Half Nelson is a bebop tune composed by Miles Davis during his days with the Charlie Parker Quintet, and it borrows the chord structure of Lady Bird by Tadd Dameron. It was recorded on October 26, 1956 at Rudy Van Gelder Studio in Hackensack, New Jersey, and released in December 1959 on the album Workin' With The Miles Davis Quintet. The session features Miles Davis on trumpet, John Coltrane on tenor sax, Red Garland on piano, Paul Chambers on bass, and Philly Joe Jones on drums, placing it squarely in the hard bop era. The piece remains a classic in the Miles Davis repertoire and has appeared in later collections such as Charlie Parker – The Complete Savoy & Dial Master Takes.
