When people who aren't acquainted with the genre think of jazz, it's most likely something in this kind of vein, or some rendition of a song like Monica Zetterlund's Sakta Går Vi Genom Stan which they've picked up from some radio channel or tv show. Kind Of Blue is the most essential jazz record of all time and one that I think is a necessity to have experienced for any person even remotely interested in music.
While Kind Of Blue almost resembles the The Godfather or the 2001 of jazz music; a ridiculous pick for one's favorite jazz album, it's one that's almost unanimously hailed as one of the greatest achievements in the genre aswell as in music overall. It's without a doubt the best stepping stone for someone even remotely interested in the genre, being a compilation of songs that rely on atmosphere as much as the incredibly important musicanship that plays a huge part in jazz. It was recorded by some of the biggest names in jazz at the time and containing musicans who still live on today as some of the era's greatest, being Davis himself, playing the trumpet, John Coltrane performing on the saxophone and Bill Evans in a quite modest role on the piano.
Kind Of Blue came to be incredibly influential and while jazz headed into wilder, more experimental territories only a couple of years later, it still became the most important piece of any lounge playlist that wants to have a piece of jazz in it. It's an album that captures the city life atmosphere almost perfectly and it's a record that's paired perfectly with New York penthouse mingle parties, where Freddie Freeloader plays in the background and Blue In Green comes of as the closing signal for the night, while young adults are leaving for a yellow taxi.
The record is mostly focused around Bill Evans' modest, intimate piano play, as Davis and Coltrane's brass comes in on top of James Cobb's sparse, downplayed drumming, where monotonous ride's and hi-hat's carry the groove behind the brass that controls the direction. Most of the songs on Kind Of Blue work in a similar fashion, with All Blues being the wildest the band ever gets to, and the least repetitive of the bunch, where Freddie Freeloader and So What both are centered around a simple reccuring melody, All Blues sees the brass head into more daring territory as Davis' is allowed to do his thing completely. All Blues is unfortunately the in my opinion weakest moment of the album, mainly for how it doesn't quite fit with Evans' and Cobb's playing, where they both are tucked away in the back of the mix while Davis' takes the front, which creates a clash that isn't as pleasing as when they're all on the same page, working towards the same goal.
What I do think is the strongest suite of Kind Of Blue however is the atmosphere it resides in. It feels like the big city nightlife and while there are a ton of albums out there that attempt a similar atmosphere, there really isn't one that does it just as well as Kind Of Blue does and it's what makes me enjoy the record so much and also what makes me hold it so dearly.
Maybe my review isn't the selling point you need to hear this record but if you ever get the chance, then do yourself a favor and go for a bike ride or just even a walk through town, watch the night life, the people, their behavior all while listening to Kind Of Blue, from So What until Flamenco Sketches. I hope it's an experience you'd cherish as much as I would.
Kind Of Blue
Miles Davis
8/10
Anton Öberg Sysojev
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