Songs
The songs composed in Kind of Blue are based on a modal song structure. Modality is a set of scales that become the boundaries of the musical improvisation. This gives the musicians a different set of rules in creating music. They are not limited to certain chord progressions or predetermined harmonies. This modal structure was not new to Miles Davis, having used it in his recordings, Milestones and Porgy and Bess, in 1958
So What
"So What" is considered to be the most popular of the tracks on Kind of Blue. The thirty-two bar structure follows a AABA pattern with sixteen bars of D Dorian, eight bars of E-flat Dorian and then back into eight more bars of D Dorian. It has some great dueling inprov with bassist Paul Chambers and pianist Bill Evans. So What - Track 1
Freddie Freeloader
The first song recorded is the only track to have blues specialist, Wynton Kelly, play and solo on. "Freddie Freeloader", is in a 12-bar Blues in B-flat structure. The difference with this structure is that the final two bars of the chorus are A-flat 7 and not a B-flat 7. Freddie Freeloader - Track 2
Blue in Green
The first ballad on the album, "Blue in Green", has a complex modal structure and even more complex drama. The melody is made of Dorian, Mixolydian and Lydian scale modes. Miles Davis was given credit for writing the song and in his autobiography, Davis attests to writing all of the music for the album. However, Bill Evans is now considered to be main composer of this song. The strange thing is that Evans wrote the original liner notes for the album and did not take credit for the composition. On a side note, this is my favorite song of all time. Blue in Green - Track 3
All Blues
Also a 12-bar Blues structured song, "All Blues", is made up entirely of 7th chords and put into a 6/8 time signature. Blues is usually in a 4/4 signature, but by changing it to 6/8 Davis created a waltz feel and changed the standard in which Blues music was to be performed. One interesting point is that the bass vamp is repeated by Chambers for most of the song and is picked up occasionally by the horn players. All Blues - Track 4
Flamenco Sketches
Written by Miles Davis and Bill Evans, "Flamenco Sketches" is the last track on the album. This ballad does not have a true melody; it is defined by chord changes that are improvised based on modes in a scale. During the solos, the musicians were able to decide the number of bars they would use on each modal passage. The open of the song is based on an Evans song, "Peace Piece", which he released the year before. Flamenco Sketches - Track 5