Today marks the 50th anniversary of Miles Davis’ concert at Philharmonic Hall (now known as Avery Fisher Hall) at New York’s Lincoln Center on February 12, 1964. The concert was part of a series of benefits co-sponsored by the NAACP, the Congress of Racial Equality and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee to support voter registration in Mississippi and Louisiana, as well as an unofficial homage to President John F. Kennedy, who was assassinated in November 1963.
That historic concert generated two live albums — My Funny Valentine, a collection of slow and mid-tempo performances, and Four & More, consisting of uptempo pieces — released in 1965 and 1966. In time for Valentine’s Day, listen to the full version of “My Funny Valentine” on Spotify now: