Kind of Blue - the book is a wonderful tribute to the magic of one of the most important albums of jazz and, consequently, the music. Ashley Kahn, author of this work Juicy, is a passionate worker and student of jazz has long-standing and this lends a warmth of closeness that the book amounted to an almost cult status, also accessible to lovers of jazz least started.After all, the adjectives seem to miss when talking about the best selling jazz album of all time, the album "has the power to silence all." This is an entirely original work, in the midst of a world surrounded by geniuses and references that inevitably exert its enormous power of attraction. That does not mean Miles Davis denied these references, however. Barely out of adolescence, he risked playing alongside jazz giant Charlie Parker, one of his avowed idol, who died very young, consumed by drugs.Miles Davis, composer-musician-performer, was a different man, to say the least. It was somewhat unusual, in the mid-50th to the stature of a black Miles, adopt an intransigent, uncompromising and put your name on an equal footing with other icons such as Nat King Cole, Sugar Ray Robinson and Sidney Poitier. His talent and his unmistakable cool style made him a legend. Averse stereotype, always well dressed, elegant, cultured, and master of himself, Miles raised not only the best in jazz, but all the artistic class, like Bob Dylan.Still recognized as the pinnacle of the modern four decades after its recording, Kind of Blue was the album that inaugurated an era, not only in jazz. Its ethereal introduction with bass and piano is universally recognized.Kind of Blue entered history as the masterpiece of modal jazz. That is to say that Davis never turned his back completely to the melody and rhythm, with its incredible tone and phrasing, contrary to what would be seen soon after, with "followers" teaching the kids to improvise before you have even a reasonable area of their instruments.The mythical aura that surrounds Kind of Blue has many interesting stories, and the book is full of them, to our satisfaction. Some are totally true. For starters, we have the famous sextet of Miles Davis: Bill Evans, John Coltrane, Cannonball Adderley, Paul Chambers, Jimmy Cobb and Kelly Winton. Maintain such a group for two months was almost a miracle in view of the size of the artists involved. They all had brilliant careers, and, as Miles was not the shadow of Charlie Parker, could not be expected that John Coltrane, another genius, stay, turn on the heels of Miles Davis. Coltrane went on his way to become, himself a jazz icon.Now with respect to Bill Evans, a pianist admired by Miles White, but regarded with some caution among predominantly black jazz, just say it was their relationship that created the spark that resulted Kind of Blue.
Two in their ears, and Miles Evans, jazz and classical music were two springs flowing into the same river. Evans was a connoisseur of Beethoven, Bach, Rachmaninoff, among many others. The touch of the piano Evans made the album proves, a soft and deep, without departing from the spectrum of jazz.One legend surrounding Kind of Blue says that the album was entirely produced at once. The author shows that the story was not so. To ensure a minimum income of their exclusive artists, the labels of standard contracts requiring at least two albums per year. But how many artists were troubled touring around the world, Columbia Records Miles that period he established a practice book bonus tracks from a session to use in another case lacked material. In the end - a coincidence that reflects the unity of the climate and atmosphere of the album - the two sessions Kind of Blue produced exactly what we need for the disk.A special, an album of pearls, it is up to the track "So What", not coincidentally the most played and copied the entire disk. It is considered by many as the title track from Kind of Blue, with a memorable opening theme. "So What" means, literally, "So what?", Saying the good and evil tongues, was the favorite phrase of the indomitable spirit of Miles.The very title, Kind of Blue, is a pun referring specifically engaged to a gospel singer from Arkansas known Miles and a more general level, the majority of black Americans who have a life "blue" (sad). So "Kind of Blue" would mean something like "kind of sad."Finally, an unusual fact. Much of the fame of Miles Davis and Kind of Blue album in particular is due to television. With total artistic freedom, and without saying a word, the program "The Sound of Miles Davis" was one of the rare appearances on the small screen and Miles had the same effect as the participation of Elvis on "The Ed Sullivan Show" some years before , ie, both were catapulted to stardom practically overnight.What is very real, even eternal, is the impact and the pleasure of listening to Kind of Blue.