Miles Davis - Kind Of Blue

Kind of Blue is a studio album by American jazz musician Miles Davis, originally released in August 1959 via Columbia Records.

It was recorded on three track tape earlier that year in two sessions on March 2 and April 22 at Columbia's 30th Street Studio in New York City.

The recording sessions featured Davis's ensemble sextet, consisting of pianist Bill Evans, drummer Jimmy Cobb, bassist Paul Chambers, and saxophonists John Coltrane and Julian "Cannonball" Adderley, together with pianist Wynton Kelly on one track.  Production was handled by Teo Macero, who had produced Davis's previous two LPs, and Irving Townsend.

After the entry of Evans into his sextet, Davis followed up on the modal experimentations of Milestones (1958) by basing Kind of Blue entirely on modality, in contrast to his earlier work with the hard bop style of jazz.

As was Davis's penchant, he called for almost no rehearsal and the musicians had little idea what they were to record.

As described in the original liner notes by pianist Bill Evans, Davis had only given the band sketches of scales and melody lines on which to improvise. 

Once the musicians were assembled, Davis gave brief instructions for each piece and then set to taping the sextet in studio.

Though precise figures have been disputed, Kind of Blue has been described by many music writers not only as Davis's best-selling album, but as the best-selling jazz record of all time.

On October 7, 2008, it was certified quadruple platinum in sales by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

Kind of Blue has been regarded by many critics as jazz's greatest record, Davis's masterpiece, and one of the best albums of all time.

Its influence on music, including jazz, rock, and classical genres, has led writers to also deem it one of the most influential albums ever recorded.

Kind of Blue was one of fifty recordings chosen in 2002 by the Library of Congress to be added to the National Recording Registry, and in 2003, it was ranked number 12 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.

This LP record is a 2013 reissue on 180 gram audiophile black vinyl, featuring mono audio, pressed in Europe via Music On Vinyl.