The Complete Jack Johnson Sessions
Encyclopedia
The Complete Jack Johnson Sessions were recorded in April 1970 by Miles Davis
, and released in September 2003. These sessions formed the basis for the 1970 album A Tribute to Jack Johnson
.
They were recorded as the soundtrack for a documentary by the same name about the heavyweight world champion boxer Jack Johnson
. One of the tracks closes with brief soliloquy by actor Brock Peters
portraying Johnson.
Disc Two (68:19)
Disc Three (77:48)
Disc Four (71:14)
Disc Five (76:04)
All compositions by Miles Davis
except Disc Four, tracks 4 through 12 by Hermeto Pascoal.
(*) Previously Unissued
(**) Previously Unissued in Full
Miles Davis
Miles Dewey Davis III was an American jazz musician, trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. Widely considered one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Miles Davis was, with his musical groups, at the forefront of several major developments in jazz music, including bebop, cool jazz,...
, and released in September 2003. These sessions formed the basis for the 1970 album A Tribute to Jack Johnson
A Tribute to Jack Johnson
A Tribute to Jack Johnson is a studio album by American jazz musician Miles Davis, released February 24, 1971 on Columbia Records. It also serves as the soundtrack for a documentary by Bill Cayton about the heavyweight world champion boxer Jack Johnson....
.
They were recorded as the soundtrack for a documentary by the same name about the heavyweight world champion boxer Jack Johnson
Jack Johnson (boxer)
John Arthur Johnson , nicknamed the “Galveston Giant,” was an American boxer. At the height of the Jim Crow era, Johnson became the first African American world heavyweight boxing champion...
. One of the tracks closes with brief soliloquy by actor Brock Peters
Brock Peters
Brock Peters was an American actor, best known for playing the role of Tom Robinson in the 1962 film To Kill a Mockingbird...
portraying Johnson.
Track listing
Disc One (75:10)- Tracks 1-4 recorded February 18, 1970 Columbia 30th Street Studio BCBS 30th Street StudioCBS 30th Street Studio, also known as Columbia 30th Street Studio, and nicknamed "The Church", was an American recording studio operated by Columbia Records from 1949 to 1981 located at 207 East 30th Street, between Second and Third Avenues in Manhattan, New York City...
, New York, NY - Tracks 5-9 recorded February 27, 1970 Columbia Studio B
- Track 10 recorded March 3, 1970 Columbia Studio B
- "Willie Nelson (Take 2)"** – 6:41
- "Willie Nelson (Take 3)"* – 10:21
- "Willie Nelson (Insert 1)"** – 6:33
- "Willie Nelson (Insert 2)"** – 5:22
- "Willie Nelson (Remake Take 1)"* – 10:45
- "Willie Nelson (Remake Take 2)" – 10:17
- "Johnny Bratton (Take 4)"* – 8:18
- "Johnny Bratton (Insert 1)"* – 6:39
- "Johnny Bratton (Insert 2)"* – 5:20
- "Archie Moore"* – 4:45
Disc Two (68:19)
- Tracks 1-5 recorded March 3, 1970 Columbia Studio B
- Tracks 6-7 recorded March 17, 1970 Columbia Studio C
- Track 8 recorded March 20, 1970 Columbia Studio B
- "Go Ahead John (Part One)"** – 13:07
- "Go Ahead John (Part Two A)"** – 7:00
- "Go Ahead John (Part Two B)"** – 10:06
- "Go Ahead John (Part Two C)"** – 3:38
- "Go Ahead John (Part One Remake)"** – 11:04
- "Duran (Take 4)"* – 5:37
- "Duran (Take 6)" – 11:20
- "Sugar Ray"* – 6:16
Disc Three (77:48)
- Tracks 1-6 recorded April 7, 1970 Columbia Studio B
- Tracks 7-8 recorded May 19, 1970 Columbia Studio C
- "Right Off (Take 10)" – 11:09
- "Right Off (Take 10A)"** – 4:33
- "Right Off (Take 11)"** – 5:58
- "Right Off (Take 12)"** – 8:49
- "Yesternow (Take 16)"* – 9:49
- "Yesternow (New Take 4)"** – 16:02
- "Honky Tonk (Take 2)"** – 10:04
- "Honky Tonk (Take 5)"* – 11:29
Disc Four (71:14)
- Tracks 1-2 recorded May 19, 1970 Columbia Studio C
- Track 3 recorded May 21, 1970 Columbia Studio C
- Tracks 6-10 recorded June 3, 1970 Columbia Studio C
- Tracks 11-12 recorded June 4, 1970 Columbia Studio C
- "Ali (Take 3)"* – 6:50
- "Ali (Take 4)"* – 10:16
- "Konda"** – 16:29
- "Nem Um Talvez (Take 17)"* – 2:50
- "Nem Um Talvez (Take 19)"* – 2:54
- "Little High People (Take 7)"* – 6:52
- "Little High People (Take 8)"* – 9:28
- "Nem Um Talvez (Take 3)"* – 4:36
- "Nem Um Talvez (Take 4A)" – 2:04
- "Selim (Take 4B)" – 2:15
