Kind of Blue: The Making of the Miles Davis Masterpiece

by Ashley Kahn

Book Overview

Jazz musicians call it The Bible. Critics call it the one jazz album every fan must own. Forty-one years since its recording in 1959, it has sold millions worldwide and sits near the top of any list... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0306809869
• ISBN13: 9780306809866
• Release Date: September 2000
• Publisher: Da Capo Press
• Length: 222 Pages
• Weight: 1.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.8" x 8.8"

Customer Reviews

Excellent

The book itself is fantastic, even for my poor english skills. The seller is great ! fast, in time, and very affordable !

A Companion, a guide, and much more.

A surprisingly brisk read for a book of such ambitious scope, the author begins a full decade before the recording it chronicles. A wide range of subject matter - the evolution of jazz, Miles as an artist and creative voice, recording techniques, even the business of jazz marketing - are covered engagingly, intelligently and leave the reader with a better context in which to place this seminal recording. Long-time fans, who know the music and the myths inside out, will marvel anew at the dedication Miles showed not only to his music, but in what can only be called his sentimentality in working with the other artists on the dates. His relationship with pianist Bill Evans is especially poignant. The rise of modal jazz and its off-shoot from bop, along with the impact on the post-war generation of players is juxtaposed against a record label system willing to actually bid for jazz artists(!) and put real thought and resources into promoting their works. There is a tinge of nostalgia to the writing, though the author is not a contemporary of the original recording's release. This tone is far out-weighed by the realization that Kind of Blue really did mark a second (or third) Golden Age in jazz and that men the likes of Miles Davis - or Babe Ruth or Marlon Brando - seem not to walk among us much anymore. In an age of celebrity profiles and Behind the Music "documentaries", Kahn's book shows us that every story has many stories, and he tells each with a respectful touch.

Required Reading

If you are as obsessed with "Kind of Blue" as I am, this is an indispensible book. It provides a great blow-by-blow description of the recording sessions themselves, as well as an entertaining account of the relationships between Miles, Coltrane, Adderly, Cobb, et al...these titans that created THE enduring masterpiece of American music. It discusses how Bill Evans was robbed of writing credit for his obvious contributions to "Flamenco Sketches" and especially "Blue in Green" (one of the main reasons they never worked together again). Of how Miles didn't have the courtesy of letting Wynton Kelly know in advance of his limited role in the session (he showed up and Evans was sitting at the piano). Miles comes across as a somewhat arrogant genius, which is probably fairly close to reality.After reading this book, you'll be blown away by the album all the more, especially if you have enough music theory knowledge to appreciate how truly innovative modal jazz was at the time.

READ THIS BOOK

Any jazz fan or musician will love this book. But in the broader picture, it's a great exploration of American history and the '50s, with overtones of the racial elements and heroin use that effected black and white musicians. You will feel like you are there, every step of the way that led Davis to create "Kind Of Blue." And you'll get a real sense of who he was as a person -- maybe not so likeable a lot of the time.The most compelling aspect, though, is the path that led to the modal jazz movement, why it's important.The history, the music, the whole '50s scene -- I couldn't put this book down. And big kudos to the author on his handling of the material and manner in which he delivered this story.

KIND OF BLUE's book-length new liner notes?

I was curious to see how an entire book could be made focusing on the classic Miles Davis album KIND OF BLUE, considering that several previous Davis biographies seemed to comprehensively cover it in a few pages (e.g., the Chambers and Carr bios). After reading this book, I would say that the author passed the test. His access to the studio tapes (with between-takes dialogue extensively quoted), interviews with surviving witnesses/sidemen, and quotes from other sources by the deceased participants, come as close to taking the reader into the studio as possible. Furthermore, Kahn thoroughly examines the album from a number of different angles generally not of concern to most Davis biographers. There is insight into the promotional efforts in selling the album, and the marketing of Miles Davis in general (typically with little cooperation from Miles himself). Additionally, Kahn looks at the album in the context of other major jazz events of that year (John Coltrane's GIANT STEPS, Ornette Coleman's arival on the scene, etc.). Furthermore, he examines its influence in and out of the jazz world, and its reissue history (oddly, Columbia records didn't seem to fully grasp until recently just how popular this album had become). Also of note is that the first 90 pages of the book set the stage for KIND OF BLUE by examining the first stages of Davis' musical journey, particularly those areas most pertinent to understanding the making of this landmark album.To the potential reader who may have heard KIND OF BLUE and wants more information about Miles Davis: your best options are either to buy this book (but keep in mind that of course there is little coverage of the last three decades of Davis' life and music), or pick up Ian Carr's bio if you want the best-yet account of Miles' entire career. Actually, the best choice may be to opt for BOTH books.