This alternate take of "Someday My Prince Will Come" from Miles Davis's 1961 Columbia album provides a fascinating companion to the better-known master take. Performed at a nearly identical waltz tempo of approximately 156 beats per minute in B-flat, this version features the same ABAC form but with different solo content that reveals the spontaneous nature of the creative process in the studio. Davis opens with two choruses of trumpet, his playing characteristically lyrical yet subtly different in its melodic choices and phrasing compared to the released version. Hank Mobley follows with two choruses on tenor saxophone, and Wynton Kelly closes the solo section with a chorus and a half of his trademark elegant piano work. Notably, this take does not include John Coltrane, who appeared on the master take, making it a document of the Mobley-era quintet without the transitional overlay of Coltrane's presence. Alternate takes are invaluable for students of jazz improvisation, as they demonstrate how great musicians approach the same composition differently from take to take while maintaining their essential artistic identity. Comparing this version with the master take illuminates Davis's creative process and the role that spontaneity played in even his most carefully considered studio recordings.
