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Blues That Blew in the Birth of the Kool
New Praise for Miles Davis’ Iconic “Kind of Blue”
by Sharon Turnoy
If you know there’s something special about Miles Davis’ Kind of Blue, you’re not alone.
It was a recording miracle, with the tracks laid down in just two days in 1959: March 2 and April 22. The band didn’t get to see the music until the day they recorded it. Miles threw them scraps of paper with scales written on them five minutes before recording time. Those were their only guidelines.
He wasn’t testing them; he hadn’t finished writing the songs yet. They would have to improvise.
Rehearse? That’s for amateurs.
Miles was legendary as a last-minute, disorganized, and often aloof bandleader. But the band rolled with it. Jimmy Cobb, drummer and the last surviving band member, said Miles’ lack of direction as a bandleader didn’t matter. Why not? He crafted his compositions so brilliantly that the music would carry you in the right direction:
“The music just takes you there.” — Jimmy Cobb, drummer
It’s not all that surprising the band on this album could keep up with Miles, given the caliber of the musicians: John Coltrane, Cannonball Adderley, Bill Evans, Paul…
