Carnegie Hall has taken a look back at Miles Davis’ performance at that venue back in 1961, which was recorded and released in the following year. Here is an excerpt:

Despite a performing career that stretched from the 1940s through the early 1990s, trumpet legend Miles Davis appeared at Carnegie Hall fewer than 10 times. The concert on May 19, 1961—a benefit for the African Research Foundation—came in the middle of that run and saw Davis performing with a small combo that featured Hank Mobley, Wynton Kelly, Paul Chambers, and Jimmy Cobb along with the Gil Evans Orchestra—one of only two times they performed together. The set list that night was weighted towards his albums Miles Ahead (1957) and his then current release Sketches of Spain (1960).

Aside from the fact that Davis withdrew his permission to record the event at the last minute (which led to the concert being surreptitiously captured by producer Teo Macero), there was further incident on stage. As reported on projects.45press.com/milesdavis.com, “[Drummer] Max Roach [who was not performing that night] displayed placards on stage denouncing the colonial character of the African Research Foundation. Miles left the stage. Persuaded to return, he showed his anger in the fire and blood he brought to ‘Oleo’ before gradually calming down for the grand finale of ‘Concierto de Aranjuez.'”

Read more at CarnegieHall.org.