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The Making of Kind of Blue: Miles Davis and His Masterpiece
A chronicle and analysis of the recording of "Kind of Blue," the influential jazz masterpiece of Miles Davis, draws from interviews and recordings to trace the birth of the unique musical genre.
236 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2000
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
December 22, 2016
To think it took just two days in 1959 to record this masterwork. Most of the players get a mini-biography. These are fine in the case of Miles Davis, Bill Evans, and Cannonball Adderley, but too meager in the case of John Coltrane and all but nonexistent for bassist Paul Chambers and drummer Jimmy Cobb. The most interesting part of the book for me was the discussion of George Russell's "Lydian Chromatic Concept for Tonal Organization," a sophisticated modal theory of music which greatly influenced Miles, Coltrane's post-Miles work, Charles Mingus and much of the post-bop generation. With that single exception, though, I think the writing about the music itself is rather thin. But isn't this true of all music writing? Sure, one can convey something of the music's emotional effect, something of its reception and historical importance, even an idea of the labors involved in making it, but in the end it's all simulacra. One is reminded of sex in novels. Nor does the writing itself rise to a level of achievement consonant with its subject matter. That said, the book is a wonderful adjunct to the recording.
August 8, 2016
An excellent book. Eric Nisenson's "The Making of Kind of Blue: Miles Davis and His Masterpiece" compleatly and exhaustively covers Miles Davis's 1959 landmark album, "Kind of Blue".
Mr.Nisenson who also wrote"Ascension: John Coltrane and His Quest" examines every note and all of the background detail is discussed in this tribute to the bestselling jazz album of all time. The strengths of this book exist in his dedication to set the recording in of this work in it's social, cultural and historical context.
Mr. Nisensin's focus on everything that led up to the recording of this masterpiece album and its tremendous repercussions on the Jazz world makes for this outstanding work.
This is mandatory reading for every Miles Davis and Jazz fan.
Mr.Nisenson who also wrote"Ascension: John Coltrane and His Quest" examines every note and all of the background detail is discussed in this tribute to the bestselling jazz album of all time. The strengths of this book exist in his dedication to set the recording in of this work in it's social, cultural and historical context.
Mr. Nisensin's focus on everything that led up to the recording of this masterpiece album and its tremendous repercussions on the Jazz world makes for this outstanding work.
This is mandatory reading for every Miles Davis and Jazz fan.
November 23, 2019
Love Letter in the Guise of a Great Analysis
Nisenson parses every aspect of the World of Kind of Blue: its Time, its Cultural Context, the Players, the Music and George Russell’s underlying Modal Theory, and most of all the psychology of Miles Davis and his goals in creating this Album. To those of us who understand and appreciate the impact of this Music and its impact on our lives, this is a wonderful reflection of what we know to be true. For the uninitiated it is a beautifully written narrative of a historic moment in an important time in American Music. Read this book.
Nisenson parses every aspect of the World of Kind of Blue: its Time, its Cultural Context, the Players, the Music and George Russell’s underlying Modal Theory, and most of all the psychology of Miles Davis and his goals in creating this Album. To those of us who understand and appreciate the impact of this Music and its impact on our lives, this is a wonderful reflection of what we know to be true. For the uninitiated it is a beautifully written narrative of a historic moment in an important time in American Music. Read this book.
August 2, 2007
This is the most amazing album ever. This book gives insight into this recording. Read while sipping hot coffee, listening to the record (vinyl) on a cold, rainy Sunday morning. Then you will hear the note between the note!
September 22, 2019
I 've always loved "Kind of Blue", but my appreciation of the album, the artists involved, and Jazz in general, has grown exponentially since reading this book. As a bonus, Nisenson clearly explains George Russell's "Concept" (the framework Miles Davis and co. used for recording the album).
February 13, 2007
another good book on the greatest album in the world. not as good as ashley kahn's but still worth the read.
February 23, 2009
This book is a must have for every jazz lover!
March 6, 2012
Incredible book about one of my incredible heroes.
February 5, 2020
A brilliant book about a brilliant album.
August 8, 2024
Tanker:
I det store og det hele handler boken overraskende lite om Kind of Blue direkte, med kun 27 sider som direkte beskriver opptakene og diskuterer albumet. Resten av boken fungerer mer som en historie av jazz før og etter Kind of Blue. Selv om det er kort, er kapitlet om opptakene kult å lese mens jeg hørte på albumet for n-te gang, da det avslørte nye dimensjoner og detaljer.
