Amanda Kellogg Music Appreciation Album Review Miles Davis: Kind of Blue Band

Amanda Kellogg

Music Appreciation

Album Review

Miles Davis: Kind of Blue

Band Members: Miles Davis (trumpet), John Coltrane (tenor saxophone), Paul Chambers (bass), Jimmy Cobb (drummer), Bill Evans (piano), Wynton Kelly (piano), and Cannonball Adderley (alto saxophone)

Track 1 (“So What”): The song starts out with just piano and drums, but slowly other instruments join in, all playing the same notes and rhythms. At 1:31 I liked the crash sound the cymbal made right before the solos start. It was nice to hear the contrast between Miles Davis’s trumpet solo and John Coltrane’s saxophone solo. Davis’s solo is very simple, yet soulful, while Coltrane’s solo is very complex and shows virtuosity. I enjoyed the way the bass player and drummer hold down the rhythm while the soloists play. Also, the way the song returns to the opening melody at the end gave the song nice closure. The main melody played by the trumpet and saxophone kind of sounds like it is saying “So What.”

Track 2 (“Freddie Freeloader”): First of all, I think the name of this song is funny; I wonder how they came up with it. The phrase that starts at .37 was really striking, because the notes were sliding up and down. On many of the other songs, Davis takes the first solo, but Wynton Kelly gets the first solo on “Freddie Freeloader.” I thought Kelly’s solo was really bluesy, which made me want to dance a little. Out of all the instruments in this group, I probably like the sound of the jazz piano most. Usually in rock music, the drums are a lot louder than they are in this song. The light drums really compliment the rest of the instruments, like they are trying to blend in rather than stand out. Listening to Coltrane’s long solo, it is amazing to think he is coming up with all those notes and ideas off the top of his head. For me, his solo might have gone on a little too long (I felt like he might be showing off, but I guess genius musicians will do that sometimes). At the end they return to the melody, and the song ends kind of mysteriously, though not with a total fade out.

Track 4 (“All Blues”): The trill of the piano at the beginning makes the song sound exciting, and it was a nice contrast to the other instruments (especially the trumpet and saxophones), which were playing slowly. The phrase that starts at 1:14 really stood out to me because it sounds haunting. Davis’s solo is, again, simple and soulful; it is kind of like having a friend who does not talk much, but when he does talk he says things that are really deep. The song also features a lot of repetition, which helps make the melody memorable. That repetition goes all the way through the end of the song, where the muted trumpet repeats the same phrase several times. Then the song fades out. I liked that the song felt a little unresolved, because it did not finish with a big ending. Having listened to this whole album, I would use the word “cool” to describe it, because it is so laid back. I would probably turn this album on when I want to relax or when I am hosting a dinner party.

Why I feel this represents jazz.

I think this album is an excellent example of jazz music because it features all the instruments that I have grown accustomed to when thinking about a jazz sound. Instruments like trumpet (Miles), saxophone (Coltrane) as well as the upright bass (Chambers). Improvisation is also the main feature in this record, and as I stated earlier, it is very interesting to me to hear the different personalities shine through during their individual solos. Since improvisation is the cornerstone of jazz, this record further expresses what a jazz sound can be when put in the hands of legendary jazz artists.