Willard Robison's "Old Folks" appears on Miles Davis's 1961 album Someday My Prince Will Come as a tender ballad performance at approximately 54 beats per minute in the key of F. Davis chose not to solo on this particular track, instead featuring tenor saxophonist Hank Mobley and pianist Wynton Kelly in an intimate ballad setting. Mobley delivers a half-chorus solo that showcases his warm, rounded tone and melodic sensibility, qualities that made him what critic Leonard Feather called the middleweight champion of the tenor saxophone. His approach to the AABA form is thoughtful and restrained, allowing the song's inherent beauty to guide his improvisation. Kelly follows with a quarter-chorus of delicate, impressionistic piano playing that complements the song's nostalgic mood. The decision to step aside and let his sidemen carry this performance reflects Davis's genius as a bandleader who understood that the music was always bigger than any individual ego. Davis's role on this track was purely curatorial, choosing the material and the players and then trusting them to deliver. The result is one of the most understated moments on the album, a quiet interlude that provides essential contrast to the more ambitious performances that surround it.
