KIND OF BLUE

This album is a thing of beauty. While 'Round About Midnight and Miles Ahead are certainly gems from his early years, I consider Kind of Blue to be Miles Davis' first masterpiece. Standard jazz as it may be, it is certainly the ultimate in its class. Many will also state that this is the definitive jazz album, and I have no qualms about this. Delicate, soft, moody and beautiful, this album is downright perfect. Anything Miles touches has an unparalleled, incomparable mood (not to mention level of quality). It's not something to put on when you want something energetic, but if you want something to relax to, in the car after a long day, in the background while you read, simply just while you're laying down, or to set the right mood at dinner and beyond with your significant other, this is your go-to album. This album deserves all of your attention, but it happens to be quite a multi-purpose album.

From the unmistakable bass & piano intro of "So What" to the soulful classic "All Blues" to Miles' beautiful closing solo on "Flamenco Sketches," this album is an auditory treasure. It's hard to articulate just how great this album is. I often resort to using the word "beautiful" when speaking of this album and its contents, but really, if there were only one word to describe Kind of Blue, it is definitely that word. If you refuse to own more than one jazz album (which I hope only really exists in this hypothetical situation), this is the one album you should permit. Hopefully through this album you might open your mind to the wonderful world of jazz, or at least the wonderful world of Miles Davis. Really, with all of the brilliant music the man has released, there isn't entirely a need to listen to anyone else.