Bootleg: Miles Davis Quintet Live in Europe 1967

[Larry Kart]

We may have talked about this before, but "Walkin'" was first recorded in 1950 by Gene Ammons under the title "Gravy" and (minimal though the line may be) is a Jimmy Mundy composition.

Does "Gravy" have the intro Miles uses? (The Leo Parker sort of does.)

"Gravy" does not have the Miles intro, which "El Sino" certainly hints at.

Not at the beginning, but Gravy actually has it as outro! (El Sino and Walkin' use it both as intro and outro)

I couldn't find a video of Gravy, but it exists on Spotify for those who have that.

Thanks -- that's what I get for not listening all the way through.

[Larry Kart]

Here's Gitler's take:

http://www.plosin.com/milesahead/prlp/prlp7076.html

[Larry Kart]

We may have talked about this before, but "Walkin'" was first recorded in 1950 by Gene Ammons under the title "Gravy" and (minimal though the line may be) is a Jimmy Mundy composition.

Does "Gravy" have the intro Miles uses? (The Leo Parker sort of does.)

"Gravy" does not have the Miles intro, which "El Sino" certainly hints at.

Not at the beginning, but Gravy actually has it as outro! (El Sino and Walkin' use it both as intro and outro)

I couldn't find a video of Gravy, but it exists on Spotify for those who have that.

I have Spotify but don't find Ammons' "Gravy" there.

[Swinging Swede]

We may have talked about this before, but "Walkin'" was first recorded in 1950 by Gene Ammons under the title "Gravy" and (minimal though the line may be) is a Jimmy Mundy composition.

Does "Gravy" have the intro Miles uses? (The Leo Parker sort of does.)

"Gravy" does not have the Miles intro, which "El Sino" certainly hints at.

Not at the beginning, but Gravy actually has it as outro! (El Sino and Walkin' use it both as intro and outro)

I couldn't find a video of Gravy, but it exists on Spotify for those who have that.

I have Spotify but don't find Ammons' "Gravy" there.

Aha, could be licensing differences depending on one's location then. If I search for 'Gene Ammons Gravy', I get four different albums containing it. Three are public domain releases, but one is Stitt's Bits, an official Concord release, which one would assume they would make available in the US too.

[king ubu]

from Bill Kirchner's new liner notes to the Verve Master Edition of Boss Tenors in Orbit:

Pianist Junior Mance, who had been working with Ammons's group since 1947, recalls: "Sonny was stranded without a gig in Chicago, and he used to sit in with us all the time in a little joint called the Congo Lounge on the South Side. So they played together a hell of a lot before they ever recorded." Ammons and Stitt made their first recordings in March 1950 in new York for the Prestige label; the session produced their first hit, "Blues Up and Down." In April, they returned to a New York studio with a four-horns-and-rhythm septet and recorded a blues called "Gravy." That tune later became much better known as "Walkin'," with Ammons's manager credited as composer; it was a staple in the repertoire of Miles Davis and many others. However, Mance states unequivocally that the piece was composed by the veteran composer-arranger Jimmy Mundy, who was writing for the Ammons septet.

"I stayed at his house with him [Mundy] and his wife," says Mance, "and we talked a lot about music, and he wrote this thing called 'Gravy.' He wrote the original tune, the melody; I was there when he was doing it. That's the last time I noticed it was 'Gravy'; next time it came out 'Walkin'' with Richard Carpenter's name on it." No one is sure why or how this happened.

Ammons and Stitt spent much of the next two years touring and recording, with both the septet and a quintet. "They were completely different, but a compatible contrast," Mance relates. "The way they structured their solos, and the sound especially. Sonny was more into Bird [Charlie Parker]; that was his mentor. Jug? It was hard to say who his mentor was; there was a lot of Lester Young in him."

[Pete C]

Ill-gotten copyrights should not be honored, IMO.

[DukeCity]

Here's Gitler's take:

http://www.plosin.co...p/prlp7076.html

Thanks for that link. Cool to see digital mock-ups of the original back covers and notes!

