORNER SESSIONS arrives as the eighth and final deluxe ‘metal-spine’ multi-CD box set in the Miles Davis Series. The series has won a total of eight Grammy Awards since it was launched in 1996, with the 6-CD Miles Davis & : The Complete Columbia Studio Recordings.

Miles Davis & Gil Evans: The Complete Columbia Studio Recordings (released in 1996), the 6-CD box set (covering 1957 to 1968) which won three Grammy Awards – Best Historical Album, Best Album Notes, and Best Recording Package (Boxed) – only the second time in Grammy history that trifecta has ever been achieved;

Miles Davis 1965-’68: The Complete Columbia Studio Recordings (February 1998), the 6-CD box set which won the Grammy Award for Best Album Notes;

The Complete Bitches Brew Sessions (October 1998); the 4-CD boxed set (covering 1969-70) which won the Grammy as Best Boxed Recording Package;

Miles Davis & : The Complete Columbia Recordings 1955- 1961 (February 2000), the 6-CD box set which won two Grammy Awards, Best Boxed Recording Package and Best Album Notes;

The Complete Sessions (September 2001), the 3-CD box set (covering 1968-69);

The Complete Jack Johnson Sessions (August 2003), the 5-CD box set (covering February-June 1970) which won the Grammy Award for Best Boxed Or Special Limited Edition Package;

Seven Steps: The Complete Columbia Recordings Of Miles Davis 1963-1964 (August 2004), the 7-CD box set;

The Complete On The Corner Sessions (September 2007), the 6-CD final box set in the series (covering 1972-75).

MILES DAVIS: THE COMPLETE ON THE CORNER SESSIONS (Columbia/Legacy 88697 06239 2)

Disc 1 (June 1972) Personnel Album reference Rec.__ 1. * On The Corner (unedited MD,DL,CC,HH,HW,JM, previously unissued in full 6/1/72 master) CW,MH,JD,DA,BR,BH2 2. * On The Corner (take 4) (same as above) previously unissued in full 6/1/72 3. * One And One (unedited MD,CG,BM,HH,HW,DC, previously unissued in full 6/6/72 master) CW,MH,JD,BH,DA,BR 4. * Helen Butte/Mr. Freedom X (same as above) previously unissued in full 6/6/72 (unedited master) 5. # Jabali MD,CG,BM,HH,LS or HW, previously unissued 6/12/72 CW,MH,AF,BH, DA,BR

Disc 2 (June – Nov. 1972) Personnel Album reference Rec.__ 1. Ife (same as D1, track 5; add PB) Big Fun 6/12/72 2. # Chieftain MD,CL,RL,KB,MH,AF,BR,M previously unissued 8/23/72 3. Rated X MD2,CL2, RL,KB,MH,AF,BR,M Get Up With It 9/6/72 4. # Turnaround MD,CG,CL,RL,KB,MH,AF,BR,M previously unissued 11/29/72 5. # U-Turnaround (same as above) previously unissued 11/29/72

Disc 3 (Dec, 1972 – Sept. 1973) Personnel Album reference Rec.__ 1. (same as D2, tracks 4-5) Get Up With It 12/8/72 2. # The Hen MD,DL,CL,RL,KB,MH,AF,BR,M previously unissued 1/4/73 3. # Big Fun/Holly-wuud (take 2) MD,MD2,DL,RL,PC,MH,AF,M previously unissued 7/26/73 4. * Big Fun/Holly-wuud (take 3) (same as above) previously unissued in full 7/26/73 5. # Peace (same as above) previously unissued 7/26/73 6. # Mr. Foster MD2,DL,RL,PC,MH,AF,M previously unissued 9/18/73

Disc 4 (Sept. 1973 – June 1974) Personnel Album reference Rec.__ 1. Calypso Frelimo MD,MD2,DL,JS,RL,PC,MH,AF,M Get Up With It 9/17/73 2. He Loved Him Madly MD,MD2,DL,RL,PC,DG,MH,AF,M Get Up With It 6/19/74

Disc 5 (Oct. 1974 – May 1975) Personnel Album reference Rec.__ 1. Maiysha MD,MD2,SF,RL,PC,DG,MH,AF,M Get Up With It 10/7/74 2. Mtume (same as above) Get Up With It 10/7/74 3. # Mtume (take 11) (same as above) Get Up With It 10/7/74 4. # Hip-Skip MD,MD2,SF,RL,DG,MH,PC2,M previously unissued 11/6/74 5. # What They Do MD,MD2,SF,RL,PC,DG,MH,AF,M previously unissued 11/6/74 6. # Minnie MD,SM,RL,PC,MH,AF,M previously unissued 5/5/75

Disc 5 (March 1972 – July 1973) Personnel Album reference Rec.__ 1. Red China MD,WC,CD,MH,AF,BP,M Get Up With It 3/9/72 2. On The Corner/New York Girl/ MD,DL,CC,HH,HW,JM, On The Corner 6/1/72 Thinkin’ Of One Thing And CW,MH,JD,DA,BR,BH2 Doin’ Another/Vote For Miles 3. Black Satin (same as above) On The Corner 6/1/72 4. One And One MD,CG,BM,HH,HW,DC, On The Corner 6/6/72 CW,MH,JD,BH,DA,BR 5. Helen Butte/Mr. Freedom X (same as above) On The Corner 6/6/72 6. Big Fun MD,MD2,DL,RL,PC,MH,AF,M Big Fun edited single 7/26/73 7. Holly-wuud (same as above) Big Fun edited single 7/26/73

Album index: On The Corner ( released on October 11, 1972, as Columbia KC 31906) Big Fun (originally released on April 19, 1974, as Columbia PG 32866) Get Up With It (originally released on November 22, 1974, as Columbia KG 33236)

Personnel key: MD – Miles Davis (trumpet) MD2 – Miles Davis (organ) DL – Dave Liebman (soprano sax or tenor sax or flute) CC – Chick Corea (synthesizer) HH – Herbie Hancock (electric piano) HW – Harold Ivory Williams (organ) JM – John McLaughlin (guitar) CW – Colin Walcott (electric sitar) MH – Michael Henderson (electric bass) JD – Jack DeJohnette (drums) DA – Don Alias (congas) BR – Badal Roy (tablas) BH2 – Billy Hart (wood block, cowbell, percussion) BH – Billy Hart (drums) CG – Carlos Garnett (tenor sax, soprano sax) BM – Bennie Maupin (bass clarinet, DC – Dave Creamer (guitar) LS – Lonnie Liston Smith (electric piano) AF – Al Foster (drums) CL – Cedric Lawson (organ) CL2 – Cedric Lawson (electric piano) RL – Reggie Lucas (guitar) KB – Khalil Balakrishna (electric sitar) M – Mtume (congas) PC – Pete Cosey (guitar) PC2 – Pete Cosey (drums) JS – John Stubblefield (soprano sax) SF – Sonny Fortune (soprano sax, flute) WC – Wally Chambers (harmonica) CD – (guitar) BP – (drums)

For further information on MILES DAVIS contact: Tom Cording at Legacy Media Relations, 212.833.4448, Randy Haecker at Legacy Media Relations, 212.833.4101, or Michele Scott at Legacy Media Relations, 212.833.7310 Email: [email protected]

ADDRESS TEARSHEETS TO:

Tom Cording or Randy Haecker SONY BMG LEGACY 550 Madison Avenue, 17th floor New York, NY 10022-3211

legacyrecordings.com miles-davis.com