On August 17, 1959, trumpeter Miles Davis released the album “Kind of Blue” on Columbia Records. This recording is still considered the most important in the work of Miles Davis. The best-selling jazz album of all time, the first Gold Record in jazz, “Kind of Blue” is recognized as one of the most influential albums in the history of jazz. As usual, Miles had the foresight to propose it at the right time. On the one hand, a generation of musicians had not finished with tradition and, on the other, avant-garde creators were trying with more or less success to open new doors. Miles Davis, surrounded by his peers, would once again distinguish himself by opening a new path, that of modal jazz. More than forty years after the two recording sessions, this disc is by far considered a turning point in the history of jazz. It was a way to move away from the dense compositions of the time, to opt for a return to melody...
The project to (re)present “Kind of Blue” was born from the meeting and the desire of 6 musicians to recreate in their own way the spirit of this legendary album. Here, no hassle but simply the joy of playing together music that has lost none of its freshness and creativity.
MILES DAVIS - KING OF BLUES
During a career which was both long and precocious, Miles Davis rubbed shoulders with the greatest and managed, without losing either his soul or the characteristics of a style recognizable among all, to cross all the fashions: the be -bop, cool, hard bop, free jazz, pop music, non-European traditions and even electric amplification, which he used in the 1980s. Neither very athletic, nor very virtuoso, this lunar poet of the trumpet offers a relaxed swing which admirably uses silence, nonchalant phrasing, a muffled sound – without vibrato – with inimitable grain, as well as the penetrating emotion of a whispered confidence. Chet Baker will be the only one to happily follow in his footsteps. Most often ideally accompanied, Miles Davis leaves a discographic legacy as considerable as it is fascinating. In March and April 1959, he recorded with a prodigious sextet – Julian “Cannonball” Adderley (alto saxophone), John Coltrane (tenor saxophone), Bill Evans and Wynton Kelly (piano), Paul Chambers (double bass) and Jimmy Cobb (drums). – the album Kind of Blue, a miracle of balance and elegance which constitutes one of the most accomplished testimonies, not only of jazz, but also of 20th century music. Although sales numbers have been debated, Kind of Blue has been described by many composers as not only Miles Davis' best-selling album, but the best-selling jazz record of all time. On October 7, 2008, the Recording Industry Association of America certified his sales 4 platinum (over 4 million units). Kind of Blue has been considered by many critics to be the greatest jazz album, Miles Davis' masterpiece, and one of the greatest albums of all time. Its influence on music, jazz, rock and classical, has led composers to recognize it as one of the most influential albums ever recorded. In the United States, Kind of Blue was selected in 2002 by the Library of Congress as one of the 50 albums that entered the National Recording Registry, and, in 2003, Rolling Stone magazine ranked it twelfth in its list of 500 greatest albums of all time.
Some links to discover or rediscover some extracts from this legendary album:
A VIP bar organized by the Lions Club Binche will be accessible to all after the concert, come meet the musicians and celebrate with us the 80th birthday of Bruno Castellucci, an emblematic figure of Belgian jazz!
Evening organized by the Maison du Jazz en Hainaut in collaboration with the Lions Club Binche and Binche Culture
