The Absolute Sound 40th Anniversary Best Sounding Music!
Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Albums of All Time - Rated 31/500!
TAS Recommended! Rated a 'Best Audiophile Label Recording' in the November 2009 issue of The Absolute Sound!
2009 Grammy Award Winner for:
'Best Album Notes'
TAS Rated 4/5 Music, 5/5 Sonics in the December 2008 Issue of The Absolute Sound!
If there is one jazz album everyone should own, it is this one - THE most successful Jazz album in history!
This Collector's Edition marks the 50th anniversary with an unprecedented presentation of music, images, insight and history to celebrate the album that is essential to any music collection, the ideal gift item for any jazz lover, especially fans of Miles Davis... a true collector's set.
"This painterly masterpiece is one of the most important, influential and popular albums in jazz. At the time it was made, Kind of Blue was also a revolution all its own. Turning his back on standard chord progressions, trumpeter Miles Davis used modal scales as a starting point for composition and improvisation breaking new ground with warmth, subtlety and understatement in the thick of hard bop." - www.rollingstone.com
In 1958, after a string of critically acclaimed and successful albums, Miles Davis was searching for a new direction to take the music, and signs were pointing him off the chordal highway into a new jazz style: modal. His innovations would open up the world for improvisers. He recruited key players with the potential to solidify his new approach, forming his famed sextet with rising jazz giants John Coltrane, Cannonball Adderley, Bill Evans & Wynton Kelly, Paul Chambers and Jimmy Cobb. Miles hired the little-known Evans because he needed a pianist who was into the modal thing. Davis and Evans both had developed personal voices characterized by a melodic flow that suggested, rather than defined, musical structure. It was his relationship with Evans that created the spark that resulted in the album Kind of Blue.
The first CD contains the entire original album including "Flamenco Sketches" alternate take, the "Freddie Freeloader" false start, and in-the-studio dialog from the Kind of Blue sessions. The second CD contains rare musical material around the same time as the Kind of Blue recordings including the first session by the Miles Davis sextet, May 26, 1958, over 30 minutes of studio material, and the first authorized release of two extended live performances from April 9, 1960 Den Haag Concert and The Zurich Concert.
The DVD features an in-depth documentary highlighting the story behind Kind of Blue as well as the historic April 2, 1959 TV program "Robert Herridge Theater: The Sound of Miles Davis" which starred Miles Davis and John Coltrane.
The fourth disc in this set is the original album pressed on 180g Blue Vinyl - absolutely beautiful!
Performance: 5 Stars out of 5!, Sonics 4 1/2 Stars out of 5!
"No review of Kind of Blue could ever quite capture the essence of the easy, pervasive genius that was caught on tape in two amazingly brief recording sessions on March 2 and April 22, 1959. Trane's darkness contrasted against Julian Adderley's sprightlier ideas, bill Evans' touch, Paul Chambers' advanced concept of bass playing, Jimmy Cobb's super-expressive drumming, and Miles' Harmon-muted tone are all part of the largest-selling jazz record of all time, and what the late Ed Bradley, in the included DVD, Celebrating a Masterpiece: Kind of Blue calls one of "the single greatest achievements in recorded music.""
"Given all the foreign pressings, it's hard to pinpoint how many times Kind of Blue has been reissued over the years, but the number is somewhere in the neighborhood of 25 just since the early 1980s. For those who have purchased any of these - which are often billed as the last word on Kind of Blue - the prospect of shelling out $100 or thereabouts seems a little absurd. What makes this new set worth any attention, let alone dollars?"
"These are the 1997 analog remixes, previously reissued several times, which were pitch-corrected to compensate for the slow three-track tape deck used in the March sessions. This music was recorded quickly and in whole takes, so there never was much extra material to reissue. Five false starts, the "studio sequences" are this set's only new remastering jobs, and comprise most of the set's unreleased material. They are interesting if only to hear Miles' great cool cat gravel voice. The other new bit - new only because this is its first "authorized" release (it's been heard before, on bootlegs) - is a 17-minute performance of "So What" recorded live in Holland in 1960."
"What's really new here are the packaging and a DVD. The DVD incorporates material from a 2004 documentary film, Made in Heaven, that's entertaining and includes some great ruminations by musicians and lovers of the record. Herbie Hancock calls Kind of Blue "So fine-tuned without being rigid," and Carlos Santana wonders, "How do you go into the studio with regular stuff and come out with eternity?" Other DVD features include a 26-minute performance by the Kind of Blue band recorded for CBS TV in 1959, and a gallery of photos of the session taken by Columbia photographer Don Hunstein."
