Wynton Marsalis sitting in with Miles Davis '86

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Published 2013-07-12

Wynton Marsalis sits in with Miles Davis at the 1986 Vancouver International Jazz Festival
This was recorded by a friend so I am not the bootlegger. The casette sat in a box for years and i thought it was time the world heard this infamous incident even if just in an audio format. I added some EQ but it's still pretty rough. I thnk it's worth noting that Wynton was very shy walking out and despite Miles apparent surprise at seeing him on stage, he does give him a solo spot. Marsalis plays a nice chorus before getting the boot. I never heard a word from Miles over the PA but you can think whatever you want. In the end Miles comes back at him with an incredible solo over the funk jam. Sorry I had to fade out on the great tenor saxophonist Bob Berg. His solo is burning as well.

All Comments (21)

@alandeanphoto 8 years ago

I was also at this show. Miles shoved Wynton off the stage. Miles also scared the crap out of me, I was wearing a suit front row centre, and he stared at me, came down from the stage several times and blasted me right in the face. He was probably wondering who the hell is the guy in the suit...I bought it for the show, I was so excited to see Miles.
@kevincssmith 11 months ago

As great as Wynton Is he will never hold a candle to the legacy and emergence of the creative evolution of music .
@albertbrown359 9 months ago

I respect Miles I respect Wynton
@DariusJones 11 months ago

We forget, Charlie Parker would eat Miles’s lunch when they played together as well. We all have to get humbled by greats to be great.
@jjliebert 10 years ago

i was at this show. it's great to hear it again after so long, thanks.
@tooter1able 10 months ago

Marsalis did the most unprofessional of acts by "horning on" on Miles' gig. Miles was pissed and rightly so. Marsalis did not help himself with this act of orofessional "rudeness" ... he got what he deserved...a shove off the stage...a good insight into the "personality" of the true artist-----one who RESPECTS another's territory.
@neocolors 7 years ago

Interesting, thanks for posting!
@groove1722 1 year ago

Read about this incident in Miles book.. Always wanted to hear what it sounded like. It was interesting to hear it. Miles was the sound innovator and Wynton is just a precise student player with chops.
@phillipkarpowich3437 11 months ago

Cold blooded. He's just hung out there!
@chesterfieldstorage1647 1 year ago

Miles did better than Larry Bird did upon meeting Michael Jordan for the first time! The old guys have ALWAYS got to make the young cats EARN IT!
@freejazzbone 3 years ago

ya Michael! back when drummer Al Weirtz was still alive, Expo 86’
@steveneaklor2990 11 months ago

I believe this incident is also described in Gene Lees' book Cats Of Any Color.
@thepride999 2 years ago

I love Wynton but he's lucky Miles didn't bitch slap him. When you listen to it Wynton knew he was in over his head...
@andresdavid 10 years ago

If my ears aren't deceiving me, Wynton jumps in at 4:27. It's real interesting though. As good a trumpeter and musician as Wynton is, I don't understand why he would think that solo would fit with what they're playing. He ended their song. Unless Miles told his band to to stop playing maybe. Regardless, you can see Miles' point that Wynton couldn't mesh with their groove.
@SaintForeverBlue 8 years ago

W Marsalis' ego must have been raging. Here was little Wynton thinking, "Miles is gonna LOVE ME for this! And the fans will go wild!" Such is the out-of-control ego. Miles showed restraint. Me I would have flung him off stage into the audience where Wynton belonged.
@BlaizeTrafalgar 10 years ago

Miles said what he felt about this in his book.What to do if someone gets on stage in the middle of your gig?You've got to give them some room,out of common courtesy.What Wynton was playing didn't fit on top of Miles sound.That track wouldn't have ended had Wynton not attempted a solo.You don't get up mid- someone elses gig,unless previously invited.Miles ended the track,because what else could he do?It couldn't have gone where he wanted it to,Wynton blowing all over it.Wntn was just being rude.
@dasteufelhund 10 years ago

Sitting in?
@wowserstar 9 years ago

Any footage? Marsalis invaded Miles' gig. Who does that?
@jared_klinghoffer 2 years ago

Everyone in the comments: "Wynton probably thought he was going to melt everyone's faces like in Raiders of the Lost Arc, but Miles showed him how sorry he was. He doesn't play with any soul and is so bad of a player that he was awarded a Pulitzer Prize. I hate Wynton!" OR "Wynton showed that old man who was really the boss. So glad someone finally put Miles in his place and showed him that a young cat could take him. Wynton could walk on water RIGHT NOW if he wanted to! And also he is my baby daddy!" Maybe, just maybe, they are BOTH incredible visionaries in their own right. Wyton could play stuff that Miles never could and vice versa. That's why more than one person is allowed to play the trumpet, because they all have something to bring to the table. Furthermore, who gives a shit. You like one and don't like the other, thats what makes life interesting. Neither one is a bad person for playing on stage this concert, sometimes in jazz you have to vibe a motherfucker. I appreciate both in their own right. ✌
@Mariachikids00004 4 years ago

So what’s the real story?