Kind Of Blue

This is one of the most versatile albums of all time. You want a great record to listen to with your full attention, eyes closed with $3000 headphones on? Kind of Blue! You want a record playing in the background while you work door at a dinner party? Kind of Blue! Coffee bar? Kind of Blue! End of the evening on a date and you're sitting on the couch and you want the perfect soundtrack while make your big move? That's right, Kind of Blue!

Wow. Absolutely loved this album. I'm not a massive jazz fanboy, but this modal jazz stuff really gets me going. I love how all of the instruments feel like individuals talking to each other, each one saying something unique yet still talking about the same stuff. This is what I want when I want jazz. True Feelings: 5/5

Iconic, classic album in the history of music. Whereas the bebop before this is exhilarating like a rollercoaster with it's speed and complex chord progressions, this is like surrendering yourself to waves of key modulations as the most beautiful melodies swim around you. Hipster that I am, this isn't actually my favourite Miles Davis album but this Aussie still gives it five slices of avo toast for brekkie out of five.

This is the definition of a classic! What a flawless album from side A to side B. But that's to be expected with such a rockstar cast of performers. Everything is just solid. The songs are all jams, they transport me to a rainy city, a sunny island, a dream world. No trumpet has ever sounded as good as when Miles Davis plays on this album, it has such a rich and gorgeous sound that feels almost transcendent. I can't think of anything else to say, it's hard to put into words how amazing this album is, and how much of a joy it is to listen to. Favorite track: Blue in Green

Forget for a moment that the Wikipedia article says "Kind of Blue has been regarded by many critics as the greatest jazz record, Davis's masterpiece, and one of the best albums of all time." This is music we have heard our whole lives. There is clearly a reason for this. This is music that is composed, not just a jam session. This is technical art. You can either listen intently or just have it playing in the background. This is an album that has been STUDIED for decades. In the end, your opinion of whether you like it or not is completely irrelevant.

I'm a filthy millennial, so I'm clearly not educated enough to understand or conceptualise this properly. Kids these days just don't understand what the jazz is all about. So now that my ignorant and stupid position is established... this is fine. You know, in a kind of reasonably nice, background, boring way. There's some nice trumpet in there. My thoughts on this may be more easily summarised with a slow head-nod and a lip sticking out, in a kind of 'not bad, but ultimately I don't really care' face. 2.5 rounded up.

Every music writer and listicle has told you this is the most iconic jazz album of all time. You brought a nice fillet of king salmon home. You're gonna cook a nice dinner for your sweetie. Take the night off sweetie, I got you, you deserve it. You cook the salmon too perfection - medium rare, still semi-translucent in the center, tender, simple salt and pepper. Exactly as specified in the recipe you found on The Spruce Eats. You've lit the candles - a 50 pack of tea candles from Amazon - and for the last two weeks have ritualistically consumed Cordyceps powder for sexual stamina. Bellies fulll. Romance is alive. Kind of Blue is dancing through your Sonos. You and your sweetie softly lock eyes, sensing something deeper. You remember the first time you met. Something feels different this time. Something is getting in the way. Something is obscuring the air between you. There's a trumpet playing. The carcass-like salmon skin fills your nostrils. Fish is not sexy! The medicinal mushrooms spike your pulse skyward. There's a trumpet playing! The cheap candles flicker and struggle to burn the mass produced wax. Amazon Prime! There's a trumpet playing! You hate jazz! You never loved your sweetie! B

I was not moved.

The idea of my adding something to the words written about Kind Of Blue is beyond ridiculous, so I'll just observe (which I'm sure is also far from original) what a hash ass mistress jazz seems to be in that era (I don't know about now, hopefully it isn't still cutting off geniuses in the prime of life right and left). Of the six musicians who accompany Davis on this album only 2 made it past 50, Bill Evans barely so, and among the whole crew only Jimmy Cobb reached what could reasonably be called old age.

