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"Freddie Freeloader" - It takes me to a time and place found frequently depicted in the movies, but not usually experienced in real life (except when listening to Kind of Blue). A warm feeling comes over us and we smile a knowing smile. Now, I can honestly say that I am not any sort of jazz aficionado nor expert, but I know what I like and I like to think I know a good groove. Rolling Stone put "Kind of Blue" at number 12 in their 2003 "Top 500 Albums of All Time" feature.Each jazz song I hear is compared to All Blues.
Laughing and having a good time talking about nothin' and everything in between. Pop music doesn't exist in this world. I rate "All Blues" in my top 5 songs of all time, of any genre. Kind of Blue is Life tasted with expectations high, but Lipstick stains on collared shirts; the booze and the cards left behind for a night of smooth love making. Its cooool.
"All Blues" Sitting with your friends at a bar having a drink, smoking a stogie. "So What" - This song will transport you to a seedy and smoky lounge where all things cool are happening or are just about to happen. An adventure awaits. A man takea his woman in his arms and looks into her eyes with a deep knowing that she is the one for him and he for her.
Kind of BlueMiles DavisI fell absolutely in love with the song "All Blues" on "Kind of Blue" when it was played one night at our local pub. The piano is played and that big base keeps time with the drums. Its cooool. There are no iPods in this world. Something is about to happen, but we are too cool to even bother. They kiss. None really come close, even today (more than a decade after my first listen of it).
A passion is ignited by their lips meeting and the music softly playing in the background. The boys are all around. "Blue in Green" - With our toes tapping and our heads moving back and forth we sit mesmerized by his playing and the sounds entering our ears. "Flamenco Sketches" Men were men and a lady was a lady. "Flamenco Sketches (Alternate Take)" - They take a last sip from almost finished gin and tonics and slip into the bedroom for a night cap.
So What and Freddie Freeloader, for first offs, never have grabbed my attention.I can appreciate the subtle beauty in Blue Green and All Blues, but I don't findmodal miracles here (and I admit to not really understanding the modal concepts).Davis and Coltrane are steady but not animated or creative enough here to deserve the overwhelming accolades. I'll keep giving it a chance every 5-8 years, however.
I have a much better collection of Blues albums. This one definitely is not what it is hyped up to be. I was very disappointed when listening to it.
I love this CD. The purchase was handled promptly and I received it without a problem and in a short time, which I love. Thank you for your service.
Considering all the great musicianship that went into the creation of music such as the best known tunes on this album "So What" and "All Blues" alone and THAN actually get captured into the spirit of these song's modalities sounding so free and effortless.your definately inspired to express yourself in some way. Both the original and alternate take of "Flamenco Sketches" find Miles (and on the latter his sax players more over) really re-introducing that so important "spanish tinge" into the music. One of the greatest things about it is that it definately leaves creative impressions on you. With this album we're definately dealing with one of those "what more can one say" sort of situations when it comes to reviewing it,mainly because of it's acclaim for listeners outside the jazz sphere. The most sigificant of the classic 33RPM long playing records were coming out at the time and with vigor. Interestingly enough,even though Miles' whole "tugging at the ears softly" approch to his horn tends to take presidents in both his solos and the compositions themselves you can hear in 'Trane's many solos throughout this recording that his sound is actually beginning to edge into that free spirited and transcendent style of playing that would culminate six years after this on his own A Love Supreme.
"Freddie Freeloader" is particularly interesting in that the song not only has more of an uptempo flavor of the song but it gives the opportunity for 'Trane and Cannonball to let loose on their saxes.
I am a painter who listens to music while I paint.
"Blue In Green" is for sure the most "modal" of the songs as the bluesy tempo seems to stretch out into infinity.
But whatever it ended up being this is Miles and jazz at some of it's very finest.
Miles was and would continue to be very deeply interested in Spanish melodies and styles of playing and this would be one of his most significant uses of the form aside from what he'd accomplish with Gil Evans on Sketches of Spain.
The range I listen to is very diverse but when I am in the middle of a rendering that's particularly interesting I find myself drawn heavily towards listening to jazz and funk because,despite the division lines some people choose to put between them both styles of music over a free wheeling yet technically demanding style of music that is very fluid in tempo and rhythm.
This being the beginning of modal jazz,where the harmonies and melodies were less structured that liquid quality that Jimmy Cobb,Paul Chambers and in particular those dramatic chord blocks of Bill Evans really do bring out the artist in you whatever the style of it happens to be.
So many things were happening in jazz in the late 50's and early 60's.
And that Miles and his various quartets and quintets were responsible for over a handfull of those records points to the legendary status his music and his general presense continues to have.
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