That's alright – Kind of Blue is one of the few celebrated works of art that lives up to the hype and then goes far beyond it.
There's not a thing I could tell you about this masterpiece that hasn't been written before. This album is absolutely essential for anyone even remotely interested in music of any kind. You have certainly heard this album before at some point in your life whether you were aware or not. That is unless you suffer agoraphobia and don’t listen to music or watch television. Chances are you are probably not reading this right now
The background:
Miles Davis is renowned as one of the most important and innovative musicians of the 20th Century. As a bandleader, he led nearly every important jazz musician of the post-war period at some time, including: John Coltrane, Paul Chambers, Cannonball Adderley, Bill Evans, Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Tony Williams, Dave Holland, Chick Corea and Keith Jarrett.
Miles is credited as being the instigator of a number of styles in jazz. Cool Jazz, Modal Jazz and Jazz-Fusion are all his doing. He had already released over 20 albums and been a band leader for over 10 years when Kind of Blue was released in 1959. Miles has planned for Kind of Blue to be a masterpiece before the first note was played.
He picked the perfect cast to execute what was a fundamentally liberating idea. Until this point the dominant style of jazz was bebop and within this the improvisation was based on chords and chord changes. On this album Davis chose a completely different direction for the music - he called it 'Modal Jazz'. The entire album was composed as a series of modal sketches, in which each performer was given a set of scales that defined the parameters of their improvisation and style rather than the musicians being given a set of chord progressions. This provided a platform for improvising on each chord compared to conventional jazz tunes and standards.
Sounds like boring rhetoric?
If you are not up with the nuances and technicalities of music (especially Jazz music) I will make it more simple
This changed everything...........
The band itself is extraordinary. Two of the most celebrated men to ever pick up a saxophone appear - John Coltrane and Julian "Cannonball" Adderley - both who went on to become renowned in their own right. For the large part Bill Evans is on piano (with Wynton Kelly playing on one track) and Paul Chambers on bass and Jimmy Cobb on drums make what is the tightest ever rhythm unit that I think I have ever heard on any kind of music.
To put this in perspective, Miles Davis assembled a quintet that contained musicians who are widely regarded as some of the finest to ever pick up their respective instruments. (Although I am not sure Gil Evans ever picked up his piano – they are heavy). Almost a supergroup!
Coltrane's sharpness on tenor is countered by Adderley's funky alto, with Davis on trumpet moderating everything and changing with the mood. Bill Evans conjures up a brilliant sound on piano, a platform for the solos of Miles, Coltrane and Adderley. Meanwhile, the rhythm partnership of Cobb and Chambers underpin the whole thing with timing that is just impeccable - for me it almost proves the existence of God. I could write another whole piece just on the bass playing of Chambers and the Jimmy Cobb drum fills.
Every musician gets his time to shine, everyone has solos and ever note is to perfection - even with improvisation.
Miles and his band created an album with outstanding mood & melody, where all the notes ebb & flow and where all the musicians get to strut their stuff without stepping on each other. There's no instrumental ‘noodling’ to be found anywhere on Kind of Blue. If that is your impression of Jazz - you need to try again. The album has a great cohesiveness to it, where every improvised note you hear makes perfect sense. Miles Davis knew that musical magic could be achieved through spontaneity, as long as each piece had a basic "setting" for the musicians to work within.
From the classic opener "So What," to the concluding "Flamenco Sketches," the music is wonderful, melodic and breezy, but most of all, cool. It's amazing to think that this classic album was finished in a mere two sessions, with every track except one nailed down in a single take ("Flamenco Sketches" took two takes to complete).
"So What" is just the quintessential Jazz track, it is exciting and brilliant, "Freddie Freeloader" takes on a faster bluesy beat driven by Wyn Kelly on piano (It is Evans on the rest of the tracks). "All Blues" is my favourite above all other jazz songs, i close my eyes and i can almost hear all 11 minutes, that particular track has seeped into my consciousness and frequently plays itself in my head as i go to sleep.
It is a work of pure genius by a bunch of improvising musicians at the height of their powers. This is probably the album that has turned more people onto jazz than any other. It is said that this is the cornerstone of any Jazz collection, it is the highest selling Jazz album of all time, it is the most important and influential Jazz album of all time. But i think it should be viewed as the cornerstone of any record collection.
Even those who don't appreciate jazz should appreciate this album for its musicality and virtuoso performances. Yet it is so easily accessible. But if you only have one jazz album then this is the one to get, though I would suggest that this recording will be used as a launching pad into the world of jazz.
Kind of Blue is pure and majestic throughout - it is the most beautiful Album I have ever heard.
There are other fantastic Jazz Albums that you probably don’t own but really should, Giant Steps and A Love Supreme by John Coltrane, Cannonball Adderley's Somethin’ Else, Time Out by Dave Brubrek - I could go on and on, but I am not trying to sell this as a Jazz album - im selling this as possibly the best album I own.
The only valid reason I can think of to not own this, is that you own the Miles Davis/ John Coltrane Complete Columbia Recordings 6 CD Box Set which includes this album in its entirety.
If you have it - great, i am certain you will concur.
If you don’t own it - get it.
If you don’t like Jazz - get it.
Get it.
You will never Ever regret it. It may change the way you to music listen forever - as it has with me.
