On this day (April 16) in 1963, trumpeter Miles Davis entered Columbia Studios in Los Angeles to begin the recording session for his iconic album Seven Steps To Heaven. The album represented a period of transition for Davis, who at this juncture had dismantled his First Great Quintet and was looking to assemble another. To that end, Seven Steps actually features two ensembles: The first included George Coleman on saxophone, Ron Carter on bass, Victor Feldman on piano and Frank Butler on drums. The second — featured here on the title track — included Coleman and Carter on bass but substituted Herbie Hancock on piano and a 17-year-old Tony Williams on drums. For his next outing, 1965’s E.S.P., Davis would replace Coleman with saxophone innovator Wayne Shorter, and in doing so would cement the lineup for his famous Second Great Quintet.