The Miles Davis rhythm section vs. George Coleman

I've been listening somewhat attentively to the "Seven Steps" box set of Miles' 1963-64 recordings. As most of you know already, Miles spent the early 60s in a transitional period in which he struggled to find a tenor saxophonist who could replace Coltrane to his satisfaction. All of these guys did a fine job - Sonny Stitt (very briefly), Hank Mobley (the Blackhawk set is fabulous), George Coleman, and Sam Rivers - but supposedly Miles was holding out for Wayne Shorter, whom he had invited to join the quintet back in 1960. George Coleman had the longest stint in the quintet, and I've been paying special attention to his playing on this set for several reasons. First, I've always been stunned by the lyricism of his solos on "Maiden Voyage", and it's odd to me that he doesn't seem to have any other comparable moments.

Second, Tony Williams hated his playing, and it seems obvious to me that there should be some sign of this in the music, so I've been listening for signs. So far, I've just listened to the "Miles In Europe" album recorded in 1963, but I think I have perceived some of the tension that must have existed within this quintet. Tony is said to have hated him primarily because he wasn't spontaneous enough an improviser - he would supposedly practice his solos (or more likely, various patterns to throw in here in there) before going onstage. Oddly, listening provides no obvious indication of Tony's antipathy to Coleman's playing. But I can certainly hear what Tony was on about on "Milestones". It's difficult for some to play over modal tunes anyway, so I wouldn't get too down on Coleman's solo on this performance. It's slick and professional, with a few abrasive moments that demonstrate a tinge of New Thing muscle, but he quite obviously reverts to a handful of patterns throughout his solo.

The interesting thing is when Herbie Hancock solos immediately thereafter. I may be barking up some kind of a tree, but it sounds to me like Herbie is actually critiquing Coleman's solo throughout. He repeatedly uses ideas very similar to those that George Coleman had just played, but each time he extends them in more complex ways. To me the similarities are so close that there's no other reasonable interpretation - I really think Herbie was being a cocky little upstart, mocking Coleman's patterns while demonstrating how a much more creative solo could be constructed using the same materials.

This was such an entertaining experience that I'm going to be on the lookout for more. I vaguely remember thinking that on one of the tunes on the "Four and More" album, the rhythm section seemed to be speeding up and down dramatically on purpose in order to wrongfoot George Coleman. It'll be interesting to see if I can detect more of this subtle contempt.