Eighty One is a post-bop jazz tune written by Miles Davis and Ron Carter, originally performed by the Miles Davis Quintet. It was recorded on January 21, 1965 at Columbia Studios in Los Angeles and released on the album E.S.P. on August 16, 1965. The lineup features Miles Davis on trumpet, Wayne Shorter on tenor sax, Herbie Hancock on piano, Ron Carter on bass, and Tony Williams on drums. The composition opens with a hymnic 24-bar bass line by Carter and a short call and response, before settling into a bluesy swing with tight ensemble interplay. This track stands out from the ESP sessions for its seething rhythm and the remarkable chemistry of the mid-1960s Miles Davis rhythm section.
