
What We Can Learn from Miles as Kind of Blue Turns 50
The new Legacy Edition of Miles Davis' Kind of Blue comes with plenty of extras: over two hours of audio including false starts, alternate takes, studio dialogue and non-album tracks, a 17 minute live verson of "So What," and a 24-page booklet
Austin, TX (March 20, 2009) - If thereās one album without a guitar on it that you should own, it should be and probably is Miles Davisā Kind of Blue, the result of two recording sessions totaling 10 hours that would go on to become the most popular jazz album of all time (RIAA certified quadruple platinum). This legendary album, cut 50 years ago on a slightly fast, tube-driven, three-track tape deck at New York Cityās famous 30th Street Studio (which, unfortunately, was razed for the construction of an apartment building), had a ripple effect throughout the entire universe of music. Its ground breaking introduction of the modal concept turned jazz upside down but also influenced everyone from the Byrds and the Doors to Santana and the Allman Brothers. The album continues to teach us new things today, revealing new complexities with age just a like a fine wine.
At a recent South by Southwest panel discussion called āKind of Blue at 50,ā a group of music experts and people close to Miles shared stories about the trumpeter and the legendary Kind of Blue sessions. In attendance was George Avakian (worked for Columbia Records and signed Miles), Vincent Wilburn, Jr. (played drums for Miles from ā84-ā87), Erin Davis (Milesā youngest son who also played percussion for him and runs Miles Davis Properties), David Fricke (music guru best known as a writer/reviewer for Rolling Stone) and moderator Ashley Kahn (who wrote the book, Kind of Blue: The Making of the Miles Davis Masterpiece). As if that werenāt enough expertise to talk about all things Miles, a last minute straggler sitting in the back of the room was invited to join the panel. That man was none other than legendary music producer Quincy Jones.
Vincent Wilburn, Jr., Erin Davis, Quincy Jones, David Fricke |
So, what can guitarists take away from this gathering of music industry heavyweights as they discussed Miles Davis and his most significant work? A lot. The principals that guided Miles explain why he has been described as nanotechnology. The micro components of his music and ways can seem dissonant and counterintuitive, but together they produce results that have fascinated music fans, musicians and scholars ever since. Hereās a sampling of tips that, in true Miles fashion, should challenge you:
Ten Miles Davis Tips for Guitarists
1. Play Lyrically
Kind of Blue is celebrated for its accessibility as well as its complexity. Listeners are challenged by chord structures that broke conventions of the day but theyāre also welcomed into the musical exchanges that take place due to their melodic, conversational style. People talk and think lyrically. Musicians who play lyrically are able to connect with their audiences with ease.
Producer George Avakian |
-George Avakian
āThe songs arenāt over done, but they still draw you in. The Paul Chambers bass lick in āSo Whatā is so inviting and fluid but isnāt over the topāit goes within the song. It has this hooky-quality like Stonesā āSatisfaction.ā They explored the effectiveness of the hooks and melodies rather than just showing off their abilities.ā
-David Fricke
2. Experiment with Boundaries
Miles wasnāt just a musician, he was an artist. He colored outside the lines. He blended genres. He challenged himself and everyone around him.
Ā āHis last album was a hip-hop recording, so I mean he tried and did everything in the musical world.ā
Ā -Erin DavisĀ
Author Ashley Kahn |
-Ashley Kahn
3. Appreciate the Ballad
The tempos are not extreme on Kind of Blue, but metal guitarists are often quoted as saying the album is a great inspiration. Ballads have their conventions for exploring and breaking. Slow songs give you more room for exploration.
āMiles was the best ballad player since Louie Armstrong and that is what I felt was going to make him popular with the world at large.ā
-George Avakian
4. Donāt Dwell on the Past
Miles never wanted to, and rarely played much of what he had done in the past. He lived to create and said that without that ability thereād be nothing to live for. In other words, he rarely spent his time playing in the sense of repeating or recreating what he already knew. He was always creating.
āI remember one time listening to Milesā Quintet stuff on my headphones while we were in a car together and he could hear it. He told me to shut that stuff off because he didnāt want me to listen to any of his old stuff.ā
-VincentĀ Wilburn Jr.
āI see a lot of artists who have done great works in the past, but they kind of just live off that. Youāve got to push yourself and cross boundaries in order to grow as a musician, as a person.ā
-Erin Davis
5. Utilize Non-Notes
No one utilized non-notes for musical effect like Miles did. For some reason, when we play guitar we are conditioned to put 99.9% of our focus on the notes weāre playing. The spaces without notes in Kind of Blue are a big part of that record. It gives listeners time to absorb and process, both between passages and within phrases.
āThe powerful thing with Kind of Blue is the space and information. Thereās a lot of air in that record in the sense you donāt feel overloaded and you can take in each note. You donāt feel confronted with the music. You feel as if youāve been invited into something very special.ā
Ā -David Fricke
āMiles was the Picasso of jazz. He really knew how to use space just like a painter.ā
-Quincy Jones
6. Consider the Art of Spontaneity
Kind of Blue was largely unrehearsed. What you hear on the album is pretty much the first and last time that exact assembly of musicians played those songs together. It wasnāt a free-for-all, though. Miles gave the musicians charts of modal structures with the idea being to focus on the space around the structures. Great improvisation is a compositional activity.
āThe whole record sounds as if it was thought out, prepared and completely sketched out, but we know that wasnāt the case as most of the cuts were first takes.ā
-George Avakian
7. Be a Talent Scout
Part of Milesā genius was his ability to find phenomenal musicians as they were budding and challenge them. Miles often said, āGeniuses are selfish,ā but his track record shows otherwise in many ways. He had an innate ability to recognize new talent and wanted to share the stage with those players. He wanted to explore with them. He could have had the most established players with the biggest names on Kind of Blue but instead opted for mostly new, unknown talent. Not surprisingly, those musicians would become stars in their own right: John Coltrane (tenor), Cannonball Adderley (alto), Bill Evans (piano), Wynton Kelly (piano), Paul Chambers (bass) and Jimmy Cobb (drums).
āI think that [talent scouting] was one of his greatest talents because he would bring a guy into the band and youād be like āwhy would he want him here?ā but it would always work out. He always saw what he wanted, even in other musicians.ā
-Erin Davis
āThe fact that he could throw material at them that would be interrupted and give the guys around him a chance to reveal their own impulsive geniuses was one Milesā own strokes of genius.ā
-Ashley Kahn
8. Regard Music as āIn the Momentā
Miles trusted his producers and engineers and didnāt like post production. His focus was on the music in the moment. He didnāt like the idea of editing music to make it sound different than the way it was performed because he didnāt want anyone to second guess a musicianās intent.
āThose things are there and they are done; they were right when they [were] first done. They were done at the right hour, on the right day and it happened, but itās over. Itās on the record as it was completed.ā
-Miles Davis in a 1986 interview with NPRās Ben Sidran
9. Share What Fascinates You
The panel members talked about how Miles was constantly sharing music with people he worked with, giving them albums and tapes to check out. In other words, thereās a great conversation about music to be had with your band mates that can actually take place when youāre not even in the same room.
āHe never listened to anything he did in the past. He was always listening to other peopleās stuff and giving it to us like homework. I can remember three albums he specifically gave me and told me to study. Those albums were Jimi Hendrixās Band of Gypsies, James Brownās The Big Payback and Otis Reddingās The Immortal Otis Redding.ā
-Vincent Wilburn Jr.
10. Be Like Sinatra
Miles used strategies from Frank Sinatraās playbook. As Quincy Jones put it, āMiles and Frank had more bark than bite. They just wanted to terrify you.ā Like Frank, Miles critiqued his band matesā performances honestly but did so soon after a show. His band mates were always conscious of his critiques and that brought out the best in them.
āHe always said not to listen to ourselves that night after a gig, but he did. After that, heād call us up and well⦠you know⦠but that brought out the best in us. We always wanted to make him happy and proud by playing out butts off for him. Every night was a challenge because he kept raising the bar, so we had to come with it or we wouldnāt be on the tour the next day.ā
-Vincent Wilburn Jr.
āHe reminded me of Sinatra in that they didnāt believe in second takes. They both just believed in what was produced in that moment was as good as it was going to get.ā
-Quincy Jones
Parting Thought
The above tips may not be a road map for creative genius or a successful career, nor are they even applicable to musicians of all skill levels. In fact, those same principals led Miles to record some albums late in his career that can be described as hard to listen to for all but the most die-hard of Miles aficionados. āNot everyone gets it,ā is a phrase that has accented discussions about various Miles projects over the years and he clearly preferred it that way. There are certainly Miles projects that people do āget,ā however, and none more so than Kind of Blue,Ā the masterpiece of a true musical genius.
