A classic jazz album by anyone's standards. Miles Davis, the famous trumpet player unveiled this masterpiece album on August 17th, 1959. It has since been cemented in music history as something unforgettable.
The first track, "So What", is a moderate tune to being with, playing through just a few chords with a simple bassline running beneath it. You quick manage to lose yourself in the melodies, especially when the improv kicks it. All in all, this is something that you really search for in a great jazz track. Good drumming, good melodies, and great improv. It almost puts you in a trancelike state.
Following this is Freddie Freeloader, a more blues oriented track that's heavily based on improv. Wild saxophone solos rip through this piece as the piano plays the chords in the back ground, and the drums calmly jam on the cymbals throughout. You can imagine yourself sitting in a bar, way back in the day, listening to this song. Its just got that kind of classic atmosphere to it. The piano is really my favorite instrument on this track; it just sounds so nice--like the middle ground between a honytonk and a standard grand piano.
Proceeding "Freddie Freeloader" is "Blue in Green", which starts off with a soft, emotional series of piano chords, followed in by a muted trumpet that cries out and wails for a bit before calming down into something much softer. The drums are quiet, but still audible. The bass plays deep notes in the background, also not very loud, but still there. It's a very chill song, and easily one of my favorite on the record. It's relaxing on a whole new level--calm, yet musically enjoyable to all of you theory nerds out there. Again, the piano really wins me over on this one. I just love a good jazz pianist, and Bill Evans is definitely a good jazz pianist. He knows exactly when to quiet himself down so that Miles can take over, and exactly when to make his presence known. This is what jazz should fucking sound like! The solos are somewhat haunting, yet so very melodic. It feels like you're walking in a dark alley, again back in the day, just keeping to yourself, thinking about life and where you're going to be heading with yourself. The song ends with a powerful piano section that fades out into the buzz of the speakers. A perfect ending.
"All Blues" opens up with a quick piano riff that leads into a riff by the saxophones, topped by a lead from Miles's muted guitar. It then slows a bit, though the piano part remains consistent. This repeats, then it heads into some nice improv. The instruments really flow nicely in this song. There's just a certain smoothness to it that I can really get into. The piano part sounds complex, yet at the same time it gels really well with the other, simpler parts that the other instruments are playing. Again, I have to commend Bill Evans for knowing when to be loud and when to be silent. Every time he really comes down hard on the keys, it just seems to fit perfectly before fading back into quietness. Oddly enough, I found almost no blues influence in this song at all.
Flamenco Sketches, the final track, starts off slowly with a short duet between the piano and bass. Again, Miles's trumpet kicks in to play a nice melody over the top. The slow, moodiness of the piece persists for some time, the trumpet and piano really dominating with strong leads and atmospheric chords really creating an almost trance-like atmosphere. The drums then kick in, though slow, barely even forming a beat. It has such a relaxing feel to it. Everyone is just taking their time and doing what feels right, trying to find something comfortable without procrastinating, without wasting a beat. The chords change up a bit, turning the song slightly darker without sacrificing and of the dark mood. The saxophone takes control for a bit, giving Miles a rest. All in all it's a very smooth song, very relaxing, really good for getting you in a calm state of mind.
All in all this album is really fantastic. I love the melodies and improvs they go into. Miles's playing is top notch, as is the playing from the rest of the band. I find Bill Evans to be the underdog, as his piano really helps set the mood for this record. I think I may actually like it more than the trumpet. It's just so smooth, and his chord selection is really well made. He knows how to counter dissonance with melody, and when to be loud and when to be soft. Really, you can get someone more ideal than that. It's the essentials of jazz piano, and he really gives them a good spin. This is definitely worth a 10/10.
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