mail: daniel_fjall@hotmail.com
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kind of blue – miles davis
I have to confess that I’m not very familiar with jazz. You could talk to me about most pop/rock/blues/hard rock/country-related things, but when it comes to jazz I’m very ignorant. Sure, I’ve heard some of it, but never bought many albums or looked any further into the genre. All I know is that I wish my knowledge was broader and I’ve finally decided to do something about it. So if you, just like me, are interested in jazz, but doesn’t really know where to begin, you can watch my steps right here on this page. You can see the thoughts and impressions on various jazz albums coming from a rock guy rather than a hip jazz man. Of course, if you happen to be a great fan of the genre (and its numerous sub-genres) feel free to hand me a tip and suggestion every now and then. So, for novices this might be a cool way to slowly step into he world of jazz. I’m not, as I said above, an expert and if you’re not either, you could always learn from my both good and bad moves and then investigate further by yourself. If I would happen to have any regular readers (I’m not so sure about that), we’ll explore the field together and perhaps are able to help each other out. Since I wasn’t sure where to start, I decided to check out what’s supposed to be one of the ultimate albums of all time. Not only amongst jazz fans, but amongst basically every music fan and critic. A phenomenon in the same way as The Beatles was in the pop world. The record I’m talking about is obviously:
Kind of Blue by Miles Davis Jazz has often been called too complex and not for the average listener. More like music for the musicians themselves and a way to impress each other with the individual instrumental skill. Whilst that’s not completely accurate, there is a certain amount of truth in it. Wild improvisations and no real singable melodies are frequently occurring within the genre. Whilst Kind of Blue have very few melodies in the same way as a pop song might have, there always is some sort of theme going on through the songs. There might be a nice harmony sequences on the piano, a drum rhythm or a steady bassline. On top of that we have, of course, Miles’ extraordinary trumpet lying out the extra golden touches. Some of the jazz from this period relied on big string arrangements that usually bothers me a little. It is a relief for me that those big arrangements are missing here. Instead we have a warm, stripped down, cozy, soothing and personal sound. I dig it, as Dean of Kerouac’s On The Road would have said. However, if Kind of Blue is a jazz album so fantastic that even non-fans are able to appreciate it, or if it’s a lightweight, sell out album made to suit the easy listening audience, I can’t tell. I do know what I like, though, and I do like Kind of Blue.
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