Kind of Blue

Kind of Blue is a 1959 album by jazz musician Miles Davis (see 1959 in music).

Related Topics:
1959 - Jazz - Miles Davis - 1959 in music

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As was Davis's practice, he called his bandmembers to the recording studio at short notice. The musicians had no idea what they were to record; Davis himself had only a few chords, scales, and melody ideas in mind for each song. Once the musicians were assembled, Davis gave brief instructions for each piece, then set to recording.

Related Topics:
Chord - Scale - Melody

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With the exception of "Flamenco Sketches," which required a second take (the original is included on the CD reissue), the sextet recorded all the songs to Davis's satisfaction with only one complete take each. Davis would later use similar recording practices, for example on another of his epochal records, Bitches Brew. He thought that giving musicians little notice, little or no rehearsal, and only vague instructions forced them to pay very close attention to their own performances and to the other musicians.

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Kind of Blue is notable for its use of modes. While certainly not the first jazz musician to use modes, the album was recorded and released in an era when the jazz world seemed to be aching for change: big bands had lost most of their audience, and there seemed to be nothing new to say with bebop. It's worth noting that Kind of Blue was recorded in the same year – almost to the same month – as Ornette Coleman's The Shape of Jazz to Come, a revolutionary album that stretched jazz beyond bebop.

Related Topics:
Modes - Big band - Bebop - The Shape of Jazz to Come

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Kind of Blue was a startling change for its era, and was almost instantly recognized, both critically and commercially. Though precise figures have been disputed, Kind of Blue has been cited as Davis's best-selling album, and as the best-selling jazz record of all time.

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