#21 Kind Of Blue by Miles Davis

Another day and another jazz album… oh wait. It’s time for Kind Of Blue today. Awesome.

I say awesome because this is an album that I am already acquainted before I started this project and so will be the victim of a surprise jazz attack. Also, this is Miles Davis who’s previous album in the list, Birth Of The Cool, was rather enjoyable.

Thus here we have Kind Of Blue which critics tend to agree is Miles Davis’ masterstroke of an album, and it has been the one I have preferred of his thus far. This may change though since there are two more of his albums to be reviewed, both of which released at least a decade after this one… so will look forward to any progression in sound that there may be. I will be the first to admit though that the write-up surrounding Bitches Brew is a little bit daunting.

The thing that sets this album apart from other jazz albums is that nothing on it jars at all. This is an album focused more on smoothing and concordant sounds that please the ears rather than a discordant mess that give me a headache. (Yes Sabu that is my bony finger is pointed in your direction for that garbage heap of a track you named Simba.)

While as a whole this is one top album there is one clear favourite track for me on this album, the opener So What. While the whole album itself is incredibly smooth and pleasing to the ears this track to me is the epitome of smooth jazz. For over 9 minutes it is able to stay smooth with subtle nuances changing here and there whilst never forgetting the central melody. Yet this is still recognisable as a jazz/blues track. How does Miles Davis do it? I tell you why, he’s plain awesome.

Seriously, after the audacity behind the naming of the titling of yesterdays album I only have one thing to say. Mr. Charles… I believe that Mr. Davis requires the title you gave yourself. He is far more deserving of being called a genius than you are. You know it to be true.

There is no doubt in my mind that this deserves to be up there in the ratings. It’s not really been a bad run of albums since Billie Holiday arrived on the scene :).

9.0/10

Fab Four:
It’s a only a five-track album.
So you can listen to the whole blasted thing.
Do so in an armchair while toasting a brandy.
Or maybe when lying in a hammock.
Not a good idea for running on a treadmill… I can not see that ending well.

#12 Birth Of The Cool by Miles Davis

After a headache inducing bout of Sabu it appears that my feet are firmly planted once again in jazz country, at least time it is an offering from the most famous name in jazz. Mr Miles Davis.

Unlike most of the music that I have so far reviewed this is not in fact my first encounter with this artist for I have his later album Kind Of Blue loaded onto my iPod so I guess I knew what to expect. As usual this man does not fail to deliver and to me cements his place as the best name in jazz hands down. What’s this though? I said about a week ago that I hated jazz without vocals and made no mention of my respect for Miles Davis? Oh well I guess it just slipped my mind.

Either way, back to the matter at hand. The Birth of Cool starts with a one-two punch of Move and Jeru and what follows is a smattering of cool and breezy jazz tracks that gel into one cohesive whole. With the exception of the closer Darn That Dream which just feels incredibly out of place.

Compared with the other jazz albums that I have been subjected to this has the feeling of a solid gold chocolate bar suspended in swamp of molten lime jelly. However, when placed alongside all other albums I decided to be more stringent on the ratings as I could feel myself getting carried away due to the complete weirdness of this weeks albums. Also I don’t feel it lives up to either Tragic Songs of Life or This is Fats which meant a slightly downgraded rating.

7.5/10

Fab Four:

Move
Venus Di Milo
Deception
Boplicity