Reviews

By Laurence Bass

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Miles Davis’ Kind of Blue celebrates 50 years of influence.

Have you heard Aaron Copeland’s orchestration of ‘The Open Prairie’, the complex arrangements of Billy Strayhorn’s ‘Black Butterfly’ or Abbey Lincoln’s reaching voice on ‘Lonely House’? Distinction is principal for any musician. Comprising the subtleties of an artist’s catalogue is difficult, but Columbia Records / Legacy Recordings make it look easy with the Kind of Blue: 50th Anniversary Collector’s Edition box set.

Recorded in 1958, Miles Davis’ Kind of Blue became the leviathan of the jazz world. The recording converted many into fanatics. Its high demand prompted a network television special, “Robert Herridge Theatre: The Sound of Miles Davis” written by Michael Cuscuna. Five decades after its release, Kind of Blue remains the top-selling jazz album of all time. The power of this recording is in the personnel: Davis (trumpet), Coltrane (tenor saxophone), Adderley (alto saxophone), Evans (piano), Kelly (piano), Chambers (bass) and Cobb (drums) —need we say more?

It began in the chapel of a vacant Hungarian church on West 30th Street in Manhattan. Columbia Records converted the former place of worship into a recording studio. No matter the alterations, fellowship was brought into existence. Miles Davis’ crisp delivery of every note allowed him to lead either a small jazz quintet or large symphony orchestra. John Coltrane’s masterful improvisations forced the jazz community to keep pace. Julian “Cannonball” Adderley’s artisanship and jovial demeanor is heard in every selection. Bill Evans’ soft touches of the keys evoked beauty even in the minutia. Though he contributed to only one piece, Wynton Kelly’s segue from big-band bop and new era cool was invaluable. For Paul Chambers’ versatility to be the foundation and, in some cases, the lead on the album was unheard of at the time. Jimmy Cobb’s brushing of the skins and crashing symbol play limned the extremes of Kind of Blue.

The Kind of Blue: 50th Anniversary Collector’s Edition box set encapsulates all of the moments from these historic sessions. Containing two compact discs of the original album with more than two hours of extended and unreleased material, this box set is a keepsake. Columbia / Legacy inserted a 180-gram finished translucent-blue 12-inch LP of the classic album. Intimate black and white photographs of “the first great quintet” compliment the scribbled liner notes from Davis. The DVD Celebrating a Masterpiece: Kind of Blue is a gem all unto itself. This hour long documentary features surviving quintet member Jimmy Cobb, Bill Cosby, Carlos Santana, Herbie Hancock, Ed Bradley and Shirley Horne.

The accompanying book is devoted to the growing legacy of Kind of Blue. The article Kind of Blue At 50 by Village Voice jazz columnist Francis Davis is reminiscent of the legendary jazz critic, Whitney Balliett. His analysis of Bill Evans’ overall contribution to the album is eye-opening. The Last King of America: How Miles Davis Invented Modernity by Gerald Early is just as potent as it is powerful. Early, Merle Kling Professor of Modern Letters at Washington University, is beyond eloquent in his essay on the flamboyant trumpeter. He examines how Davis’ lifestyle eventually translated into his often eclectic discography. This essay delves into jazz’s inevitable migration towards mainstream audiences and the hardships Davis endured in the process. The book, as a whole, also offers readers a comprehensive breakdown of the sessions in their entirety.

The supreme archivists at Columbia Records / Legacy Recordings have put together the best Miles Davis edition yet. Compared to In A Silent Way, Seven Steps, Jack Johnson, Bitches Brew and the Cellar Door Sessions, this box set offers a plethora of rare treasures. If you’re a diehard Miles Davis fan, it would behoove you to purchase the Kind of Blue: 50th Anniversary Collector’s Edition box set no matter the cost.