Jazz for someone who doesn't like jazz.

Kind of Blue is an interesting recording. I have multiple copies, including an original "six-eye" stereo version that is the best of the lot among the ones I have, including Japanese reissues. I found it in a thrift store back in the ’80s for fifty cents. Those were the days.

Listen to it and see if you agree with me on this ...

When the first cut starts out, the album sounds like a good studio recording. Good, but not that inspired. Sort of like the musicians were there to collect a paycheck.

Miles takes the lead, then Coltrane comes on second. THEN, Cannonball Adderley takes his turn and plays with an inspiration that is totally infectious to everyone else on the album. He played like Bird reincarnated. From that point on, it becomes one of the greatest jazz albums of all time.

My take has always been that if it weren’t for Cannonball Adderley touching the souls of the other players, and subsequently the end listener, Kind of Blue would have been just another good jazz album.

Your thoughts?

Frank

PS: If you like Kind of Blue, you’ll want this one too:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u37RF5xKNq8

These are the best easy listening jazz compilations I've ever heard!

https://www.amazon.com/Best-Blue-Note-Vols/dp/B000005HGV/ref=sr_1_4?dchild=1&keywords=best+of+the+blue+note&qid=1587508736&sr=8-4
Disc: 1 
  1. Blue Train - John Coltrane
  2. Maiden Voyage - Herbie Hancock
  3. Cristo Redentor - Donald Byrd
  4. Moanin' - Are Blakey & The Jazz Messengers
  5. Blues Walk - Lou Donaldson
  6. Song For My Father - Horace Silver
  7. Back At The Chicken Shack - Jimmy Smith
  8. Chitlins Con Carne - Kenny Burrell
  9. The Sidewinder - Lee Morgan

https://www.amazon.com/Best-Blue-Note-Vol/dp/B0002548BA/ref=sr_1_12?dchild=1&keywords=best+of+the+blue+note&qid=1587508792&sr=8-12


1. Senor Blues - Horace Silver
2. Decision - Sonny Rollins
3. Three O'Clock In The Morning - Dexter Gordon
4. Blues March - Art Blakey
5. Wadin' - Horace Parlan
6. The Rumproller - Lee Morgan
7. Somethin' Else - Cannonball Adderley
8. Blue Bossa - Joe Henderson
9. Watermelon - Herbie Hancock

Hey @oregonpapa,

l really like your observations about Cannonball’s influence on the whole album. Thanks for sharing. I had to respond to your post, because I have always felt for a long time that someone besides Cannonball (and other than Miles) had that exact same pervasive influence on the outcome of the whole album that you refer to. For me that person is Bill Evans. I like to think of Bill as Miles’ “silent partner” on that album who could deserve equal credit with Miles. I’d have a hard time explaining why I feel that way; I just do. But your view about Cannonball is just as valid, and interesting to me.

Another extremely easy album to listen to is by the Massimo FaraòTrio called How My Heart Sings. Beautiful Piano playing by Massimo and very easy going. The song that hooked me on the album is called Easy Living. I would also seek out the Jazz Shepard’s YouTube channel. He gives some fun historical context on all things Jazz and plays samples of the music while he’s talking. Very interesting. He talks about different artists, Jazz forms, labels and all sorts of stuff. That’s where I heard the Philly Joe Jones album Philly Joe’s Beat I’m listening to right now.

Noticed something interesting when I went to the dynamic range database and looked up Kind of Blue. There was not a single recording listed that suffered from any significant dynamic range reduction. Even recent production CDs have excellent DR.

If this is true across the genre it might be THE motivating factor that keeps me plugging away at this.

It’s kind of amazing since virtually all rock releases since the mid 90s or so are plagued with horrible DR recordings including new bands releasing music right now! Even bands that pride themselves on production quality.