Miles Davis – Kind Of Blue (1959)

This is often regarded as the greatest traditional Jazz music album of all time. Regardless of that status, this is by far the greatest effort by the great Jazz legend Miles Davis. Recorded and released at the end of the 1950s, Rock music had not really caught on at this stage. Still, this album blew every other Jazz album away for years. It is a great snapshot of Jazz music, so let’s give this a listen, and see how it sounds.

We begin with So What which begins with some loose bass notes and piano. It then goes into a subtle groove and we enter the world of Miles Davis the Jazz great. The whole piece is beautifully delivered and structured perfectly. Trombone comes in, which is played perfectly. A great and captivating listen, even if you are not a huge Jazz buff. Saxophone comes in shortly afterward, illuminating this great piece of music. No doubt a great influence on many musicians afterward. This is the creme de la creme, a brilliant and listenable piece that is almost ten minutes long. Never boring at all throughout this time period. It goes very quiet towards the end and fades out gently.

The more direct Freddie Freeloader is a similar sounding yet consistent piece which is just as interesting. The piano here sounds bright and well played and Miles Davis surely deserves his place in music history with this album (and many other albums of his) that show light on his incredible artistry. It’s a chilled and brilliant Jazz listen, even today. Once again, nearly ten minutes of Jazz music bliss. Every instrumental part has precise detail about it, showing that before the age of computers, this recording is amazing and unique. Most of today’s RnB Pop music cannot come close to this music, this here is timeless. Great job here.

Blue In Green is perhaps a reference to audio/visual senses being used during listening to music? Regardless, it is a slow and gentle listen. Soothing and calm, it is a very different Jazz piece after the first two tracks. The piano comes into the foreground and then the Saxophone plays brilliantly. A nice effort that sounds effortless by Miles Davis, a great sense of musicianship is here. It has a reassuring feeling about it, very nice indeed.

All Blues begins with a repetitive but enjoyable piano sound. The horn section comes gently into the piece, driving it forward in a melodic sense. It then goes into a top-notch swinging section, powering this unique and original Jazz piece forward. The trumpet comes out on top, showing the great expressionism of the music of Miles Davis. Obviously, no other Jazz great came close to this. The expert drumming is also very good, along with the sound of the other Jazz instrumentation here. The strength of these melodies is fantastic. Most Rock music over 10 minutes sends people to sleep, this fantastic Jazz does not. Great music by Miles Davis.

Lastly, we arrive at Flamenco Sketches. For those of you who are unaware, Flamenco is a sort of Spanish guitar style of music. However, there are no loud guitars here, just some wonderfully and slightly unusual sounding introductory sounds. Once the saxophone comes in, BANG! It is emotionally captivating and very well done. Sounds like romanticism and melody rolled together into a perfected piece of Jazz music. If this is the intention, it is an extremely great musical intention, and unforgettably so. The music is 100% accurate for the Jazz fan, and unlike most Rock music, never sounds rushed or frenetic. This is a great piece, and a great way to complete this listen. It points ahead to Sketches Of Spain and other similar artistic albums that Miles Davis would do for years to come.

Oh yes, you should get this recording and give it a listen from start to finish. Why? It is perfect Jazz music for any time or state of mind. It is not only seen often as the greatest Jazz album of all time but also as the greatest album of all time. That says it all. If you like any form of Jazz, start here for serious listening.

Unforgettable.

9/10