KIND OF BLUE

- Hi, Batbacon!

- Say, Kind of blue! Do you consider yourself to be a progressive rock album?

- No, don't be silly! I'm just an totaly amazing jazz record!

- So how come the high rating then? You are aware that this is a site about progressive rock?

- Well, I guess people mostly are just looking for good music, progressive or not.

- So should I give you a high rating then, or what?

- Sure, I deserve it!

I was going to any way, because this is one of my favorite albums of all time. The best jazz album of all time, no doubt at all. Its nothing progressive going on here, no Mahavishnu or Return to Forever. Its just a bunch of really chill jazz songs and I guess thats the reason its so good. Most of the musicians playing on this record is famous for being jazz virtuosos, playing quick and complex music, demanding a lot from the listener. On this record it seems they all took a chill pill before going in to the studio. With other terms, they kept it simple and minimalistic.

The album starts of with the cool "So What". The first thing you hear is the piano intro, setting the mood for not only the song, but for the whole album. With Bill Evans in front of the piano you know exactly which kind of jazz to expect, calm and thoughtful. He belongs to the pianists who never play a note to many, picking out exactly the notes needed for the song. Think about how Richard Wright would sound if he played jazz, and you get Bill Evans. But I don't think he ever played with a band this good before or after the recording of Kind of Blue. Miles Davis, John Coltrane and Cannonball at their best, finding great tunes within their passionate solos. They are not famous for being this calm and minimalistic, but it suits them fantastically well.

The slow tempo creates a kind of sad mood, especially on songs like "Blue in Green" and "Flamenco Sketches". Imagine sitting in a window looking out on a rainy town, lit by neon lights and the moon itself. You can hear nothing but the rain against the window, except from the lonely guy across the street, playing a sad song on his saxophone. Its really moody but oh, so beautiful.

This is what jazz should be like; More cool than awesome. Less is more, yes indeed!

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