Monday, June 29, 2009

So What

#17 Kind of Blue: Miles Davis. This is the best selling jazz album of all time, and for good reason. You dont need to be a jazz fan to appreciate it. Only 5 songs, but each one a timeless classic, with melodies that stick in your head, and improvs that demand attention. These songs define what good bebop jazz was all about. A backbone with a great melody, morphing into virtuoso, but restrained solos which work off that melody. Jazz can often be a tedious listen, with talented musicains going overboard with solo sthat show off how many notes they can fit in a bar of music. The best thing about Kind of Blue is that it is restrained...notes are held and allowed to linger, to sigh, to sing. Davis' trumpet style is all about restraint - Coltrane's sax is a bit more exploratory and they play off of each other fabulously. The piano holds it all together. Brilliant.

No comments: