Album: Kind of Blue
Artist: Miles Davis
Born: Alton, Illinois
Released: August 1959
Genre: Jazz
Influenced: Robert Wyatt, John Cale, Brian Eno, Art of Noise, DJ Shadow
This is the only pure (non-vocal) jazz record on my list. I had some reservations about including it at all, mainly because I see jazz as standing apart from the pop mainstream. That said, its influence stretches far beyond the world of jazz, and it is apparently the top-selling record in its genre of all time. According to Richard Williams, whose book on the album and associated blog (Blue Moment) are worth seeking out, Kind of Blue is the only jazz record that many people own. More important than all these factors, Kind of Blue is one of the few jazz records that I've ever really connected with and, like Sinatra's In The Wee Small Hours, it exudes that cool melancholy of 1950s New York.
I'm told that the line-up of musicians on the record is a veritable dream team of jazz greats, including John Coltrane (whose Love Supreme album I've listened to and enjoyed, but don't exactly love supremely). The problem I find with many jazz records is that they either have a soporific or jarring effect on me; perhaps I don't have enough awareness of the technical ability on display to really appreciate it. My other problem is that I put a high premium on lyrics in pop music, and without that I find it hard not to switch off. Kind of Blue really is the exception to this rule. Everything on this album is great and wonderfully atmospheric, but especially the opening track So What and the longest cut, All Blues. Apparently, it was all recorded in nine hours. Astonishing stuff.
"It is the most singular of sounds, yet among the most ubiquitous. It is the sound of isolation that has sold itself to millions." - Richard Williams
Artist: Miles Davis
Born: Alton, Illinois
Released: August 1959
Genre: Jazz
Influenced: Robert Wyatt, John Cale, Brian Eno, Art of Noise, DJ Shadow
This is the only pure (non-vocal) jazz record on my list. I had some reservations about including it at all, mainly because I see jazz as standing apart from the pop mainstream. That said, its influence stretches far beyond the world of jazz, and it is apparently the top-selling record in its genre of all time. According to Richard Williams, whose book on the album and associated blog (Blue Moment) are worth seeking out, Kind of Blue is the only jazz record that many people own. More important than all these factors, Kind of Blue is one of the few jazz records that I've ever really connected with and, like Sinatra's In The Wee Small Hours, it exudes that cool melancholy of 1950s New York.
I'm told that the line-up of musicians on the record is a veritable dream team of jazz greats, including John Coltrane (whose Love Supreme album I've listened to and enjoyed, but don't exactly love supremely). The problem I find with many jazz records is that they either have a soporific or jarring effect on me; perhaps I don't have enough awareness of the technical ability on display to really appreciate it. My other problem is that I put a high premium on lyrics in pop music, and without that I find it hard not to switch off. Kind of Blue really is the exception to this rule. Everything on this album is great and wonderfully atmospheric, but especially the opening track So What and the longest cut, All Blues. Apparently, it was all recorded in nine hours. Astonishing stuff.
"It is the most singular of sounds, yet among the most ubiquitous. It is the sound of isolation that has sold itself to millions." - Richard Williams
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