"So What" by Miles Davis
Strong Songs
The Modal Jazz Movement
Miles Davis recorded a song where there's just basically one chord for the first whole 16 bars. A scale is a series of individual notes placed end to end, played one at a time. Modes relate to scales not chords, so a mode is a scale. The ones we're going to be focusing on here are the modes of the major scale.
On this episode, Kirk dives in to one of the most influential jazz recordings of all time.
As the lead track on Miles Davis's landmark album Kind of Blue, "So What" signaled a new era in jazz harmony, composition, and improvisation. This episode will get into what that actually means, how the tune works, and why the seven musicians who played on Kind of Blue were each such a crucial part of the album's magic.
Artist: Miles Davis
Album: Kind of Blue (1959)
Written by: Miles Davis
Listen/Buy via Album.Link
ALSO REFERENCED/DISCUSSED:
- “Will O’ the Wisp” by Miles Davis and Gil Evans from Sketches of Spain, 1960
- “Seven Steps to Heaven” by Victor Feldman/Miles Davis from Four And More (Live), 1966
- “Giant Steps” by John Coltrane from Giant Steps, 1960
- “Resolution Pt. 2” by John Coltrane from A Love Supreme, 1965
- “This Here” By Cannonball Adderley from The Cannonball Adderley Quintet in San Francisco, 1960
- “Mercy Mercy Mercy” by Josef Zawinul from Mercy, Mercy, Mercy, 1966
- “Autumn Leaves” by by Joseph Kosma, performed by the Bill Evans Trio on Portrait in Jazz, 1959
- “Dancing in the Dark” by Dietz/Schwartz, performed by the Bill Evans Trio on Trio 64, 1964
- “No Blues” by Miles Davis performed by Wes Montgomery and the Wynton Kelly Trio on Smokin’ at the Half Note, 1965
- “Donna Lee” by Charlie Parker/Miles Davis recorded by the Charlie Parker Quintet, 1947
- “I Wish” by Stevie Wonder from Songs in the Key of Life, 1976
- “Excursions” by A Tribe Called Quest from The Low End Theory, 1991
- “Rimshot [Intro]” by Erykah Badu from Erykah Badu: Live, 1997
- Discussion of Miles: The Autobiography by Miles Davis and Quincy Troupe, 1990
- Discussion of Ascension: John Coltrane and his Quest by Eric Nisenson, 1995
The Strong Songs Kind of Blue Playlist
Kirk made a new playlist of the recordings discussed on this episode, in the hopes that it would give a sense of how the seven musicians on Kind of Blue went on to make all kinds of great music as bandleaders. It's in chronological order, so don't put it on shuffle. Unless, you know, you want to.
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1X2ETUpsFfH03FHOZDCiic?si=UHahG4EcRcSQ_tBlpzSakA
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/strong-songs-kind-of-blue-playlist/pl.u-mJy8DG8t1g8Ka
OUTRO SOLOIST: BJ Cord
This episode's outro soloist is BJ Cord, a fantastic trumpet player based in Portland. BJ works at Monette trumpets making some of the most beautiful horns in the world, and is a regular presence on their Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/monettetrumpets
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