Edit to add: iTunes has "Gravy (AKA Walkin')" as a part of Stitt's Bits and a Fantasy release "The Gene Ammons Story: The 78 Era."

They are both the same septet recording.

Edited October 3, 2011 by DukeCity

[romualdo]

Received my set yesterday (Euro version)

My Disc 2 appears to be faulty

It's difficult to load into my computer - keeps rejecting the disc but was eventually able to load it into Itunes

Track 2 (Footprints) has quite audible clicking/ticking at 4:10 (lasting about 20 secs) & 6:25 (lasting approx 10 secs)

Track 5 (Masqualero) as above @ 5:40 (approx 10 secs)

These "anomalies" are most evident when the disc is in the car player - don't think they are part of the recording; nothing mentioned in the liner notes

Anyone else had the same problem?

Would appreciate someone else having a listen to their disc at those times listed above

Will probably have to send the set back for a replacement - usually easy procedure with Amazon UK (have done this before)

[J.A.W.]

Received my set yesterday (Euro version)

My Disc 2 appears to be faulty

It's difficult to load into my computer - keeps rejecting the disc but was eventually able to load it into Itunes

Track 2 (Footprints) has quite audible clicking/ticking at 4:10 (lasting about 20 secs) & 6:25 (lasting approx 10 secs)

Track 5 (Masqualero) as above @ 5:40 (approx 10 secs)

These "anomalies" are most evident when the disc is in the car player - don't think they are part of the recording; nothing mentioned in the liner notes

Anyone else had the same problem?

Would appreciate someone else having a listen to their disc at those times listed above

Will probably have to send the set back for a replacement - usually easy procedure with Amazon UK (have done this before)

I have just listened to those tracks on my system (Mark Levinson, Quad ESL) and there's no problem - I also have the European version.

Edited October 11, 2011 by J.A.W.

[romualdo]

Many thanks Hans

[Rosco]

Just noticed, doing an A/B comparison, that the bootlegs I have of the Paris date are in stereo, while the new version is mono. Odd.

[skeith]

What creative solutions have you guys figured out for keeping the booklet with the cds?

[JSngry]

I've just left mine unopened...

[king ubu]

I've just left mine unopened...

kind of difficult to listen to the CDs that way, though

[JSngry]

Eh...I just use my imagination.

[JETman]

What creative solutions have you guys figured out for keeping the booklet with the cds?

Please allow me to take a page from the depths of anality that exist on the Hoffman board, and point out the obvious. Carefully open the plastic wrap around the set at the seams, and once you're finished listening to it, store it back inside the plastic wrap. The booklet has no place to fall out. Problem solved!

[Pete C]

What creative solutions have you guys figured out for keeping the booklet with the cds?

I stick it in the middle of the case. My shelf is solid, so it keeps the booklet from falling to the ground. When it's not on the shelf I keep it in close proximity to the case and never take my eyes off it, lest it should walk off.

[Free For All]

I just constantly drop it and bend over to pick it up. I can use the exercise.

[JSngry]

I just constantly drop it and bend over to pick it up. I can use the exercise.

Gee, I never considered incorporating exercise into the routine...think I should get a doctor's clearance first, like how they say on those ED commercials to check with your doctor to see if your heart is strong enough for sexual activity, like, hey, doc, is my back strong enough for Miles booklet retrieval?

[jeffcrom]

I memorized the booklet, then ate it to keep it out of the wrong hands.

[John Tapscott]

What creative solutions have you guys figured out for keeping the booklet with the cds?

A width of duct tape wrapped around the whole set.

[JSngry]

I memorized the booklet, then ate it to keep it out of the wrong hands.

Another option! What's the carb count on that thing?

[Pete C]

My heart is strong enough for sexual activity as well as the second quintet, but I'm not sure I could handle the excitement of both at the same time.

[John L]

I attached the booklet to a gold chain that I wear around my neck. The booklet will never get lost and the second quintet is always close to my heart. Now how cool is that?

[medjuck]

Just noticed, doing an A/B comparison, that the bootlegs I have of the Paris date are in stereo, while the new version is mono. Odd.

Phooey! (I think I'n one of the only people who almost always prefers stereo when it's available.)