By this point in his career, Davis had a tried and true method for finding cutting-edge band members: stealing them from other bands. Davis found his new bassist, a young player named Ron Carter, in the Art Farmer and Jim Hall Quartet. Paul Chambers had already mentioned the abilities of Carter to Davis, and upon receiving Farmer's blessing to leave the group, Davis hired the first member of the new rhythm section. Next, Davis went to the band of one of his former sideman, alto sax player Jackie McLean. Here he found a young drummer of seemingly endless talent and technique -- quite possibly jazz's counterpart to the effortless genius of Mozart -- Tony Williams. After attaining the permission of McLean, Williams was hired to play in the most famous jazz group in the world at the age of seventeen. Finally, completing the rhythm section, Davis sought out a young pianist he had heard about a year prior and whom at this point was still relatively unknown, Herbie Hancock.
With a new quintet in place, Davis began touring, playing concerts that stunned critics and fans. Yet tension began to build in the band. At this point in his career, outside a few notable exceptions (So What, Milestones and one or two other songs) the majority of Davis's live repertoire was made up of the same standards every other group played. The group excelled at playing these, playing in faster tempos and with more rhythmic intensity than any other contemporary group, but the individual members excelled in separate ways. The rhythm section, made up of younger plays that represented a new generation of jazz, took a loose and free approach that drew upon the music of Ornette Coleman and John Coltrane. Because of this, the rhythm section -- particularly, Tony Williams -- took issue with George Coleman's immaculate tone and carefully constructed lines, believing that school of playing to a part of the past. Eventually, as he had no interest in changing his style of playing, this tension caused Coleman to seek opportunities elsewhere. Davis's first choice for Coleman's replacement was another of Coltrane's suggestions: Wayne Shorter. Unfortunately for Davis, Shorter was employed as Art Blakey's musical director at that moment and for one reason or another, decided to stay with Blakey. With Shorter unavailable, Davis hired still-underrated player Sam Rivers, whom Tony Williams had played with in before in Boston. Rivers's stint with the band was ultimately short-lived, recording only Miles in Tokyo, a great live recording which displays a band that might have been. When the band returned from Japan, Davis received word that Shorter had fulfilled his obligations to Blakey and could now join the band, completing what would become known as the Second Great Quintet.
Listening:
Seven Steps To Heaven
Miles in Europe
Miles in Tokyo
