Album: Kind of Blue

Kind of Blue is the fifth studio albums released by the American jazz musician, trumpeter, composer, and bandleader Miles Davis in 1959. Davis led a sextet featuring saxophonists John Coltrane and Julian "Cannonball" Adderley, pianist Bill Evans, bassist Paul Chambers, and drummer Jimmy Cobb, with new band pianist Wynton Kelly appearing on one track – "Freddie Freeloader" – in place of Evans.

In 1953, the pianist George Russell published his Lydian Chromatic Concept of Tonal Organization, which offered an alternative to improvisation based on chords. Influenced in part by Evans, who had studied with Russel and joined the Davisnensemble in 1958, Davis departed further from his early hard bop style in favor of greater experimentation with musical modes. Basing Kind of Blue entirely on modality, he gave each performer a set of scales that encompassed the parameters of their improvisation and style, and consequently more creative freedom with melodies.

Kind of Blue is regarded by many critics as Davis's masterpiece, the greatest jazz album ever recorded, and one of the best albums of all time. Its impact on music, including jazz, rock, and classical genres, has led writers to also deem it one of the most influential albums ever made.