On valentine's day, I finally replaced my worn cassette copy of "Kind of Blue" with this remastered
cd. I admit that the Ken Burns series "Jazz" kind of influenced me to start searching
out all of these great jazz artists, but Miles Davis should have at least one title
in everone's cd library. "Kind of Blue", recorded in 1959, is arguably the greatest jazz
recording ever. I'm still a little slow in filling up my collection of jazz standards,
but I rank this recording as the finest I've heard thus far.
It is still extremely difficult for me to review jazz instrumental music, because you tend
to "feel" it more than try to describe it. The only other Miles Davis recording that I'm
familiar with is "Bitches Brew", but that recording is more of a jazz/rock fusion album.
Granted, it's a very good album, but "Kind of Blue" is really the true heart and soul work
of Davis. The cd starts out with "So What". Mile's trumpet spills out a simple two note
theme that is evident throughout the song. What "drives" the song are the trade-offs on
solos. The pure treasure of this recording isn't just Miles' smooth trumpet playing,
but that of Julian Adderley and John Coltrane's sax solos. This is what turns this song,
and the rest of the album into the premier jazz recording! The subtle piano playing
by Bill Evans on "Freddie Freeloader" gives the tune a nice relaxed flavor. Miles
does his best Louie Armstrong impersonation with his hi-pitched trumpet sound.
Although it's the slowest song on the album, it's probably the most beautiful. The duet
of saxophones on "Blue in Green" compliments Miles' solo playing brilliantly. None of the
soloists are trying to show off or out-do each other here, which is the beauty of the entire
recording. This new version of "Kind of Blue" also features and alternate take of "Flamenco
Sketches". Miles' alto trumpet gives the tune a cool Spanish flavor, complimented, of course,
by Coltrane's effortless tenor sax playing that leads the song in an entirely new direction.
I must say that this 40 year old recording has held up well over the years. The quality is
astounding and the playing is years ahead of it's time. For the jazz enthusiast or someone needing
a good recommendation on what to buy for the first time, "Kind of Blue" will remind you of sitting
cocktail bar sipping a fine martini... assuming you enjoy doing that sort of thing!
