Kind of Blue - Miles Davis
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One of the greatest jazz recordings of all time
On a personal level 'Kind of Blue' was an important stepping stone in helping me to broaden my own musical horizons and introduced me to other wonderful recordings both by trumpeter Miles Davis and his fellow musicians on this album, such as tenor saxophonist John Coltrane and pianist Bill Evans. I hope you enjoy this lens which is a small taster of a musical masterpiece.
Listen to tracks from the original album
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| Track | Artist | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|
| So What | Miles Davis | Kind of Blue | |
| Freddie Freeloader | Miles Davis | Kind of Blue | |
| Blue In Green | Miles Davis | Kind of Blue | |
| All Blues | Miles Davis | Kind of Blue | |
| Flamenco Sketches | Miles Davis | Kind of Blue | |
| Flamenco Sketches (Alternate Take) | Miles Davis | Kind of Blue |
Miles Davis - Kind of Blue 50th Anniversary
Buy the 'Kind of Blue' Legacy Edition
Kind of Blue (Legacy Edition)
Amazon Price: $9.98 (as of 06/01/2012)
Originally released in 1959, Miles Davis's magnum opus 'Kind of Blue' is still considered by many to be one of the greatest albums of all time. Starring Davis, John Coltrane, Cannonball Adderley, Bill Evans, Wynton Kelly, Paul Chambers, and Jimmy Cobb, 'Kind of Blue' has held onto its status as an album that crosses genres, speaks to generations, and is one of the first (if not the first) album that any new jazz acolyte purchases. 'Kind of Blue' (Legacy Edition) offers the complete studio sessions on 2 CDs, including false starts, alternate takes and a 17-minute 1960 live version of "So What."
'So What' - John Coltrane and Miles Davis performing LIVE!
On April 2, 1959, producer Robert Herridge recorded the Miles Davis Quintet playing the classic "So What" in CBS studio 61, New York City. The piece was taped for an episode of the Robert Herridge Theater, titled "The Sound of Miles Davis." CBS broadcast
It is one of the most well-known examples of modal jazz, set in the Dorian mode and consisting of 16 bars of D minor7, followed by eight bars of Eb minor7 and another eight of D minor7. This AABA structure puts it in the format of popular song structure.
The piano and bass introduction for the piece was written by Gil Evans for Bill Evans and Paul Chambers on Kind of Blue. An orchestrated version by Gil Evans of this introduction is later to be found on a television broadcast given by Miles' Quintet (minus Cannonball Adderley who was ill that day) and the Gil Evans Orchestra; the orchestra gave the introduction after which the quintet produced a rendition of the rest of "So What".
The distinctive voicing employed by Bill Evans for the chords that interject the head, from the bottom up three perfect fourths followed by a major third, has been given the name "So What chord" by such theorists as Mark Levine.
While the track is taken at a very moderate tempo on Kind Of Blue, it is played at an extremely fast tempo on later live recordings by the Quintet, such as Four and More.
The same chord structure was later used by John Coltrane for his standard "Impressions".
Source
1959 - The Year That Changed Jazz
Miles Davis - Kind of Blue
Deluxe Edition (Artist Transcriptions)
Miles Davis - Kind of Blue: Deluxe Edition
Amazon Price: $31.97 (as of 06/01/2012)
The new hardcover deluxe edition of this exceptional book features transcriptions of all the improvised solos as well as sketch scores for all the songs from this landmark release; this includes Miles' trumpet parts, the brilliant sax work of John Coltrane and Cannonball Adderly, a full transcription of Wynton Kelly's piano solo on "Freddie Freeloader," and Paul Chambers and Jimmy Cobb's rhythm section parts to use as guides for the feel of each composition. Songs include: So What, Freddie Freeloader, Blue in Green, All Blues and Flamenco Sketches, including an alternate take. Also includes fabulous photos and an essay written specifically for this edition by composer Bill Kirchner, who won a Grammy for his notes on Sony's Miles Davis/Gil Evans boxed set, and edited The Miles Davis Reader for Smithsonian Institution Press.
"For musicians in the know, this book can only enhance one's ardor for the album Quincy Jones calls his 'orange juice' and Donald Fagen hails as 'The Bible.'"
-Ashley Kahn, author of Kind of Blue: The Making of the Miles Davis Masterpiece
"Put on the recording, take out the score, and you'll learn a lot and hear things you hadn't noticed before."
-Lewis Porter, Director of the MA in Jazz History & Research, Rutgers University at Newark
Is 'Kind of Blue ' the greatest jazz record of all time?
In 2003, the album was ranked number 12 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.
50 Years of Kind of Blue: A Live Jazz Laboratory Part 1
Stanford University Video Lectures
50 Years of Kind of Blue: A Live Jazz Laboratory Part 2 (Looking at modal jazz)
Stanford University Video Lectures
Did you enjoy this lens? Please leave a comment before you go!
Jazz fan or not, I'd love to hear from you!
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Doctone
Jun 30, 2011 @ 4:36 pm | delete
- Very in-depth lens - great. I just included Kind Fo Blue in my lens of 5 jazz albums that everyone should own
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DaveHiggsVis May 15, 2011 @ 9:31 am | delete
- This was the first jazz album that made me go "whoa." Good lens!
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queenmbeautycosmetics
May 13, 2011 @ 1:35 am | delete
- I am a Jazz fan, great insight to this Jazz Musician. We learn alot from Mile Davis...:-)
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Beans
May 14, 2010 @ 9:45 pm | delete
- Good content on Miles. I ran across this piece of art of Miles on the web http://detourartstudio.com/miles-davis/
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Treasures-By-Brenda
Apr 17, 2010 @ 11:23 am | delete
- I'm not too familiar with Miles Davis but I do like all kinds of music. Great lens!
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About the author of this lens
by Debs
Web designer, Elvis fan and sometime poet. I live in Rome, Italy and blog about the city and enjoy photographing its lesser known corners. A keen collector... more »
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