August 17th 1959 American jazz trumpeter Miles Davis released Kind of Blue which is regarded by many critics as the greatest jazz record of all time.
The record was recorded at Columbia’s 30th Street Studio in New York City in March and April of the same year.
Davis led a sextet that featured saxophonists John Coltrane and Julian “Canonball” Adderley, pianist Bill Evans, bassist Paul Chambers and drummer Jimmy Cobb, plus new band pianist Wynton Kelly appearing on one track.
The album’s influence on music, including jazz, rock, and classical genres, has led writers to also deem it one of the most influential albums ever recorded. It was one of 50 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.
Though precise figures have been disputed, Kind of Blue is often cited as the best-selling jazz record of all time. In 2019, it was certified 5 times Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipments of over five million copies.
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