āPeople ask me to play those old songs and I tell them to go buy the record. Itās still there. What you like is on the record, you donāt like me. Donāt like me for Kind of Blue, like me for what Iām doing right now. If I wasnāt an artist or couldnāt create, Iād just want to be dead. Itās selfish, I know, but geniuses are selfish.ā
-Miles Davis excerpted from a 1986 interview with NPRās Ben Sidran
IK Multimedia is pleased to announce the release of new premium content for all TONEX users, available today through the IK Product Manager.
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PG contributor Tom Butwin dives into five clever, gig-ready tuner optionsāsome youāve seen, and at least one you havenāt. From strobe accuracy to metronome mashups and strap-mounted stealth, these tools might just make tuning fun again.
Korg Pitchstrap Guitar and Bass Strap Tuner - Black
KORG Pitchstrap is the worldās first strap-mounted tuner and features a state-of-the-art technology that allows the tuner to detect the pitch of the guitar or bass from the strapās vibrations.
Peterson StroboStomp Mini Pedal Tuner
The StroboStomp Mini delivers the unmatched 0.1 cent tuning accuracy of all authentic Peterson Strobe Tuners in a mini pedal tuner format.
Peterson StroboClip HDC High-definition Rechargeable Clip-on Strobe Tuner
The StroboClip HDC features a high-definition, color backlight display, rechargeable battery and over 65 Sweetened Tunings. With tuning accuracy of 0.1 cents, the StroboClip HDC is the ultimate clip-on tuner.
Cherub Pix Tune (WST-915Li)
The latest Cherub Pix Tune (WST-915Li) offers 16 vibrant display modes, allowing users to customize their tuning experience to match their own styles. There are 5 meter styles, 3 animal cartoon styles, 2 sports styles, and 6 user customizable styles. You can conveniently upload your boot-up animation and tuning display pictures through the accompanying APPs. With its engaging visuals, tuning has never been this enjoyable!
Taylor Beacon Digital Clip-on Tuner - Black
The Taylor Beacon combines a tuner, metronome, timer, and flashlight in one compact device, offering five tuning modes, 12 time signatures, and up to 100 minutes of practice timer.
The Melvins' Buzz Osborne joins the party to talk about how he helped Kurt Cobain find the right sounds.
Growing up in the small town of Montesano, Washington, Kurt Cobain turned to his older pal Buzz Osborne for musical direction. So on this episode, weāre talking with the Melvins leader about their friendship, from taking Cobain to see Black Flag in ā84 to their shared guitar journey and how they both thought about gear. And in case youāve heard otherwise, Kurt was never a Melvins roadie!
Osborneās latest project is Thunderball from Melvins 1983, something of a side trajectory for the band, which harkens back to this time in Osborneās life. We dig into that and how it all relates and much more.
Adding to the companyās line of premium guitar strapsand accessories, Fairfield Guitar Co. has introduced a new deluxe leather strapdesigned in collaboration with Angela Petrilli.
Based in Los Angeles, Petrilli is well-known to guitar enthusiasts around the world for her online videos. She is one of the video hosts at Normanās Rare Guitars and has her own YouTube lesson series, the Riff Rundown. She also writes, records and performs with her original band, Angela Petrilli & The Players, and has worked with Gibson, Fender, Martin Guitars, Universal Audio, Guitar Center and Fishman Transducers.
Angela Petrilli's eye-grabbing signature strap is fully hand cut, four inches wide and lightly padded, so it evenly distributes the weight of the instrument on the shoulder and offers superb comfort during extended play. The front side features black "cracked" leather with turquoise triple stitching. The "cracked" treatment on the leather highlights the beautiful natural marks and grain pattern ā and it only gets better with age and use.The strapās back side is black suede for adhesion and added comfort, with the Fairfield Guitar Co. logo and Angela's name stamped in silver foil.
Features include:
- 100% made in the USA
- Hand cut 4ā wide leather strap with light padding -- offering extra comfort for longgigs and rehearsals.
- Black suede back side avoids slipping, maintains guitarās ideal playing position.
- Length is fully adjustable from 45ā - 54ā and the strap has two holes on thetailpiece for added versatility.
The Fairfield Guitar Co. Angela Petrilli signature strap is available for $150 online at fairfieldguitarco.com.