"For Miles collectors and aficionados, the real bait is the extremely well-done book: 60 perfectbound pages containing a mix of photos and text about the record. Also included are five promo photos from the record's release; a reproduction of an original sales solicitation; a copy, in Bill Evans' handwriting, of his original liner notes; and, to seal the deal - open those wallets, vinyl collectors! - an LP edition of the original record pressed on blue vinyl. A gimmick? Yes, but a sweet one, and so obvious that it's surprising it hasn't been done before." - Robert Baird, Stereophile December 2008 Vol.31, No. 12, Page 148
"It's a cornerstone record not only for jazz. It's a cornerstone record for music." - Herbie Hancock
"It's one thing to just play a tune, or play a program of music, but it's another thing to practically create a new language of music, which is what Kind of Blue did." - Chick Corea
It is one of the single, greatest achievements in recorded music." - Ed Bradley
"Instrumental placement and representation on a realistic soundstage on both CDs are as near perfect as could e expected of a 50-year-old recording. And in the half-century since it was initially captured, the music simply hasn't been eclipsed." - Derk Richardson, The Absolute Sound, December 2008, Issue 188
Musicians:
Miles Davis, trumpet
Julian "Cannonball" Adderley, alto saxophone (except Blue In Green)
John Coltrane, tenor saxophone
Wynton Kelly, piano (Freddie Freeloader)
Bill Evans, piano
Paul Chambers, bass
Jimmy Cobb, drums
Features:
Housed in Deluxe 50th Anniversary Collector's Edition Box
2 CD, 1 DVD & 1 180g Blue Vinyl LP
DVD: Region 0 (all regions), NTSC
LP sized 60-page hardbound book
Poster
Rare musical material including the first session by the Miles Davis sextet, May 26, 1958
Over 30 minutes of studio material
First authorized release of two extended live performances from April 9, 1960 Den Haag Concert and The Zurich Concert.
Selections:
Disc 1 - CD:
1. So What
2. Freddie The Freeloader
3. Blue In Green
4. All Blues
5. Flamenco Sketches
6. Flamenco Sketches (alternate take)
7. Freddie Freeloader - studio sequence 1
8. Freddie Freeloader - false start
Previously Unreleased:
9. Freddie Freeloader - studio sequence 2
10. So What - studio sequence 1
11. So What - studio sequence 2
12. Blue in Green - studio sequence
13. Flamenco Sketches - studio sequence 1
14. Flamenco Sketches - studio sequence 2
15. All Blues - Studio sequence
Disc 2 - CD:
1. On Green Dolphin Street
2. Fran-Dance
3. Stella by Starlight
4. Love for Sale
5. Fran-Dance (alternate take)
6. So What
Disc 3 - DVD:
Celebrating a Masterpiece: Kind of Blue
Total Running Time: 81 minutes
Disc 4 - LP:
1. So What
2. Freddie The Freeloader
3. Blue In Green
4. All Blues
5. Flamenco Sketches
Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Albums of All Time - Rated 31/500!
TAS Recommended! Rated a 'Best Audiophile Label Recording' in the November 2009 issue of The Absolute Sound!
2009 Grammy Award Winner for:
'Best Album Notes'
TAS Rated 4/5 Music, 5/5 Sonics in the December 2008 Issue of The Absolute Sound!
If there is one jazz album everyone should own, it is this one - THE most successful Jazz album in history!
This Collector's Edition marks the 50th anniversary with an unprecedented presentation of music, images, insight and history to celebrate the album that is essential to any music collection, the ideal gift item for any jazz lover, especially fans of Miles Davis... a true collector's set.
"This painterly masterpiece is one of the most important, influential and popular albums in jazz. At the time it was made, Kind of Blue was also a revolution all its own. Turning his back on standard chord progressions, trumpeter Miles Davis used modal scales as a starting point for composition and improvisation breaking new ground with warmth, subtlety and understatement in the thick of hard bop." - www.rollingstone.com
In 1958, after a string of critically acclaimed and successful albums, Miles Davis was searching for a new direction to take the music, and signs were pointing him off the chordal highway into a new jazz style: modal. His innovations would open up the world for improvisers. He recruited key players with the potential to solidify his new approach, forming his famed sextet with rising jazz giants John Coltrane, Cannonball Adderley, Bill Evans & Wynton Kelly, Paul Chambers and Jimmy Cobb. Miles hired the little-known Evans because he needed a pianist who was into the modal thing. Davis and Evans both had developed personal voices characterized by a melodic flow that suggested, rather than defined, musical structure. It was his relationship with Evans that created the spark that resulted in the album Kind of Blue.
The first CD contains the entire original album including "Flamenco Sketches" alternate take, the "Freddie Freeloader" false start, and in-the-studio dialog from the Kind of Blue sessions. The second CD contains rare musical material around the same time as the Kind of Blue recordings including the first session by the Miles Davis sextet, May 26, 1958, over 30 minutes of studio material, and the first authorized release of two extended live performances from April 9, 1960 Den Haag Concert and The Zurich Concert.
The DVD features an in-depth documentary highlighting the story behind Kind of Blue as well as the historic April 2, 1959 TV program "Robert Herridge Theater: The Sound of Miles Davis" which starred Miles Davis and John Coltrane.
The fourth disc in this set is the original album pressed on 180g Blue Vinyl - absolutely beautiful!
Performance: 5 Stars out of 5!, Sonics 4 1/2 Stars out of 5!
