Personnel: Miles Davis (trumpet); Miles Davis; Paul Chambers (double bass); Cannonball Adderley (alto saxophone); John Coltrane (tenor saxophone); Wynton Kelly, Bill Evans (piano); Jimmy Cobb (drums).
Audio Remixer: Mark Wilder.
Liner Note Authors: Bill Evans ; Robert Palmer; Nat Hentoff; Robert Palmer .
Recording information: Columbia 30th Street Studio, New York, NY (03/02/1959-04/22/1959); Columbia Street Studio, New York, NY (03/02/1959-04/22/1959).
Photographers: Don Hunstein; Jay Maisel.
Unknown Contributor Roles: Cannonball Adderley; John Coltrane; Bill Evans ; Wynton Kelly; Paul Chambers; Jimmy Cobb .
With Birth of the Cool, Miles Davis distilled a new tonal palette for jazz. As early as 1954, Davis reacted to the escalating chordal complexity of hard bop by fashioning an evocative blues based on a simple scalar pattern ("Swing Spring"). Kind of Blue was the ultimate fulfillment of this approach, with Davis providing his collaborators little more than outlines for melodies and simple scales for improvisation. By emphasizing the blues and the improvisor's melodic gifts, Kind of Blue precipitated a major stylistic development: modal jazz. Charles Mingus had experimented with pedal points throughout the '50s, and the melodic freedom of Ornette Coleman's Atlantic sides was also predicated on freedom from chord changes. But Kind of Blue was to prove the most influential, enduring work of its kind. There was just such a vibe about these 1959 sessions -- Davis' lyric genius and burgeoning stardom, the innovative voicings and rarefied touch of pianist Bill Evans, the electrifying presence of John Coltrane, and Cannonball Adderley --that some 50-plus years after its initial release, Kind of Blue is still recognized as Davis' point of departure toward jazz's less-explored regions. Bill Evans' translucent chords and Paul Chambers' famous bassline herald the revolution that is "So What": Davis and Evans' taut, coiled lyricism stands in sharp relief to the saxophonists' labyrinthine elation. The fat, shimmering beat of the classic Evans/Chambers/Jimmy Cobb rhythm team is an oasis of calm throughout the childish blues of "Freddie Freeloader." Often credited to Davis, "Blue in Green" is an Evans masterpiece, in which the rhythmic oasis becomes a smoky mirage for Davis' minor reveries on muted horn. The waltzing "All Blues" is one of the smoothest, most swinging grooves in the history of jazz, while "Flamenco Sketches" reflects Davis' fascination with the earthy melodies and brooding metaphors of the Iberian peninsula; a harbinger of his next masterpiece, Sketches of Spain. Kind of Blue remains Miles Davis' most evocative piece of musical haiku.
Professional Reviews
Rolling Stone (12/11/03, p.94) - Ranked #13 in Rolling Stone's "500 Greatest Albums Of All Time" - "This painterly masterpiece is one of the most important, influential and popular albums in jazz..."
Q (4/99, p.129) - Included in Q's list of "The Best Jazz Albums of All Time."
Q (3/95, p.116) - 5 Stars - Indispensable - "Widely considered the greatest album in jazz history, Miles Davis' 1959 masterpiece is a collection of exquisitely melodic and deceptively simple modern jazz..."
Down Beat (1959) - "This is a remarkable album. Using very simple but effective devices, Miles has constructed an album of extreme beauty and sensitivity. This is not to say that this LP is a simple one--far from it. What is remarkable is that the men have done so much with the stark, skeltal material.
JazzTimes (8/97, p.106) - "...The absolutely beautiful Coltrane solo on the `Flamenco Sketches' alternate is alone worth the price....The restoration of the sound to the correct pitch makes enough of a difference to recommend repurchasing this classic even without the jazz track of the year aboard..."
Vibe (12/99, p.158) - Included in Vibe's 100 Essential Albums of the 20th Century
Blender (Magazine) (p.67) - 4.5 stars out of 5 -- "Its ageless cool now seems intertwined with its backstory: Just months after making the album, Davis and most of his sidemen would spin off in different directions, founding entire schools of jazz."
Paste (magazine) (p.61) - "[T]he music draws you in with seductively gentle restraint. It's a recording with a pristine elegance."
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Reviews
5.0
out of 5 based on
4
reviews.
– Customer review on 25/05/2006
THE DEFINITIVE JAZZ ALBUM. This album has been hailed as the greatest jazz album ever recorded by critics and audiences worldwide, and for good reason. The musicians assembled for this particular record were amongst the greatest jazz musicians alive at the time (if not the greatest ever) including the phenomenal pianist Bill Evans, saxophonists Cannonball Adderley and the formidable John Coltrane, as well as the star himself, Miles Davis. Most of the tracks were recorded on first takes, with the musicians only having the most basic understanding of the chord sequences - the pieces were almost exclusively improvised. The remastered editions available over the past few years include an alternate take of 'Flamenco Sketches', which features very different takes on the piece. This album was one of the pioneers in modal improvisation, where the soloists construct their solos from one scale per chord - an approach which was markedly different from the advanced harmony based improv of the old school jazz. By limiting the scales used, the musicians could focus much more closely on constructing effective (and incredibly beautiful!) and melodic solos. Each track on here is a gem, with three of them going on to become jazz standards, 'So What', 'Blues in Green' and 'All Blues'. A must-have album for any self-respecting music fan. I have lent this to many of my guitar students and most have fallen in love with it. One of many stunning albums in Davis' extensive list of recordings. Beautiful music played beautifully.
5.0
out of 5 based on
4
reviews.
– Customer review on 09/01/2012
If you are not familiar with this recording, make no mistake, this is a 5 out of 5. It does not matter wether you are a teenage thrash head or a 70 year old classical snob. This is one of he greatest recordings of music across any genre ever. If you do not 'get it' from the first few bars make sure you watch the doco Kind of Blue Made in Heaven on you tube and let Herbie Hancock explain it to you. Your life will be risher for it!
4.0
out of 5 based on
4
reviews.
– Customer review on 21/09/2006
Im not a great jazz fan, but Miles Davis is a well known name anywhere, and its not just because he is a sellout...(lol)
whetheer your a jazz fan or curious about it, miles david is a good place to start, freddie freeloader being my favourite and possibly to any new jazz listeners favourite, any jazz fan has to have a miles davis copy right? why not start here.
5.0
out of 5 based on
4
reviews.
– Customer review on 08/05/2006
Any jazz fans should be familiar with Kind Of Blue, by Miles Davis by now, if not then you're probably not even a fan of jazz music. This album is an essential, with no bad songs and some great lyrics and unique vocal delivery. A very powerful album, actually really mesmerizing and peaceful.
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