Kind of Blue from Miles Davis may be the most examined and re-examined album in jazz music history. The biggest-selling and most popular album in jazz history has been reissued countless times over the years in a myriad of formats. Oddly enough, both the stereo and mono issues of the album have major problems.
The original 1959 mono master tapes no longer exist, making original pressings through the 1960s the only true way to listen to the album in mono on vinyl. The stereo issue has been plagued by problems from the start, as one of the tape machines used at Columbia’s 30th Street studio ran too slowly, causing speed issues and pitch anomalies on the three tracks on side one.
The Analog Productions UHQR Edition, released in 2021, digitally corrected the problem with the later mono pressings. The original list price of that now out-of-print reissue was $150. Thankfully, for the stereo version fix, a more affordable option now exists at around $65. This new, all-analog reissue is sourced from an out-of-print, speed-corrected edition released by Classic Records in 1995, mastered by Bernie Grundman, and includes the late music critic Robert Palmer’s liner notes from that reissue.
This new two-LP set features the full album on disc one with the new speed-corrected side one version. The second album includes side one without the speed correction. The first three sides are 33 1/3. Side four, at 45 RPM, includes a previously unreleased take of “Flamenco Sketches.”
As is always the case with these Analog Productions releases, the set is presented in a gatefold jacket with session photos, an outer perforated, sealed bag, and the records are pressed on 180-gram vinyl at RPI in archival sleeves. A recreation of the iconic six-eye Columbia label is another welcome period feature touch. The four-page insert, as indicated, includes Palmer’s 1995 liner notes. Also included is a note on the corrected speed and studio session photos.
Of course, the music is the focus. The supporting cast is Wynton Kelly, James Cobb, and Paul Chambers, and calling them part of the supporting cast is almost an insult to these legends. Chambers is often credited as one of the two best bass players of this period (along with Ron Carter) and, arguably, was the reigning studio bass king until Scott Lafaro came along.
The headline support is supplied by Julian “Cannonball” Adderley, John Coltrane, and Bill Evans. In many respects, it’s Evans who not so much steals the show but is Davis’s primary collaborator here. As a side note, upon evaluating this album, it could be argued that In A Silent Way is the better album, and that the real catalyst for that release was drummer Tony Williams.
The sound here is about as good as any non-UHQR reissue. Aside from the aforementioned sound problems, poor vinyl reissues often had a shrill trumpet sound and a harshness that was even worse on many CD reissues. While this reissue may or may not go out of print, taking a chance and missing out on this affordable, gold-standard stereo release of Kind of Blue could be a big mistake.
GRADED ON A CURVE:
A+
