10 Albums: Kind of Blue

The final installment in my "10 Albums" is Kind of Blue by Miles Davis. It is, without question, the greatest jazz album of all time and one of the greatest albums, of any kind, ever.

I rekindled my love affair with vinyl records about four years ago and it was in that shift that I realized I'd never truly investigated jazz. I was in a record store, collecting my first few vinyls, and happened to be in an outlet that has a huge jazz section. I knew Davis, of course, and had heard about Kind of Blue. It was there, I bought it, and the rest is why this album is the last record in my list of 10 albums.

Kind of Blue is, truly, a religious experience. There is a haunting element to the sounds that come from the  sextet of Davis, the amazing John Coltrane, Cannonball Adderley, Bill Evans, Paul Chambers and Jimmy Cobb. (This assemblage of talent is akin to some weird, time-altered combination of Michael Jordan, Lebron James, Wilt Chamberlain, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson.)

From the opening bass line of "So What," the album pulls you in and takes you to a place of rapt attention. This isn't an album that I listen to as background--it absorbs you and commands you to listen. And, every time I listen, I feel something new.

Kind of Blue is Davis' greatest work and his most acclaimed achievement. It is a must have on anyone's "10 Albums." 

Thanks for indulging me on this journey with my "10 Albums." Kind of Blue--one of the best albums, ever, in any genre.