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Miles Davis: Kind of Blue
This recording was the beginning of modal jazz, and while Coltrane displays his free, unorthodox style and intense tone, Miles balances this with his contrasting smoothness and sparse phrasing. Cannonball colors Coltrane's sound with a rhythmically daring yet more melodic style of his own, characteristic of his traditional and ebullient phrasing. Bill Evans, whether accompanying or soloing, prefers a style more likened to the title of the album. He glides elegantly and profoundly on top of the driving yet laid back swing of Jimmy Cobb. Paul Chambers serves as the technically dynamic and harmonic foundation for the group, lending his exceptional skill to a tight rhythm section.
This album throws away conventional song and chord structure that had been definitive to most jazz artists, welcoming a new structure based on modes. More than a milestone in jazz, Kind of Blue is a defining moment of twentieth century music.
Track Listing
So What; Freddie Freeloader; Blue In Green; All Blues; Flamenco Sketches; Flamenco Sketches (Alternate Take)
Personnel
Miles Davis
trumpetMiles Davis trumpet; Bill Evans piano; Julian "Cannonball" Adderley alto saxophone (except #3); John Coltrane tenor saxophone; Wynton Kelly piano (#2); Paul Chambers bass; Jimmy Cobb drums
Album information
Title: Kind of Blue | Year Released: 1999 | Record Label: Columbia Records
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