Beautifully played… but I hate jazz

If peeing your pants is cool, call me Miles Davis. Great album, great vibe, a Sunday in a chair sipping on a drink with a jazz cigarette

When Miles Davis died, total worldwide use of the word "m*therf*cker" dropped by 30%. I don't know what I could say to add to everything that has been said about Kind of Blue. It's all true. It's been so played over the years that it is almost wallpaper, but it still sounds fresh and smart and interesting. It's a jazz album even people who don't like jazz can listen to. Eleventy billion stars out of five

Lovely, beautiful background music. A bit lounge-y and not distracting at all.

Boring, background music.

God damn it Miles Davis! Does this place look like a fucking coffee shop? What do you mean "Kind Of Blue"? Is this supposed to be "blue" as in "sad"? Am I supposed to feel any emotion while listening to this? Because the only thing I'm thinking about while listening to this is "That guy sure loves to blow into that saxophone" and also "Where's my damn coffee". I used to think that I hate jazz, but then I got into people like Charles Mingus and Frank Zappa (thanks to this site!), and that's when I realized that jazz is a huge genre full of great music, and that I just hate this specific subgenre of boring elevator music made by a random music generator AI that Miles Davis falls into. Throw in some god damn flamenco guitars like a real man, Miles. You will never convince me that this is one of the greatest artistic statements of the 20th century or whatever. Call me ignorant. More like "Kind of Shit", bozo! This is a Charles Mingus household! Next album!

This is what they should have played when Peter Parker said, "Now dig on this". You can always count on Miles Davis to create such a beautiful but fun jazz album. Honestly, I wish I could have plopped on a zoot suit before diving into this album, would have made the experience much more authentic. But, even without the zoot, still fantastic. All instruments pairing with each other at all times and I'm used to listening to a lot of Herbie Hancock so most of my jazz listening is very chaotic and the instruments pair together by being all over the place, but this time, It's much better hearing them all fight the good fight altogether. Overall amazing, nothing else to say. (also quick quip for my Tim and Eric boys, anytime I listen to jazz now, I can't help but think of the jazz session bit, "Imma throw this atcha. RRA DOO-J RA JOOJ RUBBADY SA") https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCzq-uCSvfY&ab_channel=JignishTheMarvel

Very good, "it's a classic"

‘So What’ and ‘Freddie Freeloader' are truly momentous, the gateway to new aural worlds no matter how many times you've listened. Their engine is joy. You can hear it in Coltrane’s sax and Miles' trumpet as they crest and lilt. But most of all, it resides in those goddamn drums. Oh boy. They’re irrepressible. It'ss impossible not to tap your foot to them until your shin ache. They subside in 'Blue in Green'. Once that happens, somnabulance takes over and I find myself a little lost. It's still undoubtedly beautiful, but never as revelatory as that opening one-two.

Music to be a private investigator to. This shit is dripping in emotion and sadness. Just has so much fucking depth. Got me feeling all kinds of ways with that saxophone jesus christ

It's almost silly how many people have been profoundly altered by this record, myself included. I'll just let the music speak for itself, Blbut I will ramble a bit on what a spectacular year for jazz 1959 was, and in the spring of NYC in particular. Just two weeks after recording Kind Of Blue, tenor saxophonist John Coltrane led a session to record his "Giant Steps," another desert island masterpiece that in so many ways is the complete opposite of this record. Meanwhile, as Coltrane is recording Giant Steps across town, Charles Mingus was in the studio Miles and Coltrane had used for Kind Of Blue to record his magnum opus, Mingus Ah Um. Three unique masterpieces recorded more or less at the same time in the same places. Some of the same people but not coordinated, very different from each other, and purely happenstance. Another fascinating thing these three records have in common is that each is the rare jazz record that in its own way is unusually approachable for the lay person. A lot of the people playing jazz today were initially turned on to it through one of these three albums. A few weeks in spring 1959 in two nondescript midtown Manhattan office buildings. What a world! I wish we knew more about it. We should send Ken Burns in to investigate...

Always think Blue should release an album called Kind of Miles Davis. Took me so long (and listening to a lot more entry level jazz) to get into this. Very glad I put the time in. Feels perfect. Especially in the bath.

