A list (in no particular order) of my 500 favorite songs (singles, deep cuts, hits, and more) of all time. Includes a wide array of selections from rock, punk, funk, R&B, soul, classical, jazz, folk, and world music.
Along with the iconic “So What,” the track “All Blues” also is a cornerstone of the jazz classic, Kind of Blue (1959). Much like “So What,” there was little or no practice before the musicians recorded "All Blues." Miles Davis told them the basic structure and the chord changes he had in mind, and away they went. It’s Take #2 that you hear on the album. The song gets its name from its core musical structure: the 12-bar blues. That said, Davis doesn’t exactly have his musicians play the game straight. Instead of sticking to a traditional I chord/IV chord/V chord blues progression, they move around the scale a bit, dipping to minor chords and chromatic chords outside the scale along the way, creating alternating waves of electrifying dissonance and mellow resolve every few measures. Also, Davis utilizes waltz-like 6/4 time instead of common 4/4 time, giving the song a special, lilting swing that the musicians ride for well over 11 minutes. Although, it doesn’t feel like 11 minutes. In fact, it’s not uncommon for me to hit “repeat” three or four times on this track.
So Miles Davis books time at Columbia's 30th Street Studios for March 2, 1959. He has a basic idea of what he's looking to record: songs built around basic chords and scales--modes, if you will. He has a few melody lines sketched out in his head. But as far as actual "compositions," nothing is written down or meticulously arranged--a direct contrast to his most recent work with arranger Gil Evans. The musicians (consisting of Bill Evans on piano, Julian "Cannonball" Adderley on alto sax, John Coltrane on tenor sax, Paul Chambers on bass, and Jimmy Cobb on drums) come in for the recording date. There's little or no rehearsal. Davis in his badass growl gives them a basic idea of the scales and the changes, and the tape starts rolling. Evans and Chambers set the tone by playing some scales before Chambers suddenly plays this riff that becomes the foundation of the hook. Then, Evans follows by playing these accentuating block chords. After a couple of bars, Davis, Adderley, and Coltrane fall in, playing the two-note pattern: bahhh...baaap...bahhh...baaap...soooo...what And the rest is serendipity, sheer talent, and a little ESP.
