Even after 55 years of its creation, this path breaking jazz album still remains the most important and influential work in the genre and across genres.

Much like its content, the album works at many levels. It’s melodious yet free, unassuming yet complex, making both the purists and general listeners fall in love with it, which explains why it’s the largest selling jazz album ever. It works beautifully as the background score, but when you pay attention to it, it leaves you mesmerized. It never yells for attention, it whispers into the ears of listeners and draws them into a huddle around the turntable.

Technically speaking, this album freed jazz, by giving birth to ‘modal jazz’ wherein the tonality and solos are built from the overall key and not chord changes. The result is a melodious sequence of music with an understated shifting quality that seems to go on forever. Yet it’s one of the most cohesive albums ever made. Yes, the multiple levels continue.

Now, coming to the name of the album.Take the tracks, Freddie Freeloader (Track 2, Side 1) and All Blues (Track 1, Side 1). They are standards 12 bar blues, but Davis' modal jazz approach allowed his players a cool and collected freedom which makes it- Kind Of Blue.

Finally, it had an exceptional band – Miles, Coltrane, Bill Evans, Cannonball Adderly, Paul Chambers, and Jimmy Cobb – one of the finest in history, playing at the peak of their prowess. And on my 180g LP, this band seem to be playing live in my living room which can be extremely pleasurable on quiet evenings, with a glass of good scotch around.

Label: Columbia Release date: August 17, 1959

Reviewed by Meraj Hasan

Meraj Hasan is a Mumbai based communication professional (and an amateur poet/musician) with a passion for listening to music the vinyl way. His 25 year old Technics turntable along with a humble collection of LPs across genres like Classic rock, Classical, Blues and Jazz (amongst others) are his prized possessions.

He can be reached at +91 9833410791 or email: meraj.hasan@gmail.com .