Fifty Six Years of Blue (Kind Of)

Wikipedia: In March and April 1959, Davis re-entered the studio with his working sextet to record what is widely considered his magnum opus, Kind of Blue. He called back Bill Evans, months away from forming what would become his seminal trio, for the album sessions as the music had been planned around Evans’ piano style.[

Miles Ahead : Here are the 47 occurrences of ‘So What’ in the Miles Ahead database. Click on a date for session details. If a row does not list any commercially-issued records, then that particular version of the tune is only available on private recordings.

A Miles Davis Collector’s Site : First LP release : Columbia CL 1355(mono) CS 8163(stereo) (released August 17, 1959) . Stereo first pressings Side A groove trailoff area has XSM47326-1A . Stereo first pressings Side B groove trailoff area has XSM47327-1A. Cover (both, mono and stereo versions) AND disc label artwork AND liner notes reverse the titles of “Flamenco Sketches” and “All Blues” . Cover artwork inncorrectly spells Julian Cannonball Adderley’s last name as “Adderly”.

Amazon : KIND OF BLUE (1959) has a stark, hushed, understated, but very heady nature, a staggering difference from the previous year’s MILESTONES. KIND OF BLUE went on to become a mega-classic, historic and trend setting. It introduced modal tunes to jazz, which provide much more space for improvising on each chord compared to conventional jazz tunes and standards.

allmusic : It’s the pinnacle of modal jazz — tonality and solos build from the overall key, not chord changes, 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.

The Bill Evans Webpages : Bill Evans says : “”There is a Japanese visual art in which the artist is forced to be spontaneous. He must paint on a thin stretched parchment with a special brush and black water paint in such a way that an unnatural or interrupted stroke will destroy the line or break through the parchment. Erasures or changes are impossible. “

NPR : The second day of recording did not take place for seven weeks. When the band finally gathered again, this time minus pianist Wynton Kelly, the first tune recorded was essentially a series of Flamenco- and North African-derived scales.

Pitchfork : All of that might make Kind of Blue sound kind of boring, and indeed, part of the album’s allure owes to the fact that it is among the least immediately radical paradigm-shifters you’re ever likely to hear.

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