Fascinerende å lære at George Russell oppholdt seg flere år i Europa, og at han der fungerte som en slags mentor for blant andre Terje Rypdal og Jan Garbarek, spesielt med tanke på "modes" og det lydiske konseptet. Det er også veldig avslørende hvor sammenkoblet jazz, og dens utøvere, er, noe som også er en av bokens hovedteser. Selv om mange har en tendens til å tilskrive mange av jazzens mesterverker eller innovasjoner til individuelle artister, er det ingenting som har oppstått i vakuum, og det er i sammenkoblingene at magien skjer.
Boken er opplysende om Miles Davis og co og den kulturelle konteksten rundt Kind of Blue, men litt for ofte blir de konkrete verkene og gruppene bare referert til implisitt, noe som gjør det vanskelig å følge med hvis man ikke kan så mye om jazz-historie fra før av. I tillegg kan jeg ingenting om musikkteori i forveien, så jeg frykter at mye av genialiteten som blir beskrevet går meg hus forbi.
Sitater:
Miles's own reply to those who asked him about playing music from his past was always, "Why do you want me to do that again? Didn't I do it good the first time? S.21
Technique exists for one reason only—to create a sounds that reflects the musician's inner self. The rest is extraneous. S.25
Miles's philosophy of recording was to never do more one take of each tune, if possible—two at most. (...) for Miles, doing innumerable takes meant losing the spontann ity and freshness of thought that too him was what have jazz it's edge. S.40
By this time Miles had mastered the most remarkable aspect of his style, the use of silence: (...). As Miles himself put it, "You don't have to play all the notes; just the pretty ones". S.41
Virtually every musician who has ever played with Miles can testify that he rarely gave them much direction. Miles hired only musicians who, from his perspective, had something to add to his music. If they were playing with him, it meant that they were already good enough and did not need his input. S.41
Criticism of his taciturn stage manner greatly irritated Miles. After all, he pointed out, classical performers were never expected to introduce tunes or the other musicians. Miles thought of banter in particular as a sort of minstrelsy. For him, all he owed his audience was the best music he could make. Why would they want anything more? S.44
One of the most important lessons I have learned from listening to jazz all these years is the inevitability of change, including my own feelings about the music and the players who have mattered most to me. It is impossible to fight against change, so the best way to deal with it is to embrace it. Thus, when I write a book, all I can claim is that it represents my ideas and feelings about its subject at the time. Those ideas and feelings are not immutable but are, rather, in a constantly fluid state.
In addition to my responses to the music itself, I have found that the ideas of others have helped sharpen my own point of view, their opinions sometimes acting as a challenge, at other times solidifying and reinforcing my perspective. S.75
I think one of the things about Kind of Blue that's so stunning is the equal level of intellectual interest and emotional interest. In other words, these were new ideas that were bandied about at the time, but Miles was able to remove the ideas from intellectual concepts and turn them into something that wasn't being thought about at all; that was very much instinctual, intuitive, and emotional; that had its own narrative apart from whatever the theoretical ideas were being explored. S.201
For Miles, modes were the door to freedom, a breaking away from the most important European element in jazz-its harmonic architecture-and a movement in the direction of African and Eastern folk music.
Another reason Miles wanted to experiment with modes was that they would offer a challenge for his musicians to create music that was really "in the moment" without leaning on the usual procedures and hackneyed phrases and licks. Miles's purpose was to make their reach exceed their grasp or, as Miles put it, to "play above what they know." Thus, as far as its formal implications are concerned, the Kind of Blue sessions were a kind of experiment in freedom and spontaneity that provided one of the most important opening volleys of the free-jazz revolution of the 1960s. The fact that Miles was probably the leading modern jazzman of his time gave this album a certain cachet as well as special significance; it became a manifesto about the future of jazz improvisation and composition. S.?
Ornette Coleman's revolutionary ideas are based on the need to connect directly with one's emotions without having to filter them through a pre established structure. There was no intermediary. S213
... Coltrane's improvising was, in his own phrase, "cleaning the mirror", looking into his soul to discover ultimate truths. S213
I realize that many people think of Miles [Davis] as a kind of ultimate "Mr. Cool", a jaded and cynical man with little emotion invested in life. That was the (apparently convincing) front he put up in order to protect himself from those who did not understand the complex life he lived. He believed so passionately in life that he continued to put beauty into this world almost to his dying breath. He once said to me, "If you don't have anything to put into the world, you ought to get out of it." S.217
I det store og det hele handler boken overraskende lite om Kind of Blue direkte, med kun 27 sider som direkte beskriver opptakene og diskuterer albumet. Resten av boken fungerer mer som en historie av jazz før og etter Kind of Blue. Selv om det er kort, er kapitlet om opptakene kult å lese mens jeg hørte på albumet for n-te gang, da det avslørte nye dimensjoner og detaljer.
Fascinerende å lære at George Russell oppholdt seg flere år i Europa, og at han der fungerte som en slags mentor for blant andre Terje Rypdal og Jan Garbarek, spesielt med tanke på "modes" og det lydiske konseptet. Det er også veldig avslørende hvor sammenkoblet jazz, og dens utøvere, er, noe som også er en av bokens hovedteser. Selv om mange har en tendens til å tilskrive mange av jazzens mesterverker eller innovasjoner til individuelle artister, er det ingenting som har oppstått i vakuum, og det er i sammenkoblingene at magien skjer.
Boken er opplysende om Miles Davis og co og den kulturelle konteksten rundt Kind of Blue, men litt for ofte blir de konkrete verkene og gruppene bare referert til implisitt, noe som gjør det vanskelig å følge med hvis man ikke kan så mye om jazz-historie fra før av. I tillegg kan jeg ingenting om musikkteori i forveien, så jeg frykter at mye av genialiteten som blir beskrevet går meg hus forbi.
Sitater:
Miles's own reply to those who asked him about playing music from his past was always, "Why do you want me to do that again? Didn't I do it good the first time? S.21
Technique exists for one reason only—to create a sounds that reflects the musician's inner self. The rest is extraneous. S.25
Miles's philosophy of recording was to never do more one take of each tune, if possible—two at most. (...) for Miles, doing innumerable takes meant losing the spontann ity and freshness of thought that too him was what have jazz it's edge. S.40
By this time Miles had mastered the most remarkable aspect of his style, the use of silence: (...). As Miles himself put it, "You don't have to play all the notes; just the pretty ones". S.41
Virtually every musician who has ever played with Miles can testify that he rarely gave them much direction. Miles hired only musicians who, from his perspective, had something to add to his music. If they were playing with him, it meant that they were already good enough and did not need his input. S.41
Criticism of his taciturn stage manner greatly irritated Miles. After all, he pointed out, classical performers were never expected to introduce tunes or the other musicians. Miles thought of banter in particular as a sort of minstrelsy. For him, all he owed his audience was the best music he could make. Why would they want anything more? S.44
One of the most important lessons I have learned from listening to jazz all these years is the inevitability of change, including my own feelings about the music and the players who have mattered most to me. It is impossible to fight against change, so the best way to deal with it is to embrace it. Thus, when I write a book, all I can claim is that it represents my ideas and feelings about its subject at the time. Those ideas and feelings are not immutable but are, rather, in a constantly fluid state.
In addition to my responses to the music itself, I have found that the ideas of others have helped sharpen my own point of view, their opinions sometimes acting as a challenge, at other times solidifying and reinforcing my perspective. S.75
I think one of the things about Kind of Blue that's so stunning is the equal level of intellectual interest and emotional interest. In other words, these were new ideas that were bandied about at the time, but Miles was able to remove the ideas from intellectual concepts and turn them into something that wasn't being thought about at all; that was very much instinctual, intuitive, and emotional; that had its own narrative apart from whatever the theoretical ideas were being explored. S.201
For Miles, modes were the door to freedom, a breaking away from the most important European element in jazz-its harmonic architecture-and a movement in the direction of African and Eastern folk music.
Another reason Miles wanted to experiment with modes was that they would offer a challenge for his musicians to create music that was really "in the moment" without leaning on the usual procedures and hackneyed phrases and licks. Miles's purpose was to make their reach exceed their grasp or, as Miles put it, to "play above what they know." Thus, as far as its formal implications are concerned, the Kind of Blue sessions were a kind of experiment in freedom and spontaneity that provided one of the most important opening volleys of the free-jazz revolution of the 1960s. The fact that Miles was probably the leading modern jazzman of his time gave this album a certain cachet as well as special significance; it became a manifesto about the future of jazz improvisation and composition. S.?
Ornette Coleman's revolutionary ideas are based on the need to connect directly with one's emotions without having to filter them through a pre established structure. There was no intermediary. S213
... Coltrane's improvising was, in his own phrase, "cleaning the mirror", looking into his soul to discover ultimate truths. S213
I realize that many people think of Miles [Davis] as a kind of ultimate "Mr. Cool", a jaded and cynical man with little emotion invested in life. That was the (apparently convincing) front he put up in order to protect himself from those who did not understand the complex life he lived. He believed so passionately in life that he continued to put beauty into this world almost to his dying breath. He once said to me, "If you don't have anything to put into the world, you ought to get out of it." S.217
August 22, 2023
Books like this are a blessing to me because I love jazz, especially bebop and free jazz but also big band and even some fusion, and have since I was a curious teenager though I’ve discovered far more nooks and crannies in the genre than I knew about then, but I do not have the music training or the language to really understand it. I just know I love how probing and limitless a lot of free jazz is, I love the infectious rhythms of the best big band-era recordings, and I love the careful bursts of beauty and unrepressed freedom on bebop and modal albums like Kind of Blue, which is the first jazz CD I ever bought. But I never really gave much thought to the cultural implications of jazz as a movement, or its connection to civil rights and to Black expression, at least beyond the most superficial awareness of those things. So I appreciate the late Nisenson’s work here; he’s a tough critic and I don’t agree with all of his conclusions about Davis (whom he knew personally), Coltrane, or Kind of Blue itself — in fact he singles out one of my favorite moments on the entire record, Cannonball Adderley’s beautiful solo at the end of “Flamenco Sketches,” as its one major flaw. He establishes an intimacy with the reader that approaches the music and its context within jazz overall, and the specific careers of its five soloists, from every imaginable angle. It’s an insightful, handy book and an engaging read, and gives the lie to the notion that approaching a masterpiece like Kind of Blue verbally is an impossible task.
May 23, 2025
This is a very insightful book written by jazz writer Eric Nisenson who personally knew Miles Davis. Eric provides the background on how jazz evolved from bebop (Charlie Parker & Dizzy Gillespie) through the Birth of the Cool to modal jazz (Kind of Blue). Miles Davis formed his great quintet that included Bill Evans (piano), Philly "Joe" Jones (drums), John Coltrane (tenor sax), Julian "Cannon Ball" Adderly (alto sax), Paul Chambers (bass) and Miles Davis (trumpet). Miles Davis as a creative force in jazz was continually looking for new musical paths forward. Kind of Blue represents the finest example of modal jazz and remains one of the great jazz albums of all time. It so clearly so different from the New York bebop jazz played by "The Bird" and Dizzy" and it is so poignant that Miles played trumpet in their band years before Kind of Blue. At the time I was reading this book, I was also taking a jazz course taught by Seton Hawkins of the Lincoln Center for Jazz and the Juliard School of Music. Between the roof and the course focused on Miles Davis, I gained a deep appreciation for Miles' music and jazz in general. I was grateful for this illuminating experience.
May 4, 2021
I found this book to be three things: a lite Miles Davis biography, a pronouncement of the author’s love for Miles Davis and his music which includes criticism of anyone who does not see Miles as a great musician, leader and visionary, and some interesting information about the making of Kind of Blue.
Better coverage of the first topic is found elsewhere.
I didn’t need to read pages of the authors infatuation with Miles, who is one of my favorite jazz musicians.
Information about the sessions, what led up to them, the aftermath and some information about the musicians are the most interesting parts of the book. The appendix that briefly explain’s Russel’s modal system is also a very important part of the book.
I found myself skimming over pages once I realized the book’s approaches to the subject. There is a lot of repetition of ideas and facts.
Better coverage of the first topic is found elsewhere.
I didn’t need to read pages of the authors infatuation with Miles, who is one of my favorite jazz musicians.
Information about the sessions, what led up to them, the aftermath and some information about the musicians are the most interesting parts of the book. The appendix that briefly explain’s Russel’s modal system is also a very important part of the book.
I found myself skimming over pages once I realized the book’s approaches to the subject. There is a lot of repetition of ideas and facts.
August 14, 2023
Overall a very enjoyable read -- would have been 4 stars if it weren't for a bit of repetition on certain themes and ideas that began to feel tedious by the end of the book. I understand that modal playing and The Concept were important aspects of the story, but there were moments where certain commentary was made multiple times, almost word for word as it was earlier in the book, resulting in a feeling less of "this is being repeated because it's important" and more "I forgot I had already mentioned this very same thing earlier." Despite this, I felt that the writing was very effective overall, and the subject matter particularly interesting, so I raced through this one pretty quickly.
August 19, 2024
Muy interesante revisión del proceso de Kind of Blue, pasando por aspectos biográficos de sus protagonistas, (los pasajes sobre Coltrane o Bill Evans primordialmente) o teóricos, a partir de las aportaciones de George Rusell para trazar el mapa de las progresiones modales y su peso en el jazz moderno. Sin embargo me pareció distendida mucha de la información y más bien intuitivas sus explicaciones sobre música. En general el libro echa luz sobre un disco fundamental y eso es lo mejor, además de atender la música de Rusell como uno de los gérmenes que desembocarían en varios discos, pero primordialmente en Kind of Blue. Y eso es lo aplaudible.