In my top 5 favourite albums of all time. I literally have to put life to one side to listen and really appreciate this music.

Kind of Blue I’ve tried and failed with Jazz so often, thinking or hoping I’ll like it, and it very rarely connects, including when I’ve tried this album before. However, and maybe as a consequence of doing this list, I feel like I’m becoming more amenable to it. Or it’s that this album is actually so good it transcends the genre and is ultimately just great music. I also think it’s easy to forget that there are good and bad examples of the types of music I love, and why should Jazz be any different. There must be good and bad, and as with any type of music you are not into a bad album can feel representative of the whole. But like my cock Jazz is not a monolith. I don’t know enough about modal jazz and hard bop and all that stuff to comment on the technical expertise and theory of this, but it sounds great to me, in a way that hitherto a lot of Jazz hasn’t. From those opening piano notes on So What to the warm fade out of Flamenco Sketches I didn’t find myself getting agitated or annoyed at all. While the drums and double bass plot out the standard jazz tempos the trumpet had a moving and rather lovely mellifluousness to it; it might jump around a bit, but I never got the stereotypical feelings of pointless parping and dissonance I normally get. I suppose that’s why he’s so highly regarded, he is a fantastic trumpeter (trumpeteer? Trumpetsman? trumpetthem?). And not just the trumpet but also the sax is also great, again I suppose because Cannonball Adderly and John Coltrane are superbly skilled saxpeople. The piano, particularly on the Bill Evans tracks, is absolutely fantastic too, with a lovely lightness to it. It’s hard to really pick out individual tracks as there are only 5 and they all move about musically within the songs while also having the sense of being a musical suite across the whole album. But there are some great moments, the piano on So What, the trumpet right at the end of Freddie Freeload from around 8.54, the melancholy lament of the intro to Blue in Green and it’s overall 3am feeling, the slightly more uptempo smokiness of All Blue and the slightly impressionistic piano on Flamenco Sketches is amazing I can completely see why this has such popularity and critical respect. Like any great musician, the gaps between what he plays makes this great, and the way he can conjure feelings and moods is fantastic. I can see how something like Astral Weeks was so influenced by this, as well as countless other musicians, and not just jazz and jazz adjacent ones, I know a lot of guitarists love this album and also I think Radiohead are big fans (although that be more to do with Bitches Brew) I may be succumbing to the critical hype but I’ll give this 5, I listened to it a couple of times yesterday afternoon and have listened non-stop since about 8.30 this morning, it’s been great to work to. I don’t think I’m a jazz convert by any means, but this is just a great album. 🎺🎺🎺🎺🎺 Playlist submission: Flamenco Sketches

Miles's Magnum Opus. What can I possibly say that hasn't already been said by people with far more jazz expertise than I? I'm just a plucky tone deaf lover of music who has no musical competency whatsoever. All I can tell you is that as a listener it feels right. There's a correctness in what I assume my ears are hearing. His renowned improvisational spirit fusing so wholly with his virtuoso proficiency; a true thing of beauty in its most pure form. I don't know jazz, but I know greatness when I hear it.

It is evident from the moment it starts that we are in some very capable and caring musical hands. Listening to Kind of Blue feels like lying in a raft gently rocking on a calm sea. So soothing, so laid back. My soul feels lighter. Each track is its own subtle mood and the shift from one to the next creates a clear arc through the whole piece. Absolute perfection.

One of those jazz albums that anyone, including people that don't normally listen to jazz, can listen to and appreciate. The only other Miles Davis record that I've listened to extensively is his aggressively eclectic 'Bitches Brew', which I'm inclined to argue is, at the very least, more memorable than 'Kind of Blue'. With all that said, this album is still incredible, and is the sort of thing that everyone should listen to at least once. Even non musicians can appreciate the exceptional musicianship on display here.

Outstanding jazz masterpiece. A referential and milestone record of the XX century. Not a jazz connoisseur but I keep coming back to the vinyl every now and then, and every time is a great experience

Instant atmosphere.

Truly a masterpiece. Amazing clash of personalities of some of the best jazz players of all time recorded on a truly timeless album.

