Kind of Blue (part 1)

It has been said that jazz history can be divided into two segments: “Before Kind Of Blue and after Kind Of Blue.” In 1959 Miles Davis recorded Kind Of Blue and “More than forty years after its release, it is still one of the most-sought-after recordings in the country; in fact, as late as 1998 it was the best-selling jazz album of the year.”

The story behind Kind Of Blue is essential to understanding the sociology of jazz and serves as a good case study for understanding jazz theology. The album was “created…because the most important jazzmen in the modern scene desperately wanted to change the way they played their music. This need was not purely musical; it had more than a little to do with the changes then going on in American society, especially concerning the lives of African-Americans.”

“It should never be forgotten that the depth and beauty of jazz have arisen from centuries of injustice, brutality, fear, and pain, none of which were passively accepted but were met with African-Americans’ resistance, striving, and hope for a more benevolent future.”

Kind Of Blue marked an “end of an era” for jazz music and the beginning of something fresh—not just emergent but also convergent. I see a day that this whole modern/postmodern emergent debate/conversation is divided into two era's: Before Jazz Theology and after Jazz Theology.

Over the next few posts, I am going to unpack the significance of Kind Of Blue and its' contribution to jazz as we know it. This will be essential to understanding some of the basics of how the African-American experience informs our theology. Kind of Blue is essential listening for any wannabe jazz theologian, that is, those who desperately want to change the way theology is done. If you do not have a copy, you might want to purchase one along with an album that is pre-Kind Of Blue so that you can compare and contrast. Perhaps some big band jazz…I would suggest something by Duke Ellington (if you can get an album with the song, "I got it bad and that ain't good," it will be worth it.)

As we go on this journey, it is essential that we understand what life in America was like in 1959...

(All quotes above are from Eric Nisenson’s fine book, “The Making of Kind Of Blue.)

Comments

[Suraj]

Awesome. I so look forward to reading more on "Kind of Blue". If you could throw some more "technical" details on the song "So What" I would be very thankful to you.

keep up the great writing!

-Suraj

[Rev. David del Valle]

I have always loved this album. My thoughts and refelctions on it are that, the blues are life's experiences told in the totality of life. The blues are the rue making up the gumbo of life, or like I love to say, "Bread does not become bread until we have broken the dough." I enjoy your blog, grew up in Harlem and grew up loving jazz.

[jazztheologian]

Rev.,
Glad you stopped by.

I've always loved the title of 3rd track on this album, "Blue in Green." Given what you wrote, life should never get so good (green) that we no longer see the blue in it.

robert

[Tim ( Pastor Les's middle son, Frued have mercy!!!)]

1959...hmmmmmm...thats the year I was born. No wonder I often find myself feeling Kind Of Blue.
Robert, I know this discussion is primarily about music and theology, but I'm wondering if you have any thoughts on jazz literature. Not biographical or analytical stuff but jazz or "beat" literature. I've been a huge Kerouac for years and find myself wondering if his writings are .... ummmm...appropriate for a believer like me who has been known to go off the deep end philosophically. The era was the same...the music was happenin'... We heard some wonderful "whorehouse piano" when Henry Butler was featured a week ago...and I swear I could almost see Dean Moriarity standing onstage with a beer bottle in one hand, snappin his fingers and yelling "GO MAN!! GO!!!" with his face no more than six inches from the bell of Hugh's horn last night. Tell me what you think...are there dangers in embracing parts of this world we're trying to understand?
There's a new book out entitled "Why Kerouac Matters" and I'm trying to decide if that should be my next read instead of "Not the Way It's Supposed To Be: A Breviary Of Sin" by Cornelius Plantinga.
Just looking for a little pastoral advice here.

Tim

[Greg Laughery]

Many thanks for this. Looking forward to the next posts.

[tim atwater]

in seminary in the late '90's in boston, this was THE album always on at Cafe Royale coffee shop across the street -- and it was twenty-somethings playing it on the jukebox all the time --
'So What' got etched into my mind as i struggled with church history and theology... (maybe a good thing in retrospect)...
i haven't been a huge Miles fan, probably over-reacting to his 'prince of darkness' image... Will have to listen again.

earlier Ellington for me is timeless -- and if Ivy Anderson is singing, so is I Got it Bad...but yea, some of the '50's Duke and Count w too much high-pitched brass does contrast well...

Re Kerouac -- if it's part of the study of the culture -- and like Miles, he's still heavily heard, across age-spans... this too is exegeting the culture or reading the waters...

grace,

[tim atwater]

in seminary in the late '90's in boston, this was THE album always on at Cafe Royale coffee shop across the street -- and it was twenty-somethings playing it on the jukebox all the time --
'So What' got etched into my mind as i struggled with church history and theology... (maybe a good thing in retrospect)...
i haven't been a huge Miles fan, probably over-reacting to his 'prince of darkness' image... Will have to listen again.

earlier Ellington for me is timeless -- and if Ivy Anderson is singing, so is I Got it Bad...but yea, some of the '50's Duke and Count w too much high-pitched brass does contrast well...

Re Kerouac -- if it's part of the study of the culture -- and like Miles, he's still heavily heard, across age-spans... this too is exegeting the culture or reading the waters...

grace,