- "Little Church (Take 7)"* – 3:18
- "Little Church (Take 10)" – 3:15
Disc Five (76:04)
- Tracks 1-2 recorded June 4, 1970 Columbia Studio C
- Track 3 recorded April 7, 1970 Columbia Studio B
- Includes an excerpt from an unaccompanied trumpet solo from November 19 or 18, 1969
- Track 4 recorded April 7, 1970 Columbia Studio B ("Yesternow") + February 18, 1970 Columbia Studio B ("Willie Nelson" uncredited)
- Includes an excerpt from the unaccompanied November 1969 trumpet solo with arco bass overdubbed
- Includes an excerpt of "Shhh/Peaceful" recorded February 18, 1969
- Includes an excerpt from the unaccompanied November 1969 trumpet solo with the following overdubs: orchestra arranged by Teo Macero and narration by Brock Peters
- "The Mask (Part One)"* – 7:47
- "The Mask (Part Two)"* – 15:45
- "Right Off" – 26:54
- "Yesternow" – 25:36
All compositions by Miles Davis
Miles Davis
Miles Dewey Davis III was an American jazz musician, trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. Widely considered one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Miles Davis was, with his musical groups, at the forefront of several major developments in jazz music, including bebop, cool jazz,...
except Disc Four, tracks 4 through 12 by Hermeto Pascoal.
(*) Previously Unissued
(**) Previously Unissued in Full
Personnel
- Miles DavisMiles DavisMiles Dewey Davis III was an American jazz musician, trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. Widely considered one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Miles Davis was, with his musical groups, at the forefront of several major developments in jazz music, including bebop, cool jazz,...
- TrumpetTrumpetThe trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air... - Bennie MaupinBennie MaupinBennie Maupin is a Detroit Michigan jazz multireedist. He performs on various saxophones, flute and bass clarinet.He is probably best known for his participation in Herbie Hancock's Mwandishi sextet and Headhunters band, and for performing on Miles Davis's seminal fusion record, Bitches Brew...
- Bass ClarinetBass clarinetThe bass clarinet is a musical instrument of the clarinet family. Like the more common soprano B clarinet, it is usually pitched in B , but it plays notes an octave below the soprano B clarinet... - Steve Grossman - Soprano SaxophoneSoprano saxophoneThe soprano saxophone is a variety of the saxophone, a woodwind instrument, invented in 1840. The soprano is the third smallest member of the saxophone family, which consists of the soprillo, sopranino, soprano, alto, tenor, baritone, bass, contrabass and tubax.A transposing instrument pitched in...
- Wayne ShorterWayne ShorterWayne Shorter is an American jazz saxophonist and composer.He is generally acknowledged to be jazz's greatest living composer, and many of his compositions have become standards...
- Soprano SaxophoneSoprano saxophoneThe soprano saxophone is a variety of the saxophone, a woodwind instrument, invented in 1840. The soprano is the third smallest member of the saxophone family, which consists of the soprillo, sopranino, soprano, alto, tenor, baritone, bass, contrabass and tubax.A transposing instrument pitched in... - Chick CoreaChick CoreaArmando Anthony "Chick" Corea is an American jazz pianist, keyboardist, and composer.Many of his compositions are considered jazz standards. As a member of Miles Davis' band in the 1960s, he participated in the birth of the electric jazz fusion movement. In the 1970s he formed Return to Forever...
- Electric PianoElectric pianoAn electric piano is an electric musical instrument.Electric pianos produce sounds mechanically and the sounds are turned into electrical signals by pickups. Unlike a synthesizer, the electric piano is not an electronic instrument, but electro-mechanical. The earliest electric pianos were invented...
, OrganOrgan (music)The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
, Electric Piano with Ring Modulator - Herbie HancockHerbie HancockHerbert Jeffrey "Herbie" Hancock is an American pianist, bandleader and composer. As part of Miles Davis's "second great quintet," Hancock helped to redefine the role of a jazz rhythm section and was one of the primary architects of the "post-bop" sound...
