Miles Smiles

(Jazz instrumental)
Album notes:
Miles Smiles is an album recorded in October 1966 by the Miles Davis quintet.

On three tracks from this album ("Orbits", "Dolores", "Gingerbread Boy"), Herbie Hancock takes the unusual step of dispensing with left hand chords and playing only right hand lines.
Somewhat unusually for this group, the album includes two compositions not written by members of the group. Both are treated far more freely and loosely than the original versions. In addition, an earlier and more conservative recording of Wayne Shorter's "Footprints" appears on his album Adam's Apple.
Three of the album's compositions are known to have made it to Davis's live "book". "Dolores" is known from a single recording in the spring of 1967. "Gingerbread Boy" and "Footprints" were played much more frequently. "Gingerbread Boy" was played as late as the summer of 1969; "Footprints" appears on unofficial live recordings from the Fillmore West in April 1970.
Early live versions of "Gingerbread Boy" (from the spring and summer of 1966) retained the melody of Heath's original version. The melody on the studio version is slightly different (presumably changed by Davis), and ensuing versions retain this change.