The sound of Miles Davis’ album Kind of Blue has been in my life from the very beginning. Our dad Hall had what I consider an excellent taste in music and part of him keeping up the cred on that front was acquiring a large heap of Miles in his vinyl collection. He had it and he played it and the positive effect it had on my brother Tripp and I runs deep. Kind of Blue was at the top of my dad’s playlist and it turns out it’s on top of almost everyone else’s too.
Kind of Blue’s influence on music, including jazz, rock, and classical genres, has led writers to deem it one of the most influential albums ever recorded. The album was one of fifty recordings chosen in 2002 by the Library of Congress to be added to the National Recording Registry, and in 2003 it was ranked number 12 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. It’s often cited as the best-selling jazz record and in 2019, it was certified 5X Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America for shipments of over five million copies.
The music is sublime and it forged the way to new sonic frontiers, steering away from the earlier hard bop lexicon to a more gentle modal landscape. The bands solos are true masterpieces of lyricism and they too, like the songs themselves, will live on.
For this recording we explore the five songs from Kind of Blue filtered through our unique arrangements. We also have a special guest visit from supreme vocalist Rebecca Jade singing Michael Jackson’s “Human Nature,” a tune which Miles recorded on one of his later recordings.
Thanks for listening…
Peter Sprague
December, 2021
Blue Kind of Miles rave review in San Diego Troubadour newspaper!
Peter Sprague — guitar
Tripp Sprague — sax, flute, and piano
Mack Leighton — bass
Duncan Moore — drums
and special guest Rebecca Jade – vocals
Produced by Peter Sprague
Recorded at SpragueLand Studios, Encinitas, CA / 2021
Recorded, mixed and mastered by Peter Sprague at SpragueLand Studios
Cover art concept by Peter Sprague, Stefanie Sprague, and Brian Balthazor
Special thanks to Yuris Zeltins, Andy Powers, D’Addario Strings, and Iron Horse Amps
All songs arranged by Peter Sprague
1) So What
music by Miles Davis
arranged by Peter Sprague
2) Blue In Green
music by Miles Davis
arranged by Peter Sprague
3) Freddie Freeloader
music by Miles Davis
arranged by Peter Sprague
4) Human Nature
music by Steve Porcaro and John Bettis
arranged by Peter Sprague
5) All Blues
music by Miles Davis
arranged by Peter Sprague
6) Flamenco Sketches
music by Miles Davis
arranged by Peter Sprague