Stablemates is a 1955 jazz composition written by Benny Golson. It was first recorded by Miles Davis for the 1956 album Miles: The New Miles Davis Quintet and has since become a widely performed jazz standard.
Story and background: Golson wrote Stablemates on the road with Earl Bostic in Wilmington, Delaware. He reportedly sketched the first 14 bars on the bandstand, telling his onlookers during intermission that he was working on a very important assignment, and over the next two days he finished the piece between intermissions.
Musical details: The tune is in D flat major and follows an ABA form, with A sections of 14 bars each and an 8 bar bridge, for a total of 36 bars.
Notable recordings: Miles Davis with John Coltrane on Miles: The New Miles Davis Quintet (1956); Paul Chambers on Chambers' Music (1956); Mal Waldron on Mal-1 (1957); Dizzy Gillespie on Dizzy in Greece (1957); Benny Golson on Benny Golson and the Philadelphians (1958); Jackie McLean on Swing, Swang, Swingin' (1960).
