All Blues

All Blues is a jazz composition by Miles Davis from 1959, which has become the Jazz Standard. The first version was released on the album Kind of Blue.

The composition

All Blues is based on a 12-bar blues pattern. Nevertheless, the composition is not a classical blues, as the melody, the 6/8-measure and skidding are completely atypical for the Blues in the tenth clock. The melody consists largely of two catchy motives: on the one hand an ascending sixth, that is, on the other hand a bow figure in bars 5 and 6 ( ABCDCBA ). As a so -called Jazz Blues reflects the song, the influence of jazz through the blues resist. This is an example of modal jazz, the shape and harmonies of the blues and the special chorus structure of 12 bars, which is repeated and derives from the traditional blues in their harmonies are ajar. Davis experimented about half a year with the composition by having them repeatedly interpreted alone on the piano and also asked Gil Evans for advice. "On the way to the studio until he suddenly decided to play the piece not duple time, but as a waltz. The parts of the instruments he laid in layers one above the other: the 3/4 or 6/8-measure in the drums, the pulse figure in the bass, the piano tremolo and the hypnotic vast 3-tone riff of the two saxophones, a variation of his first modal topic > Milestones. <"

The composition was actually purely instrumental, later wrote Oscar Brown Jr. a text for the piece, which was by Kevin Mahogany, Dee Dee Bridgewater sung ( on their album Live In Paris, 1987) and Ernestine Anderson.

Other recordings

Davis took the composition even more times, in 1964 with saxophonist George Coleman, pianist Herbie Hancock, bassist Ron Carter and drummer Tony Williams on the album Four and More. In the concerts of the 1960s, Davis played the piece always free and moved away from the original Blue Foundation. In its reception from the Plugged Nickel ( 1965) played the song much faster than in the original version; the meter constantly jumps also between 6/ 8 and 4 /4, which provides for a " heated increase ".

Numerous trumpeter followed Davis and took the piece on. Freddie Hubbard and Oscar Peterson released a version on their album 1982 Face To Face. Chet Baker interpreted the song with Rachel Gould in London in 1979. In 2001, Kenny Drew recorded the song for the album At the Brewhouse. Unusual arrangements laid the World Saxophone Quartet and the Ethnic Heritage Ensemble ago.

Reception

Thomas Ward wrote for allmusic: " All Blues " was like a staple for a large part of Davis ' career, and it's easy to see why - the melody is based on the melodic brilliance of Davis Trumpet, who could not make the show even Coltrane solo. " All Blues " is also a proof of Jimmy Cobb's easy, fluid drumming, a rather unsung hero of the Kind of Blue sessions, but a most important member of the group. "