Miles Davis - All Blues

Miles Davis - All Blues

1. Context

   • From the album, "Kind of Blue"
   • Recorded in New York, 1959. Musicians would not have read from a score - would have known basic structure and order of solos.
   • Combination of soloists regarded as greatest collection of jazz musicians ever assembled.

2. Texture

   • Mainly melody with accompaniment (provided by rhythm section)
   • Soloists never improvise at the same time.
   • Sax riff adds another layer to texture when it is used.

3. Tonality

   • Piece based around 12 bar Blues in G major
   • Modal jazz

4. Harmony

   • Jazz based harmony, extended chords (7ths/9ths)
   • Blue notes

5. Melody

   • Main tune is called the head. Davis performs this on trumpet at the beginning and end of the piece.
   • Four improvised solos. Trumpet (Davis), alto sax (Adderley), tenor sax (Coltrane) and piano (Evans).
   • Head melody is based on motif of a major sixth leap. Ornamented with mordents.

6. Instruments

   • Trumpet (sometimes is played using a harmon mute), Alto sax, tenor sax, piano, bass drums (played with brushes in places).
   • Trumpet, alto sax, tenor sax = frontline
   • Piano, bass and rums = rhythm

7. Tempo

   • Crotchet = 156. Jazz waltz
   • Tempo does not change

8. Rhythm and metre

   • Written in 6/4 to give jazz waltz feel
   • Jazzy rhythms used, triplets, syncopations. Swung quavers.

9. Structure

   • Intro, head 1, head 2, trumpet solo, alto sax solo, tenor sax solo, piano solo, head 3, head 4, coda.
   • 12 bar blues sequence is repeated 19 times
     • G7
       • Gm
         • D7
     • G7
       • Gm
         • Eb7
     • G7
       • G7
         • F G
     • G7
       • G7
         • F G
   • Four bar riff links each section together

10. Dynamics

    • No big dynamic contrasts, although excitement sometimes builds up in solo sections through subtle dynamic increases
    • Starts quietly, fades out at the end