The Secret Kind of Blue
Posted by faculty of art and music on
August 20, 2009
It has been 50 years since Miles Davis released Kind of Blue on Columbia records.
It was a new sound for jazz, and the height of cool. Today, Kind of Blue continues to
outsell the vast majority of new jazz albums.
It’s not just the best-known Miles Davis album, it’s one of the most familiar
and influential sounds in jazz. But Kind of Blue is not just one of the greatest jazz
albums ever made. It transcends genre. You can hear echoes of Kind of Blue in
rock and electronica; the work of minimalist composers like Terry Riley and
Steve Reich; and even the Godfather of Soul James Brown stole a riff from it
for his hit single Cold Sweat. Kind of Blue is also a deeply personal album.
With its distinctive mood and atmosphere, it has provided a soundtrack to
pivotal times in many listeners’ lives.
On Radio 2 Guy Barker explores why Kind of Blue is such a phenomenon.
You can still listen to this on iPlayer.
the Farmacist.
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