September 3, 2021
Fascinating read. The prose is solid, and I was excited about every tidbit of history. It's a flawed book, in that it lacks narrative flow and Nisenson is prone to tangents. But still, I loved reading it.
If Kind of Blue has been foundational to your journey as a person or jazz listener, then every anecdote Nisenson provides will feel like a whisper form a past life.
If Kind of Blue has been foundational to your journey as a person or jazz listener, then every anecdote Nisenson provides will feel like a whisper form a past life.
December 3, 2019
Nisenson knew Miles Davis. That's really cool. He is a lover of jazz and a lover of Miles Davis. This book has some neat insights about Davis' approach to improvisation (don't rehearse and record with flaws), creative approach (creating tension by hiring 2 piano players for the recording), and style (photogenic and fashionable). My biggest disappointment is that Nisenson is clearly not a musician, and any approach to jazz or Miles Davis needs to reflect and articulate his particular musicality. Short book, quick read.
April 22, 2014
If you are a fan of Jazz this will be a fun read of the pivotal time and players of when Jazz made the transition from the Bop of the forties to the smooth jazz sound of the sixties. Great sketches of the players on " Kind of Blue" the transcendent work of the transition. For the casual jazz fan the book gets a little too " inside baseball" and a little self- indulgent and verbose. As Miles Davis himself said: " You don't have to play all the notes, just the pretty ones."
The description of the actual recording session itself is only a disappointing few pages long, and the best description probably remains the liner notes by Bill Evans who played piano on " Kind of Blue." The music itself is a masterpiece, of course, launched John Coletrane so maybe trying to write a book about it would be a little like trying to put Picasso into words.
The description of the actual recording session itself is only a disappointing few pages long, and the best description probably remains the liner notes by Bill Evans who played piano on " Kind of Blue." The music itself is a masterpiece, of course, launched John Coletrane so maybe trying to write a book about it would be a little like trying to put Picasso into words.
November 16, 2008
I'm giving it four stars, but that may be partly because I love the music so much. Is there a more evocative and important sonic footprint than Miles' muted trumpet on "Blue in Green?" I haven't come across a sound that pensive and soulful ever, anywhere. The author knows the music, and seems to have been a friend of Miles. He may get a bit over-serious, especially in linking the music with the young civil rights movement - was every black jazz musician trying to channel 400 years of oppression and rage into the horn? Weren't they simply trying to make musics?
That said, this led me to listen to "Kind of Blue" again last night for the first time in years. Good record.
That said, this led me to listen to "Kind of Blue" again last night for the first time in years. Good record.
September 28, 2014
Kind of Blue is not only Miles Davis' masterpiece, it is the best selling jazz album ever. It is the one jazz album most likely to be a favorite of non-jazz fans and one of the best to give to introduce a friend to jazz.
Eric Nisenson has written a very interesting book on the making of the album, covering not only Miles, but also George Russell, Bill Evans, John Coltrane, and Cannonball Adderly.
If this is one of your favorite albums, as it mine, there is a good chance you will not only enjoy this book, but also find that it deepens your appreciation of the Davis masterpiece.
Eric Nisenson has written a very interesting book on the making of the album, covering not only Miles, but also George Russell, Bill Evans, John Coltrane, and Cannonball Adderly.
If this is one of your favorite albums, as it mine, there is a good chance you will not only enjoy this book, but also find that it deepens your appreciation of the Davis masterpiece.
January 13, 2016
I can't continue to read this book. Having read Davis' autobiography I'm well versed in him as an individual and an artist. Kind of Blue is very technical in it's language and unless you're a musician or someone well versed in musical terms...I think it's hard for a reader to connect with this book. Otherwise I think it's well written and I would have enjoyed it more if I were a musician.
August 5, 2011
Amazing analysis of a masterpiece rich of information and trivial.
Want to read
December 16, 2014I didn't actually read it - it expired before I had a chance, and I can't find a way to delete it from goodreads. Will re-request it soon, tho!
March 30, 2014
Great background story to a wonderful album, and definitely worth a read for lovers of the music, but I'm not a fan of Nisenson's writing style (particularly his incessant reference to "jazzmen").
January 23, 2016
Is that what you wanted, Alfred?
February 15, 2016
Tells a good tale while explaining the musical theory behind the album -- which seems interesting, but I'm not sure I really understood.
May 22, 2016
There came a point when I just wanted this book to end.
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews