A "Kind of Blue" Writing Assignment

Read
Passage from "Sonny's Blues" by James Baldwin

Listen to an interview
An audio clip from the NPR show Studio360 exploring the power of the album Kind Of Blue by Miles Davis.
Miles Davis' groundbreaking album became the symbol for everything jazz could be: avant-garde,hip, and soulful. Kind of Blue was just a blip in the jazz world when it was released in 1959, but as Ave Carrillo explains, it eventually became the archetypical jazz record.

Listen to the music of Miles
Listen to "So What" from the album Kind of Blue by Miles Davis.



Listening Guide: (Adapted from the Spt/Oct 2008 edition of Mental Floss)

The title "So What" derives from one of Miles Davis' favorite expressions. Whenever someone challenged him on an idea or decision, he would respond in his raspy vice with, "So What?"
Listen for the sassy two-note phrases that run throughout the song.

Personify the instruments through characterization: A good way to appreciate this album is to follow each band member through the 45-minute playlist.

• Pianist Bill Evans is the introvert with the somber touch.
• Saxophone player Cannonball Adderley has a sense of humor and plays whimsical jokes.
• John Coltrane's tenor sax turns hairpin curves and traces implausible skylines.
• Miles' trumpet has a depth of feeling and starkness that never errs on the side of sentimentality.

Write
Use imagery and metaphor to create a written description of a song from the album Kind of Blue.


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