Style:

Introduced at a medium slow swing, is has since come to be taken at a wide variety of tempos.

Form:

A-A-B-A (32 Bars) [8-8-8-8]

Key:

D minor

Harmony/Overview:

This is a modal composition which revolves around only two chords for the entire duration of the 32 bar form. It moves from Dmi7 in the A sections to Ebmi7 in the bridge and uses the Dorian mode. The melody on the  original recording is stated by the bass player, and this has since become a common arrangement for the tune. This composition helped to codify the new style of music that Miles Davis was pioneering at the time, which would later come to be known as 'cool jazz'. John Coltrane would also later use the harmonic structure of this tune as the basis of his composition "Impressions".

Recordings:

This song has been recorded over 125 times to date. It was first recorded in 1959 for the album Kind of Blue. Miles Davis would also keep it in his repertoire well throughout his career, recording it on albums such as Four & More, Miles In Berlin, and Live at the Plugged Nickel to name a few. It has since become one of the most widely known and most iconic jazz standards in the repertoire.

JGC Top Picks:

Miles Davis, Four & More, 1964

George Benson, Beyond the Blue Horizon, 1971

Harold Mabern, To Love and Be Loved, 2017