KIND OF BLUE SOOTHES THEM BLUES AWAY
the 21st century has only marginally improved on, very often made me feel like listening to some chill music rather than hard thumping rock and roll.
Thank goodness I got myself out of the emotional rut of the late 90`s and early 2000`s, but some good came out of my personal sorrows.
My mum tried to get me to listen to some CD`s she had which were a set of nature CD`s which were just recordings of naturally occuring sounds in a variety of locations, such as the sea or in a rainforest setting.
Even though I needed to relax my world-weary mind and forget about the 90`s as much as humanly possible, I still needed something a bit more exciting.
That`s when i decided to dabble in instrumental jazz music, I figured it would have to be more relaxing than what I had been listening to for 10 years.
The first jazz album I picked up to have a listen to was `Kind of Blue` by maestro trumpeter Miles Davis. It remains my favourite jazz CD to this day.
I`m not a music expert enough to be able to make a distinction between melodies and chords or at least know all the time when they become distorted between one another in a multi-instrumental recording situation, but the one thing which `Kind of Blue` is legendary for is the complete absence of chords on the album.
From start to finish,`Kind of Blue` is pure blues based melody with no frayed ends, just cool mellow piano and saxophone led pieces which are punctuated by the master blaster`s high octane trumpet solos that in no way overwhelm the efforts of the supporting cast.
Recorded in 1959, `Kind of Blue` at the time
of its release was considered to be a bit too laidback, compared to the more upbeat but less polished be-bop material Davis had recorded since starting out in the late 1940s.
of its release was considered to be a bit too laidback, compared to the more upbeat but less polished be-bop material Davis had recorded since starting out in the late 1940s.
The opening track `So What` has become a staple jazz cover for many a Davis copycat, and it has even made it onto a few soundtrack albums over the years.
Great opening track which makes you feel like Miles Davis was in cruise mode and
would be for the duration of the album.
would be for the duration of the album.
The other totally atmospheric and mesmerizing number on the album is one by
the name of `Flamenco Sketches`, which is the closing track.
the name of `Flamenco Sketches`, which is the closing track.
Davis assembled a who`s who of the jazz business at the time to record the album, most notable was legendary saxophonist John Coltrane, who went on to bigger and better things alone in the 60`s before meeting with a very untimely death by the
decades end.
decades end.
I`m not a music expert in technical terms, I just know when a song or album sounds good and has a good melody, so I wont try and give you a step by step breakdown of all the componentry nuances which went into making the album.
Jazz is like that most of the time, too much emphasis is placed on technical detail and making a workmanlike masterpiece but
that never equates to real soul.
That`s why I prefer blues over jazz most of the time, it normally has more soul, and that often overlooked pastime in the jazz world called singing.
I love the sound of brass instruments, but I wont deny that many a jazz musician would have made a much greater impact if they had been prepared to share front stage with a vocalist.
But `Kind of Blue` didn't need singing, it is just a brilliant album without it. Over 51 years later it remains a state of the art gem which has never been surpassed in terms of its simplicity and class.
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