Miles Davis - Kind Of Blue (1959) [2022 DSD256]

Kind of Blue isn't merely an artistic highlight for Miles
Davis, it's an album that towers above its peers, a
record generally considered as the definitive jazz album.
To be reductive, it's the Citizen Kane of jazz -- an
accepted work of greatness that's innovative and enter
taining. That may not mean it's the greatest jazz album
ever made, but it certainly is a universally acknowledged
standard of excellence. Why does Kind of Blue posses
such a mystique? Perhaps it's that this music never
flaunts its genius. It lures listeners in with the slow,
luxurious bassline and gentle piano chords of "So What."
From that moment on, the record never really changes
pace -- each tune has a similar relaxed feel, as the
music flows easily. Yet Kind of Blue is more than easy
listening. It's the pinnacle of modal jazz -- tonality and
solos build from chords, not the overall key, giving the
music a subtly shifting quality. All of this doesn't quite
explain why seasoned jazz fans return to this record
even after they've memorized every nuance. They return
because this is an exceptional band - Miles, Coltrane,
Bill Evans, Cannonball Adderly, Paul Chambers, Jimmy
Cobb, and Wynton Kelly - one of the greatest in history,
playing at the peak of its power. As Evans said in the
original liner notes for the record, the band did not play
through any of these pieces prior to recording. Davis laid
out the themes and chords before the tape rolled, and
then the band improvised. The end results were won
drous, filled with performances that still crackle with
vitality. Few albums of any genre manage to work on so
many different levels, but Kind of Blue does. It can be
played as background music, yet it amply rewards close
listening. It is advanced music that is extraordinarily
enjoyable. It may be a stretch to say that if you don't like
Kind of Blue, you don't like jazz - but it's hard to imag
ine it as anything other than a cornerstone of any jazz
collection


Tracks:

1 So What 8:56
2 Freddie Freeloader 9:32
3 Blue In Green 5:27
4 All Blues 11:34
5 Flamenco Sketches 9:32

Corrected Speed Tracks
6 So What 8:56
7 Freddie Freeloader 9:32
8 Blue In Green 5:27

Personnel:

Tenor Saxophone – John Coltrane
Alto Saxophone – Julian Adderly
Bass – Paul Chambers
Drums – James Cobb
Piano – Bill Evans, Wynton Kelly (Track 2)