Author Interview

A conversation with Ashley Kahn, author of
Kind of Blue: The Making of the Miles Davis Masterpiece

By any measure-sales, influence, and popularity polls-Kind of Blue is a phenomenon. It continues to outrank not just jazz albums, but music albums in general. In the slew of millennial, best-of-the-century lists, Kind of Blue had a lock on the Top Ten-the only jazz album and the only forty-year-old album to do so. It has never gone out of print and has sold millions worldwide. Its durability and ever-increasing popularity (on average it sells 5,000 copies a week these days) is unparalleled in any music genre.

What does this book offer that the album itself does not?

For years, Kind of Blue has risen to a level of legend bordering on mystery: how did two impromptu sessions produce such a lasting masterpiece? How could an effort that all its participants dismiss as just another day at the office have such lasting cultural value?

The book-through many interviews, a recounting of Miles's early career, a look at the historical and cultural context of the 50s, and a rare take-by-take run-through of the actual Kind of Blue sessions-provides the story that ends with the making of the album. Never-before-published interviews and images (including Bill Evans's original liner notes, a look at the handwritten sheet music, internal Columbia Records memoranda, and more) add to an awareness of the people and time that helped make such a masterpiece possible.

So the book, in a way, can deepen one's appreciation of the album?

Doubtless the book will send many fans back to the album for a closer, more directed examination, as it also serves as a great listener's guide-opening up certain motifs, moments and solos on the album to greater understanding and appreciation.

It's kind of like looking at the Sistine Chapel and knowing of the creative battles that passed between the Pope and Michelangelo, of the pains the artist suffered painting on his back on top of a scaffold with paint dripping into his eyes, and other details of its making. In that same way, one can't help but feel the artistic spirit and personalities that went into the creation of Kind of Blue after reading this book.

Miles Davis has many albums. Why is this the one that endures?

Miles himself said at least four or five times that he changed the direction of music, or at least jazz. In the 40s it was The Birth of the Cool sessions; in the early 50s it was hard bop with tunes like "Walkin" and "Bag's Groove." His first groundbreaking exploration into the unknown-a territory of jazz known as "modal"-was with Kind of Blue. It remains his best known, best-selling album.

There are many reasons for its durability. One critic speaks of its appeal to the non-jazz public: Kind of Blue as very pleasant, almost audio wallpaper, when turned low, but becoming great art when turned louder. A well-known musician/producer speaks of how time keeps adding to Kind of Blue's appeal and mystique. It has become such a symbol of elegance-a shared, commonly acknowledged cultural touchstone-that when given as a gift the shrink-wrap doesn't even need to be broken. The act of giving itself confers good taste from one to another.

Was Kind of Blue a product of an individual or of the times?

The era it was born to certainly added a panache, and still does. But when one looks at the footprints in Miles Davis's career leading up to Kind of Blue, it's clear that it's the product of an incredibly independent, driven, intrepid explorer. Like Picasso-to whom Davis is often compared-he'd create a masterpiece, define a new style, and then immediately move on to something new and unproven. Various characteristics of Kind of Blue-its spontaneous first-take essence, its back-to-the-blues feel, its reliance on scales and forms common to non-jazz music-were all devices and areas Miles had dabbled in before.

The band itself is a testament to Miles's life-long stature as a "talent-magnet," able to recruit and creatively employ both proven and unproven jazz musicians, often combining what would seem disparate, uncomplimentary styles in a unique, satisfying mix.

You had unprecedented access to archival material from the recording. Any surprises from your research?

Master session tapes reveal the incredibly easy-going, relaxed, even jocular mood of Miles Davis and the sidemen, in contrast to the sobriety and even melancholy of the music. The generally mistaken perception is that Miles was usually of a sullen and foul temper.

Also, Kind of Blue has a reputation for being this perfectly spontaneous gesture-no rehearsals, all first takes. Well, the tapes show that there were as many as 6-7 attempts at the "heads," or arranged openings, to each tune. This, however, should not take away from what we see as an incredible extemporaneous gesture on the part of the group-the issued album featured the only complete takes of each tune. Except for one tune, "Flamenco Sketches," there are no alternate takes. Everything that has been issued is all there is.

There's also one revealing photograph: a close-up of a music stand, with a pack of Newport cigarettes, a reed cover, a bottle of Bufferin, and a music ledger sheet with handwritten scales on it. It's Cannonball's music stand-he was the migraine sufferer in the band-and that's the music that Bill Evans wrote out for "Flamenco Sketches." It's proof positive of just how open and free the arrangements were for this classic session: very little pre-arranged, relying mostly on the musician's improvisational genius.