"No review of Kind of Blue could ever quite capture the essence of the easy, pervasive genius that was caught on tape in two amazingly brief recording sessions on March 2 and April 22, 1959. Trane's darkness contrasted against Julian Adderley's sprightlier ideas, bill Evans' touch, Paul Chambers' advanced concept of bass playing, Jimmy Cobb's super-expressive drumming, and Miles' Harmon-muted tone are all part of the largest-selling jazz record of all time, and what the late Ed Bradley, in the included DVD, Celebrating a Masterpiece: Kind of Blue calls one of "the single greatest achievements in recorded music.""
"Given all the foreign pressings, it's hard to pinpoint how many times Kind of Blue has been reissued over the years, but the number is somewhere in the neighborhood of 25 just since the early 1980s. For those who have purchased any of these - which are often billed as the last word on Kind of Blue - the prospect of shelling out $100 or thereabouts seems a little absurd. What makes this new set worth any attention, let alone dollars?"
"These are the 1997 analog remixes, previously reissued several times, which were pitch-corrected to compensate for the slow three-track tape deck used in the March sessions. This music was recorded quickly and in whole takes, so there never was much extra material to reissue. Five false starts, the "studio sequences" are this set's only new remastering jobs, and comprise most of the set's unreleased material. They are interesting if only to hear Miles' great cool cat gravel voice. The other new bit - new only because this is its first "authorized" release (it's been heard before, on bootlegs) - is a 17-minute performance of "So What" recorded live in Holland in 1960."
"What's really new here are the packaging and a DVD. The DVD incorporates material from a 2004 documentary film, Made in Heaven, that's entertaining and includes some great ruminations by musicians and lovers of the record. Herbie Hancock calls Kind of Blue "So fine-tuned without being rigid," and Carlos Santana wonders, "How do you go into the studio with regular stuff and come out with eternity?" Other DVD features include a 26-minute performance by the Kind of Blue band recorded for CBS TV in 1959, and a gallery of photos of the session taken by Columbia photographer Don Hunstein."
"For Miles collectors and aficionados, the real bait is the extremely well-done book: 60 perfectbound pages containing a mix of photos and text about the record. Also included are five promo photos from the record's release; a reproduction of an original sales solicitation; a copy, in Bill Evans' handwriting, of his original liner notes; and, to seal the deal - open those wallets, vinyl collectors! - an LP edition of the original record pressed on blue vinyl. A gimmick? Yes, but a sweet one, and so obvious that it's surprising it hasn't been done before." - Robert Baird, Stereophile December 2008 Vol.31, No. 12, Page 148
"It's a cornerstone record not only for jazz. It's a cornerstone record for music." - Herbie Hancock
"It's one thing to just play a tune, or play a program of music, but it's another thing to practically create a new language of music, which is what Kind of Blue did." - Chick Corea
It is one of the single, greatest achievements in recorded music." - Ed Bradley
"Instrumental placement and representation on a realistic soundstage on both CDs are as near perfect as could e expected of a 50-year-old recording. And in the half-century since it was initially captured, the music simply hasn't been eclipsed." - Derk Richardson, The Absolute Sound, December 2008, Issue 188
Musicians:
Miles Davis, trumpet
Julian "Cannonball" Adderley, alto saxophone (except Blue In Green)
John Coltrane, tenor saxophone
Wynton Kelly, piano (Freddie Freeloader)
Bill Evans, piano
Paul Chambers, bass
Jimmy Cobb, drums
Features:
Housed in Deluxe 50th Anniversary Collector's Edition Box
2 CD, 1 DVD & 1 180g Blue Vinyl LP
DVD: Region 0 (all regions), NTSC
LP sized 60-page hardbound book
Poster
Rare musical material including the first session by the Miles Davis sextet, May 26, 1958
Over 30 minutes of studio material
First authorized release of two extended live performances from April 9, 1960 Den Haag Concert and The Zurich Concert.
Selections:
Disc 1 - CD:
1. So What
2. Freddie The Freeloader
3. Blue In Green
4. All Blues
5. Flamenco Sketches
6. Flamenco Sketches (alternate take)
7. Freddie Freeloader - studio sequence 1
8. Freddie Freeloader - false start
Previously Unreleased:
9. Freddie Freeloader - studio sequence 2
10. So What - studio sequence 1
11. So What - studio sequence 2
12. Blue in Green - studio sequence
13. Flamenco Sketches - studio sequence 1
14. Flamenco Sketches - studio sequence 2
15. All Blues - Studio sequence
Disc 2 - CD:
1. On Green Dolphin Street
2. Fran-Dance
3. Stella by Starlight
4. Love for Sale
5. Fran-Dance (alternate take)
6. So What
Disc 3 - DVD:
Celebrating a Masterpiece: Kind of Blue
Total Running Time: 81 minutes
Disc 4 - LP:
1. So What
2. Freddie The Freeloader
3. Blue In Green
4. All Blues
5. Flamenco Sketches
