The Miles Davis Nonet Manuscripts Lost and Found: From Manuscript to Publication

Abstract

In 2002 the author published Birth of the Cool, a folio of the Miles Davis nonet repertoire of 1948 to 1950, based on the original manuscripts. This article gives a brief history of the nonet and its music; describes how the manuscripts turned up and how the folio came to be published; presents listings of the most salient editorial changes made to the parts in preparing the folio, as well as corrections that should be made to the folio; and shares new information about this repertoire that has come to light since the folio's publication. Finally, the article presents the author's philosophical and practical approach to preparing accurate versions of jazz and popular ensemble music.