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VOICE ONE:

Welcome to THIS IS AMERICA, in VOA Special English. I'm SteveEmber.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Gwen Outen. If one album had to explain jazz, a strongcandidate would be "Kind of Blue," by the trumpet player andbandleader Miles Davis.

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VOICE ONE:

"Kind of Blue" has influenced musicians for more than fortyyears. It is also a favorite of listeners. The Recording IndustryAssociation of America marked the sale of three million copies inthe United States as of two thousand two.

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Like many other albums, "Kind of Blue" was made in two recordingsessions. These took place for Columbia Records in New York City inMarch and April of nineteen fifty-nine.

VOICE TWO:

Stories about the making of "Kindof Blue" say there was nothing unusual about the project. When themusicians arrived, Miles Davis gave them some short, simpledescriptions of the music they would play. He is said to havewritten these notes just a few hours earlier. His piano player, BillEvans, helped him write some of the music that would get themusicians started.

Miles Davis did not want to tell them too much about what toplay. He wanted the music to flow naturally. Such improvisation wasnothing new for musicians. Yet the five songs on "Kind of Blue"represented a perfect mix of improvisational talent and musicalexperimentation.

The first song is called "So What."

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VOICE ONE:

Miles Davis played trumpet and led the group. Julian "Cannonball"Adderley played alto saxophone; John Coltrane played tenorsaxophone. Paul Chambers was on the bass, and James Cobb playeddrums.

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Miles Davis had a talent for bringing together great musicians.But it also meant that he had to form new bands again and again.Band members would become successful enough as individuals to formtheir own groups. The band that Miles Davis put together for "Kindof Blue" was no different.

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VOICE TWO:

This song is called "Freddie Freeloader." On this song, WyntonKelly plays the piano; he replaced Bill Evans.

Listen to how the band works as ateam, but also how the musicians play individually over the music.Listen especially to the competing saxophones of John Coltrane andCannonball Adderley.

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VOICE ONE:

Miles Davis and his band were experimenting with a new kind ofsound on "Kind of Blue." This is the sound of a traditional jazzchord progression:

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But Miles Davis designed the music on "Kind of Blue" around amodal form. This kind of system permitted the musicians morefreedom. After "Kind of Blue," jazz musicians used the modal formmore and more.

Here is another song from "Kind of Blue." This one is called"Blue in Green."

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VOICE TWO:

Miles Davis and his band were not the only artists testing newways to do things. There was, for example, the painter JacksonPollack. His experiments in form and color were playful but wentagainst tradition, just like "Kind of Blue."

Pianist Bill Evans himself saw similarities between the music anda form of Japanese art. Some compared the album to the ideas of ZenBuddhism. At that time, a lot of Americans were becoming interestedin Asian spirituality.

This song is called "All Blues." Listen how naturally the musicappears to develop from one point in the song to the next.

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VOICE ONE:

Miles Davis was born into a wealthy family in Illinois innineteen twenty-six. He received a trumpet for his thirteenthbirthday and began jazz lessons.

In nineteen forty-four, he moved to New York. He entered theJulliard School of Music. But he left the school the next year towork with great musicians like Billy Eckstine and Charlie Parker.

In nineteen forty-nine Miles Davisreleased "Birth of the Cool." This recording also had a biginfluence on jazz. At that time, listeners were used to the oftenforceful, fast-moving beats of Louis Armstrong and others.

Cool jazz became especially popular on the West Coast.

VOICE TWO:

In the nineteen fifties and sixties, the civil rights movementgrew in the Untied States. Here was a tall, talented, good looking-- and very strong-willed - African American man. He wore Italiansuits and drove European cars. There were many women in his life,although he was violent with women.

Still, many people saw Miles Davis as someone who stood up to asystem that often kept African Americans from economic success.

VOICE ONE:

Miles Davis died in nineteen ninety-one in California, at the ageof sixty-five. He is remembered most as one of the best trumpetplayers ever. Miles Davis played more softly than many of those whocame before him. He also did not work as hard to hit as many highnotes or low notes. He found his unmistakable sound somewhere in themiddle. There was also his sense of timing and the use of silence inhis music.

Miles Davis had a talent especially for sad love songs. This oneis called "Flamenco Sketches," the final song on "Kind of Blue."

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VOICE TWO:

Our program was written by Robert Brumfield. Caty Weaver was ourproducer. I'm Gwen Outen.

VOICE ONE:

And I'm Steve Ember. We go out on "Freddie Freeloader," whichwill become the new theme music for our program starting next week.We hope you join us again for THIS IS AMERICA, in VOA SpecialEnglish.

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