Kind of Blue

Read About This Recording

Why another reissue of Kind of Blue? More than a milestone in jazz, Kind of Blue is a defining moment of 20th-century music, one of those incredibly rare works of art that achieve equal popularity among musicians, critics and the public at large. The rest of us might tend to agree with Jimmy Cobb, the drummer on the album, who commented on Kind of Blue that it "must have been made in heaven." Don't we all enjoy a taste of heaven now and then?

If this is your first encounter with Kind of Blue, be forewarned that it's likely to become an indispensable part of your life. But chances are you've encountered Kind of Blue before and are wondering why you're holding yet another reissue. One reason is the discovery and release of an additional performance from the sessions, an alternate "Flamenco Sketches." Another reason is much improved sound. Earlier digital remasterings, on LP and later on CD, sounded thin and piping to these ears; this reissue was remixed on all-tube-three-track-machine, an old Presto much like the one used for the original recording. Now the instruments sound rich and full, like real instruments rather than tiny simulacra. And finally, if you happen to be a musician, you may have already noticed another problem when you tried to play along with earlier versions of Kind of Blue. Three tunes were in the wrong key, which means that the original album and all subsequent reissues (except for the recent gold Mastersound edition, which lacks the alternate "Flamenco Sketches") were recorded at the wrong speed, making all the pitches slightly sharper than in "real life." Here, for the first time is Kind of Blue complete, sounding big and rich and true to life and right on key. If you're going to heaven might as well go first-class all the way.

Quotes

"[Kind of Blue] Must have been made in heaven." —Jimmy Cobb

Contents

So What; Freddie Freeloader; Blue In Green; All Blues; Flamenco Sketches.

Miles Davis, Trumpet; Cannonball Adderley, Alto Sax; John Coltrane, Tenor Sax; Wynton Kelly, Bill Evans, Pianos; Paul Chambers, Bass; Jimmy Cobb, Drums.

CD Special Features

Jazz Masterpiece!

Perhaps the most influential & best selling jazz record ever made — The Definitive Version!

• One rare bonus track added—a stunning alternate of Flamenco Sketches

• The finest sound ever—newly mixed & 20-Bit Remastered

• Great liner notes by critic Robert Palmer & the original liners by pianist Bill Evans

• Rare & previously unpublished session photos

• Produced for reissue by Michael Cuscuna