Very blue.

Smooooth. I really enjoyed this.

12/21 Masterpiece. Standout Tracks: Blue In Green, All Blues, Stella By Starlight, Love For Sale, Fran-Dance (alternate take), So What (Live at Kurhaus, The Hague)

Awesome Jazz album

Not a jazz fan, but I enjoyed listening to this while I worked. It felt like a great productivity booster.

way too jazzy!

Dit is niet iets wat ik langer dan 1 nummer vol kan houden.

no jazz pls

eh

Must’ve been groundbreaking in 1957 but it’s just background jazz music

5 Nothing more to say. Well, maybe. I can listen to this on an endless loop and never tire of it. really sit back and "Listen" with a capital L, to "All Blues". It transports you back to a time of sitting in a small smoky club, let at night, sipping on cocktails and just really experiencing the free flow magic. Even this versions's fade out is crying for more...

With this stacked cast of musicians, this could never be anything but 5-star perfection!

Ich bin nicht der große Jazzfan. Ich kenne mich auch gar nicht so gut aus in Jazz. Aber ich habe vor vielen Jahren eine Blue Note Sammlung vererbt bekommen. Die erste CD aus dieser Sammlung war zufällig "Kinds of Blues" von Miles Davis. Und ich war so positiv überrascht von dem ruhigen angenehmen melodischen Sound dieser Produktion. Der Sound meines Alltags, Lebens, eines Films. Ich bin dadurch sehr geprägt und immer noch fasziniert. Miles Davis hat mir den Jazz näher gebracht und für Neues den Weg geöffnet.

I wish I knew more about music so that I could write something that articulates what I think is good about this album, but sadly I don't know much about music. So my poor ramblings really won't do it justice. I love this album, I don't think there is a setting that wouldn't be improved by listening to this. I struggle with more experimental jazz and find some forms of 'New York rom com' jazz a bit dull (let's not even talk about Buble jazz) but Miles Davis fits so well as a form that I think most people could access and enjoy but yet is experimental and exciting. It is perfection. I've probably listened 6 times today.

First one I was able to listen on vinyl, and I’m so glad I did. Beautiful solos over superb rhythm section.

Absolutely one of the greatest jazz albums of all time. I used to have an old boss who would play this album at noon everyday. I caught the shot. He loved it. I got to where I loved it too. I still do. Really holds up even after all the listens.

Iconic jazz album. Bill Evans is a great pianist and Miles is a legend joined by a bunch of other legendary jazz artists including Coltrane. Theres a reason its the top selling jazz album of all time.

smooth

As one of the previous reviewers said, this is an album for any occasion. I wonderful, laid back sound with a wonderful stereo mix that would equally at home as background music or music to be listened to carefully. I wonderful and accessible introduction to Miles Davis at his height

Miles Davis and John Coltrane collaborated on an album and I’m expected to rate it anything less than perfect? I am not so presumptuous.

A gorgeous, smooth, and cool album, featuring a truly all world line up. Each and every track is a gem, but I was most drawn to Flamenco Sketches. This is one of the greatest jazz albums of all time.

