Ten Albums, One Life - Miles Davis - Kind of Blue
The next installment in my series “Ten Albums, One Life” is my favorite jazz album of all time.
My dad had a ton of jazz records, so jazz was always playing in the house on his old turntable in the basement. I also played in my high school jazz band, which gave me a completely different appreciation for what these musicians were actually doing. I’ve loved jazz for years, and while there are probably five or six albums I’d recommend to anyone who tells me they want to get into jazz: Dave Brubeck’s Time Out, Cannonball Adderley’s Somethin’ Else, an Ella Fitzgerald record, something by John Coltrane, and either Duke Ellington or Count Basie, it’s Kind of Blue by Miles Davis that is my absolute favorite.
This isn’t just a great jazz album; it’s one of those records that feels almost impossible to believe was made when you look at the lineup. Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Cannonball Adderley, Bill Evans, Paul Chambers and Jimmy Cobb all in the same room! These weren’t anonymous session musicians backing a star, like so many other jazz albums. These were some of the most important jazz musicians of their generation, and they were given the freedom to listen, respond and explore the studio. What they created was groundbreaking.
“So What” is the perfect opener. From that opening bass line, it just feels warm. It feels like a soft, comfortable chair that I can sink into. Davis clearly understood that sometimes the most powerful thing a musician can do is leave a little room. The songs are built around “modal jazz”, giving the musicians the freedom to explore rather than forcing them through a complicated series of chord changes, and you can hear that freedom in every track. There are times when I want loud jazz, big bands and musicians throwing everything they have at a song. But especially now, I find myself wanting to really feel jazz, and Kind of Blue gives me that feeling.
It’s calm without ever being boring, restrained without ever feeling lazy. Davis creates the space, and then Coltrane, Adderley, Evans and the rest of the band fill that space in completely different ways, bringing their own touch to the album. My favorite song on the album changes almost every time I listen, which might be the best possible compliment. There’s always something waiting for me that I didn’t quite hear the last time. Do you need a late-night, velvet couch, dive bar song? Check out “Blue In Green” which makes me melt every single time. And for a preview of his album Sketches of Spain, check out “Flamenco Sketches” which clearly uses the natural acoustics of the recording studio (a former Greek Orthodox Church) and its high ceilings. It’s a late night drink on a balcony as the city winds down.
And maybe all of this is why Kind of Blue has remained so important to me. It’s an album that I get and it continues to amaze me. Nothing feels crowded. Nothing feels rushed. The writing, the performances and the production all give these musicians room to breathe, and that makes the album feel almost timeless. It’s an album I can put it on while I’m working, cooking, or when I’m doing absolutely nothing, and it never feels like background music.
There are albums on this list that remind me of a particular person, place or moment in my life. Kind of Blue is different. It feels bigger than that. It’s simply one of those records that I believe everyone should have in their life. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this album. I’m not sure there’s anything I would change about it. It’s warm, adventurous, beautiful, effortless and, to me, absolutely perfect.
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