Jazz Today: April 22, 1961 @ San Francisco

Apr. 22, 1961 “Well, You Needn’t”
by Miles Davis Quintet with Hank Mobley, Wynton Kelly, Paul Chambers & Jimmy Cobb at the 'Blackhawk' in San Francisco for Columbia (In Person Friday and Saturday Nights at the Blackhawk)

Following the song introduced on April 21, this is a live performance by Miles at the Blackhawk, a jazz club in San Francisco, of a piece composed in 1944 by the genius Thelonious Monk.

This jazz club was located across from a famous recording studio. That studio was founded by Wally Heider, who recorded Jimi Hendrix and Santana outdoors at the legendary Monterey Pop Festival (please see the article at the bottom if you are interested).

Although it features the same rhythm section as the masterpiece Kind of Blue (1959), perhaps because it is a live performance, Miles is as hot as a boiling kettle from the very beginning. This is likely due to the rhythm driven by the dynamic, forward-leaning drumming of the exciting Jimmy Cobb.

Everything Miles does is stylish, highly polished, and wonderful, but the greatness that is particularly evident in this song is that his presence can be felt even when he is not playing.

Tenor saxophonist Hank Mobley, who appeared earlier, takes a solo from 2:55. It is not a free-spirited style like his own leader performances, but rather starts with a tense, restrained performance that accelerates and builds up from the middle.

One can imagine Miles glaring from behind, controlling this development with glances and the like. Mobley's performance on the song introduced on April 8 was also quiet, and he did not assert his individuality during his time with the Jazz Messengers either; perhaps Mobley's obedience is his ability to follow a leader's instructions. Still, in front of Miles, I find myself feeling a sense of insufficiency. As I wrote in the introduction to the previous song, why is it that I find myself drawn to and wanting to support such a Mobley?

The development toward the end from 7:20, following a groovy piano solo by Wynton Kelly, is a manifestation of Miles's control and structural beauty over the piece, releasing the restraint of Mobley just as he did at the beginning.

Comparing the piano playing of Kelly behind Miles's solo and Mobley's solo, the tension is clearly different. During Miles's solo, it is sharp and crisp, while during Mobley's solo, it is talkative and highly free; however, what is notable is the clearly off-key, almost dismissive note at 4:10. Since this is rare for a master like Kelly, I suspect it might have been intentional.

Incidentally, it seems there is a short edited version of this song that omits the solos by Mobley and Kelly (see the article below). While neither is a bad performance, it is presumed that they were cut because they were somewhat long-winded compared to Miles's parts.

Ah, poor Mobley, am I the only one who thinks, 'Please, blow more'? For those who are drawn to such a lovable Mobley, please enjoy the underwhelming performance below as well.

The recording date is also the 26th birthday of bassist Paul Chambers. Please see below for works featuring this master, who is always exceptionally stable and pushes forward with a 4-beat rhythm like a locomotive while emphasizing balance.

Finally, if you are interested in the famous recording studio across from this live recording venue, please see the performance and commentary below.