Miles Davis’ 1959 album Kind of Blue is considered the definitive jazz record and is the best selling of all times. Even today, Kind of Blue sells five thousand copies a week. So what makes it so great? You have to start with Davis’ ensemble—seven giants assembled at the height of their musical powers: tenor saxophonist John Coltrane, alto saxophonist Julian “Cannonball” Adderley, pianists Bill Evans and Wynton Kelly, bassist Paul Chambers, drummer Jimmy Cobb and of course, trumpeter Miles Davis. In recent years Davis had become disenchanted with bebop, the reigning vocabulary of the day. He began to embrace modal music — tonality and solos building from the overall key, not chord changes. Davis had made forays into modal music. In Kind of Blue he would take it up fully. The album was recorded in two sessions. Davis handed the musicians rough sketches of each piece but they had little else to go on. They barely practiced beforehand. Instead they fed off each other. The five selections were recorded in one take, with the exception of “Flamenco Sketches.” It was laid down in two.

“Kind of Blue” is often recommended to the uninitiated jazz student because it’s so easy on the ear. But don’t ever confuse it with easy listening!

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