5 Facts About Miles Davis’s In a Silent Way Recording Session

The album was recorded in a single session on February 18, 1969. Miles Davis and his band completed the entire recording in one day at CBS 30th Street Studio in New York City.

The studio was a converted church with exceptional acoustics. CBS 30th Street Studio, originally a church, provided a large, resonant space that contributed to the album’s spacious sound.

Davis used a small, handpicked group of musicians. The session featured a core band including Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, and Tony Williams, among others.

The music was largely improvised on the spot. Davis gave minimal instructions, letting the musicians create the album’s ethereal, modal jazz sound through live interaction.

The session produced two long tracks that were later edited. The raw recordings were spliced and rearranged by producer Teo Macero to form the final album’s two side-long pieces.