In the summer of 1955, Davis performed a noted set at the Newport Jazz Festival, and had been approached by Columbia Records executive George Avakian, offering a contract with the label if he could form a regular band. Davis assembled his first regular quintet to meet a commitment at the Café Bohemia in July with Sonny Rollins on tenor saxophone, Red Garland on piano, Paul Chambers on bass, and Philly Joe Jones on drums. By the autumn, Rollins had left to deal with his heroin addiction, and later in the year joined the hard bop quintet led by Clifford Brown and Max Roach.
At the recommendation of drummer Jones, Davis replaced Rollins with John Coltrane, beginning a partnership that would last five years and finalizing the Quintet's first line-up. Expanded to a sextet with the addition of Cannonball Adderley on alto saxophone in 1958, the First Great Quintet was one of the definitive hard bop groups along with the Brown-Roach Quintet and the Jazz Messengers, recording the Columbia albums Round About Midnight, Milestones, and the marathon sessions for Prestige Records resulting in four albums collected on The Legendary Prestige Quintet Sessions.
In mid-1958, Bill Evans replaced Garland on piano and Jimmy Cobb replaced Jones on drums, but Evans only lasted about six months, in turn replaced by Wynton Kelly as 1958 turned into 1959. This group backing Davis, Coltrane, and Adderley, with Evans returning for the recording sessions, recorded Kind of Blue, considered "one of the most important, influential and popular albums in jazz". Adderley left the band in September 1959 to pursue his own career, returning the line-up to a quintet. Coltrane departed in the spring of 1960, and after interim replacements Jimmy Heath and Sonny Stitt, Davis plus Kelly, Chambers, and Cobb continued through 1961 and 1962 with Hank Mobley on tenor sax.
The two rhythm sections from the Davis Quintet also achieved fame on their own. Garland, Chambers, and Jones recorded as a unit on Art Pepper meets The Rhythm Section and Sonny Rollins' Tenor Madness, while Kelly, Chambers, and Cobb toured and recorded as a trio under Kelly's name, in addition to appearing on the albums Coltrane Jazz and the solo debut of Wayne Shorter, as well as backing Wes Montgomery on Full House and Smokin' at the Half Note. The Kelly-Chambers-Cobb trio also backed Art Pepper on the album Gettin' Together, which included trumpeter Conte Candoli.
Mobley, Kelly, Chambers, and Cobb all left Davis by the end of 1962, and during 1963 he struggled to maintain a steady line-up. By the late spring, he had hired the core of the Second Quintet with Herbie Hancock on piano, Ron Carter on bass, and Tony Williams on drums. Initially with George Coleman or Sam Rivers on tenor sax, the final piece of the puzzle would arrive in late 1964 with saxophonist Wayne Shorter.
The performance style of the Second Great Quintet was often referred to by Davis as "time, no changes", incorporating elements of free jazz without completely surrendering to the approach, allowing the five men to contribute to the group as equals rather than as a leader and sidemen peeling off unrelated solos. This band recorded the albums E.S.P., Miles Smiles, Sorcerer, Nefertiti, Miles in the Sky, and Filles de Kilimanjaro, and the live set considered by The Penguin Guide to Jazz to be their crowning achievement, The Complete Live at the Plugged Nickel 1965.
When Davis began to become more interested in the rock, soul, and funk music of the late 1960s, the Second Quintet unraveled. Carter departed during the sessions for Filles de Kilimanjaro, and Williams left in early 1969 to start his own band, the Tony Williams Lifetime, staying on with Davis to record the groundbreaking In a Silent Way. Davis would continue his innovations into jazz fusion with the album Bitches Brew and his work in the 1970s. As a result, the Second Quintet came to an end, though Hancock would contribute to subsequent sessions with Miles and appear on Jack Johnson, On the Corner, and Get Up with It. Players on In A Silent Way and Bitches Brew would go on to form the core jazz fusion bands of the 1970s away from Davis: Shorter and Josef Zawinul to Weather Report; John McLaughlin and Billy Cobham to the Mahavishnu Orchestra; Hancock and Bennie Maupin to Headhunters; and Chick Corea and Lenny White to Return to Forever.
