A story about Miles Davis and the nature of true genius

First.. I'm a huge fan of this stuff, and Kind of Blue is one of my favorite records.<p>That said, I think that the author is making a mistake by taking Stephen Thomas Erlewine's review too seriously. When you read things like <i>"an album that towers above its peers, a record generally considered as the definitive jazz album, a universally acknowledged standard of excellence..."</i> take it for what it is -- fawning praise written 50 years later by a fanboy.<p>Read a bit further... <i>"this music never flaunts its genius,"</i> a line that stuck with the blogger. In fact, anybody who knows a bit about Miles Davis is probably laughing now about how backwards this is. Miles was Mr. Flaunty Genius.<p><i>"Kind of Blue is more than easy listening. It's the pinnacle of modal jazz"</i>... I think at this point, modal jazz was just getting started, not reaching it's pinnacle.<p><i>"...this is an exceptional band... one of the greatest in history, playing at the peak of its power. "</i>... Um, no! None of these musicians were at the peak of their power at all. They all went on to do more.<p>Unfortunately now the blogger is trapped in this line of thinking, and he writes... <i>"I think what draws me to this album is the enormous restraint that each of these brilliant musicians show... They were all extraordinary musicians at the top of their games, and yet they came together and produced a piece of work that doesn’t feel strained or over the top. There is a sense of comfort – of rightness – to every note on the album."</i>... In fact, there are other critics that have said that Cannonball Adderley was really a wrong choice for Kind of Blue - his playing stands out as being too bluesy and he didn't really "get" the modal jazz like the other musicians.<p>Anyway, I guess my point is to be wary of empty praise. The author was clearly moved by the music, and the Erlewine review reinforced those feelings, but he is missing out on a lot of interesting lines of criticism that might bring him new insights. Jazz, like other abstract arts, is especially interesting because of how <i>malleable</i> it can be, with each listener bringing their own perspectives and opinions into how they perceive the work. The best ones (and Kind of Blue is among them) will grab your attention, play off your memories and emotions, and inspire you.

Well-stated retrospective that gets at a common point between great art and great design.<p>Charles Mingus said, "Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that's creativity."<p>I only wish that kind of sentiment drove more modern design work, or music for that matter. I guess the fact that it's so exceedingly difficult to do explains why we only see it once in a decade in a given domain. Still, I find striving for what Mingus describes, and what Davis achieved, a worthwhile goal.

Nice article, but you failed to focus one of the real co-authors of Kind of Blue: Bill Evans. There would be no "Kind of Blue" or Miles Davis without Bill Evans. You can even say "Kind of Blue" is a Evans' LP by how much his influence on composition and arrangement is strong, how his "impressionist" way of playing is permeating everything... One of most underrated musicians ever.

IANA Musician but rumor has it that Davis wasn't a great technical trumpet player, that he lacked the speed and range of others. The essence of his genius was in his understanding of the music and his ability to examine and re-arrange its principles.<p>It's worth considering in the discussion of the value of 'rock star' programmers.

The application of these artistic principles to <i>startups</i> is such a stretch. If it was just about coding, fine: restraint is good, technical ability is good, cooperation is good. But why should a startup be worried about whether it's flaunting its genius?

How do you know somebody owns a 180g vinyl copy of "Kind of Blue"?<p>Don't worry - they'll tell you.

For me, the real genius of Miles Davis was in his role as band leader, in particular in choosing his bands. A large number of great jazz musicians from successive generations (1950s to 1980s) played in his bands early in their careers. He was a jazz professor with them his grad students.

Unrelated but awesome anecdote about Miles Davis: After Sketches of Spain (his most impressive album IMO) was released, there was a huge debate about whether it was 'jazz' or not. When asked about it, he responded "it's music, and I like it." Perfect response.

Miles Davis knew when to keep silent. He played the notes and the space between them.

Can somebody help me to appreciate the genius of jazz music? When I listen to Kind of Blue it does sound nice, but I am not deeply moved by it or able to appreciate its genius, like I can with some classical music. I have the same question for people knowledgeable about poetry and abstract art (and some non-abstract art).

I'm feeling a little cranky over this... possible viral from the upvomgin biopic starring Don Cheadle?<p>(Hopefully this will be the Oscar that Cheadle has already earned in my opinion...)

Wow, people sure do fall over themselves to declare people "geniuses" nowadays.