The Blue Moment: Miles Davis's Kind of Blue and the Remaking of Modern Music [Hardcover] Review

Hardcover-278 pages,not including references or index.There are no photographs in this work.It is NOT out of print,but it is limited in availability.Check for sellers on Amazon

This book is not totally about Miles Davis,the making of "Kind of Blue",or the era that spawned this great music.Instead Richard Williams' concern weaves a sometimes loose,sometimes more focused pattern of various musical genres,that were influenced by the music.The author tells the story of the making of this album quickly-actually informing the reader of other volumes that go into greater detail on this recording,and how it was seen at the time.But he lays enough of a foundation so the reader has a good grounding going into his premise.

This book is concerned with the albums effect on other musicians,and the culture in general,over the past fifty years or so.In this book you will find names such as THE WHO,SOFT MACHINE,John Cale,THE GRATEFUL DEAD,Terry Riley,and others.The author makes a pretty convincing case on how Davis' (and the groups') music influenced a lot of the compositions and,in some cases,the very playing style of other musicians,by showing how "Kind Of Blue" fit in (or not) the culture of the time.He also makes a case for the continuing influence of this album,that shows no let-up.

This book isn't just a general overview of influences.Williams goes into some detail in order to show how the influence of "the most popular jazz recording of all time",has been much more important in the recent past,the present,and its influence into the future.An early chapter even goes into some detail on the title of this album,"Kind Of Blue",telling how 'blue',in its many permutations,was important throughout history.Jazz readers (and listeners) might feel this particular chapter,and others,go to far afield-maybe so,but they do contain some interesting information.Williams has done a great deal of work,in depth,and its evident.He then describes a number of Davis' tracks and albums,setting things up for his major premise-its continuing influence.He also describes the era and the thinking of the time,when jazz such as this,using a modal foundation,was not the norm. Using the above mentioned musicians,and a number of others,(John Coltrane,any number of other then current jazz musicians) he states the sometimes obvious influences,but also places other styles of music (TALKING HEADS,several "minimalist" composers,U2,James Brown,the VELVET UNDERGROUND for example) under this heading most readers/listeners wouldn't immediately think of.Williams has done his research and,taken together,the author makes several valid points,and opens up the reader's mind as to how this great music was assimilated,and to other possible influences.

There is occasionally a bit of technical "music speak"-scales,notes,clustered tones,etc.,but don't let that deter you from picking up this book.Reading this book is a bit like having an intelligent conversation with the author.He continually shares his viewpoint-you can take it or leave it. Even though,at times,the author goes far afield in his thinking,this is a good overview of this album,its influences,and how it was perceived,and the points he makes are both valid and interesting.If you're a Miles Davis fan,a jazz listener,or a music listener in general,this book can (and should) be placed alongside other works concerning this history making recording.

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Product Description:
A brilliant, wide-ranging book on how the seminal album revolutionized music and culture in the twentieth century."It is the most singular of sounds, yet among the most ubiquitous. It is the sound of isolation that has sold itself to millions." Miles Davis's Kind of Blue is the best-selling piece of music in jazz history and, for many listeners, among the most haunting works of the twentieth century. It is also, notoriously, the only jazz album many people own. Recorded in 1959 (in nine miraculous hours), there has been nothing like it since. Richard Williams's "richly informative" (The Guardian) history considers the album within its wider cultural context, showing how the record influenced such diverse artists as Steve Reich and the Velvet Underground.

In the tradition of Alex Ross and Greil Marcus, the "effortlessly versatile" Williams (The Times) "connects these seemingly disparate phenomena with purpose, finesse and journalistic flair" (Financial Times), making masterly connections to painting, literature, philosophy, and poetry while identifying the qualities that make the album so uniquely appealing and surprisingly universal. .

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