Kind Of Blue

One of my favourite jazz albums of all time, Miles at his best, with a great band.I had this on CD and felt I needed it on vinyl

Excellent.

Absolutely sublime sound.Excellent pressing, makes a change from most out there.Strongly recommend

My review is for the Legacy edition only and only with concern for the quality of the recording as the content is legend.Like just about every other historic album, there are many different CD releases on the market of the same thing, well not quite.Older digital recordings are often flawed by a rush to market philosophy, combined with early digital recording technology. Later so called remasters using state of the art equipment, are more often than not much worse due to over compression and equalisation. It has been a marketing con of record companies and corporations to promote these louder dynamically squashed rehashes as remasters. I have been caught all too many times by what should have been a better quality sound recording, to find it was in fact much worse.Back to Kind of Blue (Legacy Edition). Recorded back in 1959 on 3 - track tape and remastered for this edition by Mark Wilder, who was clearly on a mission to produce not only the best quality of sound but also an authenticity of the sound at that time, the result is stunningly good. It is hard to believe it possible that a recording made on 3- track magnetic tape 56 years ago could sound so alive, alive in a kind of magical way that almost takes you back to that time and place. There are so many works of great musical art now available to us all, sadly there are so few that do justice to the original recording of that art, it is I believe criminal, but a crime to which this recording is not guilty.

Though I have a huge collection of jazz greats, this album remains at the very top of the pile, with its status as the best ever jazz album still securely intact. Like Citizen Kane in film and Fitzgerald’s Gatsby in literature, this album is up there right at the very top. Only a handful of albums come close to this one, but they still haven’t knocked it from its pinnacle of pure pleasure and excellence. One day, however, they might and some albums now come very close to doing so, like Kamasi Washington’s recent album: The Epic. But we are quite not there yet, and still some way from it, in my opinion. Every track on Kind of Blue is beautifully done and all are absolute exemplars of perfection, though (if pushed) my favourite track would be the final track Flamenco Sketches (#5), by which time you are floating through the air with the album’s sublime melodies. If you are new to jazz you cannot go wrong with this fabulous album by Miles Davis. Highly recommended and still the best jazz album ever, without question.I hope you find my review helpful.

A great classic album spoiled by two little things. Miles horrendously cracks a note early in the first track. Completely forgivable in a live album, but not in a studio recording. One of the tracks (can't remember which) is also plagued by recording crackles etc. Again quite forgivable on an original ancient recording, but in these days of quick and easy digital removal of this stuff, it oughtn't to be there on a new release like this. Hence only 4 rather than 5 stars. Nevertheless, a great way to get this marvellous music, with the added bonus of two additional albums in the same package.

I have over the years developed very broad tastes in music. Having stsrted in my youth as a punk/indie fan, nowadays I find myself listening mainly to jazz and classical.I bought this CD maybe 14-15 years ago. I probably listen to it at least once a week. There is something utterly magical about it. It always manages to sound fresh and spontaneous! All of the musicians hit a high point of their careers and all are endlessly inventive in a tuneful, haunting way.I would want this played at my funeral. Among the world's great works of art and cheaply available to all. I have often given this as a gift. Buy it.

I was born the year this album was released and I've been listening to music ever since I can remember. I'll try almost anything musical, from punk rock to classical; this album by Miles Davis and his astonishing group of collaborators is the best of them all.I never tire of it; it never gets boring and there's always something new to find. My favourite time to enjoy it is after a hard day at work, with the curtains closed and a cup of coffee in hand - strong and black. It transports me away from the mundane world and, like all deep pleasures, it never becomes diminished by familiarity.Anyone who fails to give this album 5 stars must be listening to something else.

Ótima prensagem

Un clásico del Jazz

Kind of Blue by Miles Davis is an absolute classic and one of the most important jazz records ever made.Beyond the music itself, this 180-gram pressing is excellent. The vinyl feels substantial and well made, and the pressing quality is very clean. Surface noise is minimal, with quiet backgrounds that really let the music breathe. The soundstage is wide and natural, with great separation between instruments and a warmth that suits this album perfectly.The dynamics come through beautifully — the horns have body without harshness, the bass is full and controlled, and the cymbals sound smooth and natural. It’s the kind of pressing that encourages you to sit back and listen all the way through.A timeless album paired with a high-quality pressing. This is an essential record and a fantastic addition to any vinyl collection, especially if you appreciate well-pressed, great-sounding jazz on vinyl.

Kind of Blue isn't merely an artistic highlight for Miles Davis, it's an album that towers above its peers, a record generally considered as the definitive jazz album, a universally acknowledged standard of excellence. Why does Kind of Blue posses such a mystique? Perhaps because this music never flaunts its genius. It lures listeners in with the slow, luxurious bassline and gentle piano chords of "So What." From that moment on, the record never really changes pace -- each tune has a similar relaxed feel, as the music flows easily. Yet Kind of Blue is more than easy listening. It's the pinnacle of modal jazz -- tonality and solos build from the overall key, not chord changes, giving the music a subtly shifting quality. All of this doesn't quite explain why seasoned jazz fans return to this record even after they've memorized every nuance. They return because this is an exceptional band -- Miles, Coltrane, Bill Evans, Cannonball Adderley, Paul Chambers, Jimmy Cobb -- one of the greatest in history, playing at the peak of its power. As Evans said in the original liner notes for the record, the band did not play through any of these pieces prior to recording. Davis laid out the themes before the tape rolled, and then the band improvised. The end results were wondrous and still crackle with vitality. Kind of Blue works on many different levels. It can be played as background music, yet it amply rewards close listening. It is advanced music that is extraordinarily enjoyable. It may be a stretch to say that if you don't like Kind of Blue, you don't like jazz -- but it's hard to imagine it as anything other than a cornerstone of any jazz collection.

Excellent recording! The SACD layer brings out the best in my Denon DVD 1700 NE. It’s as if I was in the recording studio when this was made!