Pushing the Boundaries of Jazz -- Kind of Bloop

Tonight, as a part of my research, I'd like to explore a unique rendition of Miles Davis's Kind of Blue album that challenges established standards of producing jazz music.

Commissioned by blogger and tech entrepreneur Andy Baio, the album Kind of Bloop explores a rather odd question: what would the masterful sounds of Miles Davis and other great jazz musicians sound like if they were played using the quirky mediums associated with "chiptune" music? Using the website Kickstarter.com (an online platform allowing users to post ideas and pledge money to fund creative projects, which Baio helped create), Andy set out to legally release this tribute album with the talents of five chiptune artists.

But first, what are "chiptunes"? A relatively recent phenomenon, chiptunes could be seen as a strange fusion of computer programming, video game nostalgia, and synthesized electronic music. Artists in this genre enjoy the "blips" and "bloops" that can be produced through manipulation of the sound chips of older game consoles such as the Nintendo Entertainment System or the Commodore 64. The results vary depending on the exact hardware used, but in general, this medium creates a very raw, unpolished electronic sound that nevertheless has a certain appeal to those familiar with tunes such as those from classic games like Super Mario Brothers or The Legend of Zelda.

For Kind of Bloop, the artists were given three months and a decent amount of liberty with interpreting each track of the album; however, I would imagine that this was still a very difficult task given the inherent problems of the medium. Chiptune music is created by using computer code to manipulate the pulse wave generators and other sound generators found within the sound hardware of the outdated gaming equipment. Because of this, artists can struggle to produce the sounds they want not only because of their own programming limitations, but also because these chips had a limited number of sound channels to work with.

Kind of Bloop's reception when it was released on the internet in August of 2009 was... mixed. Some hardcore jazz fans complained that using chiptunes to re-create the sounds of this masterful album was gimmicky, crude, and even insulting. Others, however, defended this tribute by pointing out that the greatest jazz artists were always experimenting with new and unusual techniques and styles.

(ast0r's cover of "So What," off of the Kind of Bloop album. Here's the official website.)

An Article from TIME Magazine's site.

Andy Baio's Blog Post on Kind of Bloop.

Critical Listening #1 -- So What by Miles Davis

For my first critical listening assignment, I decided that nothing says jazz like a track from Miles Davis's Kind of Blue (1959), one of the most successful and celebrated albums in the history of jazz. Tonight, I'll be covering the influential opening song, "So What."

"So What" features a sextet ensemble that makes use of a trumpet, double bass, drums, piano, and alto and tenor saxophones. It seems to follow the standard 32 bar format that is so common in popular songs in America, as well as the standard A A B A structure. One fascinating thing about this piece (as well as other tracks on the album, such as "Flamenco Sketches") is that it was not composed with standard chord progressions or harmonies; instead, Davis opted for using modes. According to an NPR article, Davis chose to provide his fellow musicians with one or two modes (or scales, as the article helpfully explains) within which to create the melody and their solos. 

"So What" jogs along at an easy, moderate pace that stays particularly constant. The piece begins with a shiver-inducing intro segment played by the piano and double bass. This flows into the A section, where the main melody is introduced -- first with eight bars of just the piano, bass, and drums, then another eight with the full sextet. A mode change takes the tune into a slightly different key for eight bars, then returns to the original mode for another eight bars. Trumpet, tenor sax, and alto sax solos follow with a walking bass line augmenting the piano and drums in the background. Following this is a subdued, slightly shorter solo for the piano section, supported by the wind instruments interjecting softly in a manner reminiscent of the main melody. Finally, the bass is allowed a short, 15 second bit of improvisation before the return to the main melody and the end of the piece. 

 Kind of Blue on NPR's Jazz Profiles