There aren't enough positive adjectives to describe the pure jazz genius of this album. Miles Davis' Kind of Blue ranks among the best jazz albums of all-time, and for good reason. Recorded in New York City in 1959, this album's extraordinary line-up includes Julian "Cannonball" Adderley on alto saxophone, John Coltrane (another jazz giant - check out A Love Supreme) on tenor saxophone and Bill Evans on piano. Daring tracks like "So What," "Freddie Freeloader" and "Flamenco Sketches," make this an absolutely indispensable record for jazz fans.

This reissue of KIND OF BLUE contains a bonus alternate take not found on the original issue LP. In addition, Sony engineers went back to the original safety masters from this session, as the original master machine was out of sync, and previous releases contained a pitch deviation on three tracks, which had gone undetected for years. This version corrects that inconsistency. Personnel: Miles Davis (trumpet); Julian "Cannonball" Adderley (alto saxophone); John Coltrane (tenor saxophone); Bill Evans, Wynton Kelly (piano); Paul Chambers (bass); Jimmy Cobb (drums). Reissue producer: Michael Cuscuna. Recorded Columbia 30th Street Studio, New York, New York on March 2 & April 22, 1959. Includes reissue liner notes by Robert Palmer and original release liner notes by Bill Evans. With BIRTH OF THE COOL, Miles Davis distilled a new tonal palette for jazz. As early as 1954, Miles reacted to the escalating chordal complexity of hard bop by fashioning an evocative blues based on a simple scalar pattern ("Swing Spring"). KIND OF BLUE was the ultimate fulfillment of this approach, with Miles providing his collaborators little more than outlines for melodies and simple scales for improvisation. By emphasizing the blues and the improvisor's melodic gifts, KIND OF BLUE precipitated a major stylistic development--modal jazz. Charles Mingus had experimented with pedal points throughout the 1950s, and the melodic freedom of Ornette Coleman's Atlantic sides was also predicated on freedom from chord changes. But KIND OF BLUE was to prove the most influential, enduring work of its kind. There was just such a vibe about these 1959 sessions--Miles' lyric genius and burgeoning stardom, the innovative voicings and rarefied touch of pianist Bill Evans, the electrifying presence of Coltrane and Cannonball--that some thirty-plus years after its initial release, KIND OF BLUE is still recognized as Davis' point of departure towards jazz's less-explored regions. Bill Evans' translucent chords and Paul Chambers' famous bass line herald the revolution that is "So What": Davis and Evans' taut, coiled lyricism stands in sharp relief to the saxophonists' labyrinthine elation. The fat, shimmering beat of the classic Evans/Chambers/Cobb rhythm team is an oasis of calm throughout the childish blues "Freddie Freeloader." Often credited to Davis, "Blue In Green" is an Evans masterpiece, in which the rhythmic oasis becomes a smoky mirage for Davis' minor reveries on muted horn. The waltzing "All Blues" is one of the smoothest, most swinging grooves in the history of jazz, while "Flamenco Sketches" reflects Miles fascination with the earthy melodies and brooding metaphors of the Iberian peninsula...a harbinger of his next masterpiece, SKETCHES OF SPAIN. KIND OF BLUE remains Miles Davis' most evocative piece of musical haiku.