Miles Davis was already one of the biggest Jazz artist in the late 50's, being named the creator of Cool Jazz but even outside of that he made great albums in genres like Hard Bop and Bebop. But in 1959 he decided to get together with other artists like John Coltrance, Cannonball Adderley and Bill Evans to create an album that pushed the sound and possibilities of Jazz like few did before with all orignal compostions and improvs. Since then 'Kind of Blue' became the best selling Jazz album ever and it deserves that. Is it my favourite Jazz album? No. Is it my favourite Miles Davis album? No, it's Nr.3. Is it my favourite 50's album? No, because of "Somethin' Else" by Cannonball Adderley. But it is second place and one of only 4 albums from the 50's that I think are a 10/10 (as of right now). The album opens on 'So What' that introduces the relaxed and cool but interesting and diverse approach this album goes. After a little piano intro it starts the theme that repeats through the song and that is played and improvised around with all the instruments. Every musician has his own parts to showcase their own virtuose playing, being the incredible drums, the complementary piano, the bass, both saxophones and how can you forget Miles Davis on the trumpet. This is a perfect song, a Jazz masterpiece, a piece of art that aged like or even better than wine. Depending on the day, this is my favourites track that the album offers. 'Freddie Freeloader' has a similar but not identical theme at the start of it but once it evolves from that it explodes into another masterpiece of song. It is the only song that does not feature Bill Evans on piano and Wynton Kelly proves that the song does not need him here as he takes full presence in the early parts of the track. From that it goes further in typical Jazz fashion. I love this one a lot but I feel that at a couple of moments it doesn't really hold the tention and interest in the way 'So What' did but even if, it is still magnificent. The albums shortest and probably most famous song 'Blue in Green' that was co-composed by Bill Evans shines even with a shorter length with incredible musicianship and sprawling moments especially with the piano. My "problem" with the song is mainly that due to it being less than 6 minutes long, it can't really achieve the heights and moments of tension that make the songs here so incredibly important and good, even if it has the most emotional and sentimental trumpet solo on the whole album. Miles nailed it perfectly. Side 2 opens with 'All Blues', the albums longest song. Right of the bat, this is my favourite song on the album. The theme at the start is so catchy and throughout the song, every performance works so well and is executed perfectly. I'm not even going to write much because I just want to enjoy the beauty of what is playing right now (this song). But I have to say that I absolutely love the way the theme comes back with the piano and then goes away to give more room for the sax and comes back the moment the sax goes. It's smooth and it's cool and it's just fabolous. The album closes on 'Flamenco Sketches' and the title suggests that Miles has some sort of interest in Flamenco and Sketches... I know that seems a little redundant but one year later he released the album 'Sketches of Spain' in which he combines his Jazz with Classical Spanish Music to create a musical sketch of Spain and in doing so he did dabble into a bit of Flamenco. But that was already in the 60's and here there isn't really anything musically that hints towards that as it isn't much of a Flamenco Jazz piece even if you look deep. This is also the other song co-composed by Bill Evans and in this song one thing is clear: they both work together like Milk and Honey. I do not know how they do it but what they create here is full of moments that work so good together that the moment a sax starts to play, you kind of miss the trumpet. At least that is what I am feeling with the song. But do you know what else I am feeling?, another incredible song. favourites: All Blues, So What, Blue in Green, Freddie Freeloader least favourites: Flamenco Sketches if I HAD to pick Rating: light to decent 10 https://rateyourmusic.com/~Emil_ph for more ratings, reviews and takes

freddie freeloader more like freddie fazbear late night listening for this one 10/10 legendary jazz

I mistakenly put this album on repeat and didn’t even notice until 2-1/2 hours. Would do again.

I always enjoy chilling out to this album, teasing apart the subtle conversations the instruments are having. Kirk Hamilton has a great deep dive at https://strongsongspodcast.com/episode/so-what-by-miles-davis Absolutely worth listening to for a deeper appreciation of this album!

Not a fan of jazz usually, but I enjoyed listening to this. My cat too.

The best selling jazz album ever and with good reason. Even though I think this album is timeless, it's interesting to me that later in life Miles Davis refused to play anything from Kind of Blue because remaining static stylistically was the wrong option. But then why even make a jazz album? Albums are inherently static. Jazz is inherently improvisational and dynamic. It's a distinction that makes it hard sometimes for people to enjoy recorded jazz. Maybe jazz is always meant to be enjoyed live where the music can follow or lead the vibe of the whole room at a particular time and in a particular place but I do enjoy this album quite a bit. It is soothing and subtle and moody in all the right ways. It makes jazz accessible to everyone.

“The most complete jazz album ever recorded.”

I've been busy the last couple of days with little time for listening to the music sent to us. There was no way I was going to slap a "did not listen" on this bad boy so have adopted the "better late than never" adage.  A well played but not too loud  trumpet played over subtle rhythms is magical. I could listen to a song like Blue in Green all night long and not get tired of it. The trumpet playing would be enough, but we also get to enjoy sax playing that is arguably as good. 

There’s nothing not to like about this album. The lineup and the compositions (tracks 1, 2 & 4 especially) are stellar. I like the decision to do the saxophone solos back-to-back, contrasting the warmth of Adderly and the edgier sound of Coltrane. This is the greatest selling jazz album of all time and the album most critics would put at or near the top of their all-time list, and I won’t disagree.

This is probably the greatest jazz album of all time. It is also the best statement of cool jazz. The addition of John Coltrane makes this album also one of the greatest jazz collaborations to exist.

Beautiful jazz album that ranges from fun and uptempo to emotional. Layering of bass strings, piano, trumpet and sax all keeping time with drums and cymbals. Covers multiple tempos that can feel like a fast conversation or argument like in So what to a somber reflection of blues in green. Amazing musicianship across the board. So what, All blues, flamenco sketches

A very relaxing album in my opinion 5/5

I can never get enough of this album.

My introduction to classic jazz, and what an album. I have a very good vinyl pressing, containing 2 albums one of which is the original release, the second record includes the corrected speed version of side 1, which apparently was cut at a slightly too fast speed as well as an alternate version of Flamenco Sketches. This sounds just so amazing and the music is so brilliant. It really belongs in the collection of anyone with even a passing interest in jazz. A no-brainer 5 🌟album

Puto albumzazo

daora demais esse

Ultra rzadki jazzowaty pick jednego z najwazniejszych albumikow w davisowej dyskografii, jesli mozna mowic tutaj o waznych i wazniejszych, bo przeciez davis to ikona jazzu od hardego bopa, po modalne jazzowanie, malo ktory artysta tak zmienil swoje brzmienie na przestrzeni lat, a kind of blue jest wlasnie pierwszym materialem w pelni modalnego jazzowania, plyta nagrana w 59, w dwoch sesjach, jedna sesja jedna strona krazka, jak to w tradycji milesowej, zbyt duzych przygotowan do nagran nie bylo, powiedzial tylko ekipie jak maja grac, ale bez wyraznych nakazow, stworzyl sekstet z najbardziej wplywowymi jazzmanami tamtego okresu, w sklad tej ekipy wchodza takie nazwiska jak coltrane czy evans, wiec kocury z najlepszych kocurow na swoich instrumentalach, chociaz preferuje bebopowanie, to jednak taki modalny jazz pozwala takze na dowolna interpretacje co slychac na tej plycie, zwlaszcza na pierwszej stronie i trakach jak blue in green gdzie blyszczy evansowanie, nie wrzucam pojedycnzych trakow, bo i tak mam caly album na dope shietach, wiec leci tylko do listy albumikowej gwiazdkowej

Can't be beat

Jazzy jazz jazz. One of the greats.

GREAT for relaxing and cooking or doing other housework...or even just sitting around and listening to fantastic music. Easy listening.

Great relaxing album...

Simply Beautiful

Great

Quintessential jazz

absolute favorite. a masterpiece

Awesome!

An absolute masterpiece. 10/10

Loved it

A landmark of the genre!!!

One of my all time favorites.

I consider this the foundation of modern pop music and jazz and blues.

10

A perfect album

I think it's overrated, with my current gold standard of jazz being Black Saint and The Sinner Lady. But that said it is amazing and I would feel bad giving it 4 stars.

Given how few jazz albums overall there are in this collection, it seems a bit odd that we'd get four different Miles Davis albums (and this is the second so far for me), but I haven't listened to his music all that much, and always felt like I *should* listen to more, so I'm not complaining. Unlike his earlier "Birth of the Cool", this seems more like what I imagine Miles Davis' core sound became. It certainly seems to be his most popular and classic album, and I like the idea that he gave each of his incredibly talented band members a scale to work with and freedom to improvise (or that's what I gathered from the description of his "modal jazz" approach). The recording is also impressively clear and high-fidelity given that it was recorded in 1959. I'm not enough of a jazz aficionado to be able to call out any particular track or solo or instrument, but I *did* appreciate that this is more than just nice background music, largely because the tracks aren't really tunes per se (and "All blues" seemed to encapsulate the best of the album in this regard). And my apologies to Miles Davis and jazz connoisseurs everywhere for the four-star rating--it's all because of my ignorance of all things jazz that I didn't appreciate the album as fully as I should have....

I’m not really into jazz, but this is pretty great.

Listening to this album was like looking into a window to the past. You can see where the influences for rock, RnB, and even hip hop come from. The most underrated part of this album is the drumming, Jimmy Cobb’s ability to quietly lead the rhythm, timing, and flow of each song is something that should be appreciated. Another thing that I really appreciated from this album is that you can hear Miles give his all in every single song, there are no performances that are half baked, he is wailing from start to finish. This album is a truly a timeless piece of work.

this album has a very special place in my heart. in my senior year of college, I was able to take a 'History of Jazz' course and it was honestly one of my favorite classes I took in undergrad. I was in that class with some very good friends and one best friend of mine. We used to study for all the exams together and this album always brings that memory back. I know jazz isn't the easiest genre to get into, but this album is truly one of the greats. It's what defined Miles as a pioneer for the genre and brought jazz to a wider audience. It's a real masterpiece - and defines what would become smooth/cool jazz for years to come. All hail Miles Davis

Even though I listened to this probably not in the proper setting (ideally would have been on my porch or living room with a nice bourbon) and rather while on a run, I found myself more engaged with the music than I expected to be. It’s such a mocked concept now in jazz that it’s actually just about “the notes that aren’t being played” but I didn’t find that to be the case here. Even in the improvisations, everything seemed very purposeful. The background rhythm sections are very pleasant and nice to listen to. I also wish I could live the days of these awesome jazz nickname people, I.e cannonball adderly. Like there goes ol’ Jackhammer McEntire

I don't ask for much from jazz. What I mean is, I'm not a scholar. I can't tell you tit from tat about modal jazz, or about how exactly anyone here is playing. If I tried, I bet I'd come across as a huge poser. At best, I'd just be repeating something I might've heard in a Vox video. But even if I did have the ability to identify specific keys, modes and notes, I don't think I'd want to listen to jazz like that anyway. Putting it on specifically to analyze the music theory of it? Sure, I can appreciate complex playing, but I've never been one to tend towards music just because it's complex--or abstract or experimental, or however else "real, important jazz" is supposed to be impressive. I've grown up listening to pop and rock. Older stuff, mostly, but that's besides the point. As such, I generally tend more towards... Y'know, melodies. As long as I'm provided a good melody; something I can focus on or just have play in the background--and there aren't any external, non-music factors that'll discourage me from listening--I can't really complain. Now, that's not to say I'm a complete sucker; that as long as a melody's pleasing I'm perfectly pacified. There **has** to be more going on there. I mean, I can't tell you how many albums I've heard from this list that sound pleasant, but really had nothing else going for them. There needs to be a deeper layer, and that's where the complexity comes in. Even if I don't focus solely on it, just being aware that it's there really does a number for my enjoyment. The ol' "Ooo, I'm so smart" "big brain" feeling, y'know? And it's always appreciated where it's not too present; not distracting if you're not specifically listening for it. "Great players playing great melodies and solos." That's all I really ask for, in short, and that's what KIND OF BLUE provides. I mean, if I'm being 100%, I'm not sure if I'm gonna hold any specific differences between this or the other Miles Davis album my group listened to, BIRTH OF THE COOL. Like, if I ever listen to either of these again, it's probably gonna be a coin toss. In that sense, I don't think I can rate this any higher than I did BIRTH OF THE COOL--which I gave a 4, but still. Either way, this is some of the greatest work from one of the jazz men and group of jazz players to ever exist. If you're willing to not be such a jazz snob about its "simplicity," it's absolutely worth your time.

