Between the time he began recording for Columbia Records (1956's pivotal 'Round Midnight) and the release of Kind of Blue in 1959, Miles Davis had lost and regained Coltrane, collaborated again with The Birth of the Cool partner Gil Evans on the orchestrated ventures, Miles Ahead and Porgy and Bess, 
and found blissful cohesion in the addition of altoist Cannonball Adderley. Losing the bombastic style of drummer 'Philly' Jo Jones for the more subtle Jimmy Cobb, and Red Garland for the then-unknown Bill Evans (except for one track with Wynton Kelly who would shortly be a permanent member) Kind of Blue marks the peak of cool jazz and an introduction to the successful use of modality in jazz. [The key to modal jazz is the slowing of harmonic rhythm; essentially, slowing the rate at which chords change.]
Click here
to for an example of cool modality at work on Davis' 'All Blues.' (49 seconds; 196 KB)
Recently reissued by Columbia Records, this 'new and improved' Kind of Blue features expanded liner notes, photos, an alternate take of 'Flamenco Sketches', complete remastering including correction of the first three tracks (originally recorded sharp) up til now only available on the gold Mastersound edition, and a blessed return to the original album cover.
Simply put, if you buy only one jazz album in your entire life let it be Miles Davis' Kind of Blue.