Columbia/Legacy Recordings released Freedom Jazz Dance: The Bootleg Series Vol. 5, a collection of previously unreleased tracks recorded by the Second Great Quintet between 1966 and 1968.
I Could Write A Book
Miles Davis Quintet Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
About the way you walk and whisper and look
I could write a preface on how we met
So the world would never forget
And the simple secret of the plot
Is just to tell them that I love you, a lot
Then the world discovers as my book ends
If they ask me, I could write a book
About the way you walk and whisper and look
I could write a preface on how we met
So the world would never forget, never, never forget
And the simple secret of the plot
Is just to tell them that I love you, allot
Then the world discovers as my book ends
How to make two lovers of friends
The Miles Davis Quintet's "I Could Write a Book" is a romantic ballad about a person's overwhelming love and admiration for someone special. The song opens with a declaration that the singer could pen an entire book on how the person walks, whispers, and looks. The singer then states that they could write a preface on how they met so that the world would never forget. The song's plot is simple: the singer loves the person allot, and by the end of the book, the world will discover how to make two lovers of friends.
The lyrics perfectly capture the feeling of being smitten with someone, and the desire to shout it from the rooftops. The singer seems to be spilling over with passion and joy, and the lyrics are filled with words of appreciation and adoration for the object of their affection. The song's message is simple and sweet – love is a powerful force that can bring two people together in a beautiful and meaningful way.
Overall, "I Could Write a Book" manages to capture the essence of young love with its simple yet powerful lyrics and gorgeous melody. It is a timeless classic that speaks to the heart and soul of anyone who has ever been in love.
Line by Line Meaning
If they ask me, I could write a book
If someone asks me, I am able to write a comprehensive book
About the way you walk and whisper and look
I am capable of writing about the way you walk, whisper, and look
I could write a preface on how we met
It is within my capacity to write an introduction about how we first met
So the world would never forget
This book is destined to ensure that our story is never forgotten
And the simple secret of the plot
The main idea of this book can be summarized in one simple statement
Is just to tell them that I love you, a lot
The foundation of our story is simply my deep love for you
Then the world discovers as my book ends
In the conclusion of this book, the world comes to discover something about us
How to make two lovers of friends
The world sees that it is possible for a friendship to develop into true love
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Lorenz Hart, Richard Rodgers
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@valerieg6061
"I Could Write A Book"
A B C D E F G
I never learned to spell,
At least not well.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
I never learned to count,
A great amount.
But my busy mind is burning to use what learning I've got,
I won't waste any time,
I'll strike while the iron is hot.
If they asked me, I could write a book
About the way you walk, and whisper, and look.
I could write a preface
On how we met
So the world would never forget.
And the simple secret of the plot
Is just to tell them that I love you a lot.
And the world discovers
As my book ends,
How to make two lovers
Of friends.
And the simple secret of the plot
Is just to tell them that I love you a lot.
And the world discovers
As my book ends,
How to make two lovers
Of friends.
@99theohiostate
Love Red's solo.
@ruthdixon7807
this is a candidate for most perfect jazz track ever.
@Miguel14961
That little lick Garland and Joe Jones play at 1:32 always makes me smile
@greg5093
this is that shit that has no real explanation
@marksgmail66
Got to be my favorite Miles track..
@nicholasheide688
Man that intro
@stilo2703
First time I heard it I knew I had to transcribe it as soon as I got home
@raulrichards412
Thank You Valerie G, for posting the lyrics. ♫ ♪♫ ( I Love It.♥) Gracias. 10/16/18
@valerieg6061
"I Could Write A Book"
A B C D E F G
I never learned to spell,
At least not well.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
I never learned to count,
A great amount.
But my busy mind is burning to use what learning I've got,
I won't waste any time,
I'll strike while the iron is hot.
If they asked me, I could write a book
About the way you walk, and whisper, and look.
I could write a preface
On how we met
So the world would never forget.
And the simple secret of the plot
Is just to tell them that I love you a lot.
And the world discovers
As my book ends,
How to make two lovers
Of friends.
And the simple secret of the plot
Is just to tell them that I love you a lot.
And the world discovers
As my book ends,
How to make two lovers
Of friends.
@monomotapa1558
＋Valérie G : Thank you for a piece of fabulous poetry.