The thing about jazz for me personally is that it is difficult for it to sustain my attention for most albums. I usually have just little problems with jazz albums, such as songs that might take too long or most of the album sounding much of the same for its duration. I feel that, for me, these are issues that prevent me from giving Kind of Blue a perfect five rating. However, I would be remiss to not say that this is more than likely the quintessential jazz album. Miles and each of his company are at the top of their game on this album, each perfecting their craft to give one of the smoothest jazz albums in existence. Seriously, Blue in Green has to be one of the chillest jazz songs period in my opinion. As I mentioned, I personally can’t say that this was one of my favorites, but I do recognize the acclaim that this album has received and that’s good enough for me. Favorite Track: Blue in Green Other hits: So What, Flamenco Sketches, Freddie Freeloader

Supposedly the greatest jazz album ever. While I thought it was really good I just don’t have the genre understanding to know if that’s true. The musicians are all clearly masters of their instruments and a coherent vibe is created throughout. I’m caught between a 4 and a 5 here.

“Kind of Blue” by Miles Davis (1959) Classic jazz, with exquisite performances by Davis (trumpet), John Coltrane (tenor sax), Cannonball Adderly (alto sax), Bill Evans (piano). Listening today, we can recognize the roots of much of what was to come in music. Don’t look for chord structure or melody. This is pure improvisation by the above named musicians, taking turns leading the adventure, seeing how scales can be elaborated. It’s beautiful. That’s not to say that every note is perfectly attacked (or even chosen—surely the musicians would have improved details on a subsequent take or a dub, but that would violate the integrity of a jazz performance). Focus on the leading scales. The recording is unfortunately marred by distortion (especially on Coltrane’s feed), and the use of a minimum number of microphones results in a lack of definition, especially for the drums, which are very subdued in the mix. But overall, this album is an essential piece of our musical culture. Listen. Seriously. 4/5

The man, the myth, the legend. Looks like the List God(s) heard my rant on the Beastie Boys review loud and clear. This isn't my favorite album from Miles Davis, but it's a welcome change of pace nonetheless. This is widely regarded as one of the all-time great jazz albums, and I think that's mostly about influence and what it represented in the '50s. I watched a couple videos explaining the birth of modal jazz that this album represents, which is huge. It's hard for me to hear it as revolutionary though, considering I worked sort of backwards through Davis' catalog. But it's a fantastic album either way. Not as engaging to me as Sketches of Spain or Bitches Brew (both of which BETTER be on this list), but it is very smooth, very cool, with fantastic solos from everyone involved. Big names in the ensemble too, John Coltrane and Cannonball Adderley especially. Miles Davis was a creative force like no other. Favorite tracks: So What, Flamenco Sketches, Freddie Freeloader. Album art: Instantly recognizable because of how famous this album is, but pretty tame. Granted, many jazz albums had boring covers like this back in the day, but even compared to older Davis albums like Milestones or Porgy and Bess....there's room for improvement. I do like the font choice, though. 4.5/5

Wish I was into Jazz. I think its cool to experience, like go to a pub and they have a jazz night, there is a band there and they're all very talented playing intricately (idk how to spell). And I appreciate that for this record but I don't have any yearning to listen to it

Het begon goed, dacht ik, maar ik werd er toch nerveus van.

Classic

Un des meilleurs album jazz de l'histoire. Je préfère la période fusion de Miles, notamment Bitches Brew et In a Silent Way, mais ça demeure un chef d'œuvre absolu.

This album gives the vibes of someone at a cocktail party, surrounded by dignitaries and socialites. He drums up a conversation with a railroad tycoon who asks what this young man has 'in the works'. After fudging his way through conversation using terms like 'amortization', 'EBITDA' and 'capital gains', he heads to the bar and orders a Manhattan cocktail. He politely sips his drink in solitude , internally pondering where Vermouth actually gets its unique flavour from, while surveying the room. He can't shake the feeling that at this particular point in time, he has made it. The sun sets behind the mountain range across the lake from the elevated condo which hosts the party. The man goes outside for a menthol cigarette and looks up at the sky, just in time to see a glimmer of a far off shooting star. Could it get better than this? Unlikely.

The essence of COOL. Miles Davis made the switch from chord-based jazz to modal jazz seemingly effortlessly, maintaining an effective cool atmosphere the whole way, resulting in one of the finest jazz albums out there. Another win from Miles!