- OrganOrgan (music)The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
, Electric PianoElectric pianoAn electric piano is an electric musical instrument.Electric pianos produce sounds mechanically and the sounds are turned into electrical signals by pickups. Unlike a synthesizer, the electric piano is not an electronic instrument, but electro-mechanical. The earliest electric pianos were invented... - Keith JarrettKeith JarrettKeith Jarrett is an American pianist and composer who performs both jazz and classical music.Jarrett started his career with Art Blakey, moving on to play with Charles Lloyd and Miles Davis. Since the early 1970s he has enjoyed a great deal of success in jazz, jazz fusion, and classical music; as...
- Electric PianoElectric pianoAn electric piano is an electric musical instrument.Electric pianos produce sounds mechanically and the sounds are turned into electrical signals by pickups. Unlike a synthesizer, the electric piano is not an electronic instrument, but electro-mechanical. The earliest electric pianos were invented...
, Electric Piano with Wah Wah - Sonny SharrockSonny SharrockWarren Harding "Sonny" Sharrock was an American jazz guitarist. He was once married to singer Linda Sharrock, with whom he sometimes recorded and performed....
- Electric GuitarElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
, EchoplexEchoplexThe Echoplex is a tape delay effect, first made in 1959. Designed by Mike Battle, the Echoplex set a standard for the effect in the 1960s and was used by some of the most notable guitar players of the era; original Echoplexes are highly sought after.... - John McLaughlinJohn McLaughlin (musician)John McLaughlin , also known as Mahavishnu John McLaughlin, is an English guitarist, bandleader and composer...
- Electric GuitarElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker... - Dave HollandDave HollandDave Holland is an English jazz double bassist, composer and bandleader who has been performing and recording for five decades. He has lived in the United States for 40 years....
- Electric BassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, Double BassDouble bassThe double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2... - Michael HendersonMichael HendersonMichael Henderson is an American bass guitarist and vocalist best known for his bass playing with Miles Davis in the early 1970s, on early fusion albums such as A Tribute to Jack Johnson, Pangaea, and Live-Evil.- Biography :He was one of the first notable bass guitarists of the fusion era as well...
- Electric BassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick.... - Gene PerlaGene PerlaGene Perla is an American jazz bassist.Perla studied piano at the Berklee School of Music and the Boston Conservatory before switching to bass...
- Electric BassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick.... - Ron CarterRon CarterRon Carter is an American jazz double-bassist. His appearances on over 2,500 albums make him one of the most-recorded bassists in jazz history, along with Milt Hinton, Ray Brown and Leroy Vinnegar. Carter is also an acclaimed cellist who has recorded numerous times on that...
- Double BassDouble bassThe double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2... - Jack DeJohnetteJack DeJohnetteJack DeJohnette is an American jazz drummer, pianist, and composer. He is one of the most influential jazz drummers of the 20th century, due to extensive work as leader and sideman for musicians like Miles Davis, Joe Henderson, Freddie Hubbard, Keith Jarrett and Sonny...
- DrumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person .... - Billy CobhamBilly CobhamWilliam C. Cobham is a Panamanian American jazz drummer, composer and bandleader, who has called Switzerland home since the late 1970s....
- DrumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person .... - Lenny WhiteLenny WhiteLeonard White III, better known as Lenny White is an American jazz fusion drummer, who is best known for playing in Chick Corea's Return to Forever.-Biography:...
- DrumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person .... - Airto MoreiraAirto MoreiraAirto Moreira is a Brazilian jazz drummer and percussionist. Airto is married to jazz singer Flora Purim, and their daughter Diana Moreira is also a singer. He currently resides in Los Angeles.-Biography:...
- PercussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
, BerimbauBerimbauThe berimbau is a single-string percussion instrument, a musical bow, from Brazil. The berimbau's origins are not entirely clear, but there is not much doubt about its African origin, as no Indigenous Brazilian or European people use musical bows, and very similar instruments are played in the...
, CuicaCuícaCuíca , or "kweeca", is a Brazilian friction drum often used in samba music. The tone it produces has a high-pitched squeaky timbre. It has been called a 'laughing gourd' due to this sound.... - Hermeto PascoalHermeto PascoalHermeto Pascoal is a Brazilian composer and multi-instrumentalist. He was born in Lagoa da Canoa, Alagoas, Brazil. Pascoal is a greatly beloved musical figure in the history of Brazilian music, known for his abilities at orchestration and improvisation, as well as being a record producer and...
- Voice, DrumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....