MILES DAVIS — Kind of Blue (review)

MILES DAVIS — Kind of Blue album cover Album · 1959 · Cool Jazz Buy this album from MMA partners
5/5 ·
Matt
Jazz Masterpiece is really an understatement for this album which was recorded in March and April 1959. Anybody who likes Jazz has this album in their collection and the majority will say "this is the one" as I do. The personnel on this album are simply stunning with really a who's who of Jazz musicians. The great John Coltrane regarded by this reviewer as the greatest saxophone player ever, Julian Cannonball Adderley the alto player and who would go into jazz history with his future version to come of "Mercy Mercy". Bill Evans provides piano as does Wynton Kelly (you know you are in for some fine light playing, I have always said little sparkles come off the piano with his touch) and with the inclusion of Jimmy Cobb on drums and the ever regular great Bass player Paul Chambers you have the rythmn section. Red Garland and Philly Joe Jones were dropped because of their style which was great for Hard Bop but a bit too energetic for this album. Miles Davis during the recording only gave each player a sketch of the compositions and provided an intro and the rest was left to them with Miles giving free rein to them in their solos and the results are spectacular.There was more than one take for these but only the completed were used except for Flamenco Sketches which has two complete takes.

The music on this album is Modal and the Hard Bop sound in Milestones has been replaced. Five tracks only are the song listing on the original release, the first being "So What" which is one of the specific modal pieces on the album with Blue in Green and Flamenco Sketches being the others. Freddie Freeloader and All Blues are straight jazz blues numbers. I think that describing the components of these compositions is something that you do not need to hear as if you are even remotely interested in Jazz you will like this album or know it and with every more play you will still hear something new or just be spell bound by the quality of the music and the musicians who are playing it. Atmosphere is what this album makes.

There are so many different releases to this album some with a slight speed change as they claim side one ran a tad faster than it was supposed to have originally. There are deluxe editions,SACD.Blu Spec,Shm,etc, all for you to decide on.

If the star rating for reviews was a meter it would have just blown as 5 stars does not do this totally essential album in any music collection justice. All Jazz and what a standard this record obtained and even today it holds its own, head and shoulders above the rest.

Next time you are watching In The Line of Fire ( Clint Eastwood) listen for "All Blues" as Clint has it on the player the old Jazz Hound.

Note thanks to EZ Money for some assistance in this review long ago.
Share this review
more

Review Comments

Post a public comment below | Send private message to the reviewer
Please login to post a shout
No shouts posted yet. Be the first member to do so above!

Review Index

Member Zone

Username:
Password:
Stay signed in

Jazz Subgenres

Artists Alpha-index

JMA TOP 5 Jazz ALBUMS

Rating by members, ranked by custom algorithm
Albums with 30 ratings and more
A Love Supreme Post Bop
JOHN COLTRANE
Buy this album from our partners
Kind of Blue Cool Jazz
MILES DAVIS
Buy this album from our partners
The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady Progressive Big Band
CHARLES MINGUS
Buy this album from our partners
Blue Train Hard Bop
JOHN COLTRANE
Buy this album from our partners
My Favorite Things Hard Bop
JOHN COLTRANE
Buy this album from our partners

New Jazz Artists

New Jazz Releases

Mid Spiral : Chaos Nu Jazz
BADBADNOTGOOD
Buy this album from MMA partners
Mid Spiral : Growth Nu Jazz
BADBADNOTGOOD
Buy this album from MMA partners
Mid Spiral : Order Nu Jazz
BADBADNOTGOOD
Buy this album from MMA partners
Evil Does Not Exist Jazz Related Soundtracks
EIKO ISHIBASHI
Buy this album from MMA partners
The Hermetic Organ Volume 13 - Biennale Musica Venezia Jazz Related Improv/Composition
JOHN ZORN
Buy this album from MMA partners
More new releases

New Jazz Online Videos

BADBADNOTGOOD - Audacia
BADBADNOTGOOD
js· 92 minutes ago
BADBADNOTGOOD - Sunday Afternoon's Dream
BADBADNOTGOOD
js· 95 minutes ago
dark little narratives
OMAWI (WARELIS / GOVAERT / DE JOODE)
js· 14 hours ago
Action at a Distance
RICH RUTH
js· 1 day ago
Bruckners Breakdown
JAZZRAUSCH BIGBAND
js· 1 day ago
More videos

New JMA Jazz Forum Topics

More in the forums

New Site interactions

More...

Latest Jazz News

members-submitted

More in the forums

Social Media

Follow us
Follow us on Twitter Become a Facebook fan RSS Feed