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