Kind of Blue

I have many things about which to write, but none about which I am more excited to discuss than Kind of Blue. This masterpiece was my gateway to non-religious music, and what a gateway it was. It remains my favorite record of all time, after nearly 15 years of listens, and as a true believer in the existence of non-subjective beauty, this is the one record to which I can point to show people that true beauty exists in the universe.

As I noted in my previous post, my artistic experience before this record was, musically speaking, limited almost entirely to Christian music. This is not necessarily a bad thing, as there is really a lot to like in the Christian sphere (current iterations of Christian radio music and worship music leave a ton to be desired, although that may be a grumpy old man speaking). Phil Keaggy can really play, DC Talk were an incredibly creative and fascinating group, and I'd take the classic records of Larry Norman along with many of the classic records of his popular rock and roll peers.

But God bless my parents for getting me this record. I was a trumpet player in jazz band, band, pep band...pretty much anywhere I could play. I wasn't very good, but I was a medium sized fish in a small pond, so I looked a lot better than I was. My mom asked my music teacher for a list of records that would help me develop as a musician, and he gave her a list of 1. Kind of Blue. What a list!

I once had a director of a college jazz band tell me that "every time I listen to Kind of Blue, I learn something new about music." This was a guy who had a Ph.D. in music, was a superb player in his own right, and was one of the most well respected directors and band leaders in the state, and Kind of Blue was his personal musical textbook.

I don't know if I learn something new about music every time I spin this, but I adore it every time I do.

All you have to do is look at the lineup to be clued in to just how brilliant this record is. Davis. Coltrane (stop right there and you already have a killer record). Adderley. Cobb. Chambers. Bill Evans.

It's the perfect introduction to music in many ways. While a lot of jazz is dense and hard to understand, Kind of Blue goes down sweet and easy for the novice, but has so much depth and creativity for the jazz veteran that it's one of those records that you never want to end. "So What" is the greatest album opener of all time. Its hook is so unbelievably catchy that I find myself humming it all the time. And jazz tends not to be very hummable music, if you know what I mean. "Freddie Freeloader" also has a simple yet captivating dynamic to it that is undeniable.

But the true test of greatness for jazz is in the solos. Most hear the relative chaos of jazz and are immediately turned off, but that raw, in the moment creativity of jazz is what lends it its inestimable value as an art form. The concept of coming up with solos on the fly, in response to the creative force of a rhythm section, still captivates me. Having done it myself (extremely badly, particularly by Miles' and Coltrane's titanic standards), I know just how hard it is to stay in key, let along be interesting. And the whole gang blows interesting out of the water on their solos. There isn't a boring one on the record. It captures the live, jam, dynamic of music better than any live rock record every could.

If there's one recommendation on this blog that I hope you'll take, it's Kind of Blue. Please do your eardrums a favor, and check this one out. You won't be sorry.

-TRO