Ask any jazz lover what the most important album of all time is, and they will probably point to Miles Davis and ‘Kind of Blue’. A quick check of Rate Your Music and it is indeed the #1 rated album on that site, with 25,750 ratings and 537 reviews (Coltrane’s ‘A Love Supreme’ is #2). So, when I saw this double disc set was using that album as a base, I immediately felt totally under qualified to write the review. While I enjoy jazz, and it was probably the first music I ever heard in our house growing up, I never consider myself an expert in the genre and always come at it from one of being a fan. When someone takes a classic album as a starting point, then they are opening themselves up for huge criticism and debate from true experts in the field, but the important things to note here is that it is a starting point, not a re-recording.

Jon Schapiro (composer, conductor, arranger) has taken the original five songs and produced a 12-song set which includes the original five, another six pieces by himself and one by pianist Roberta Piket. The arrangements are wonderful, using the strength and power of having so many top musicians to hand, yet also allowing individuals to shine when the time is right. Nowhere is that truer on “Blue In Green” which is delicate, restrained, and simply beautiful. Gil Evans had a major role to play in David’s career, and there is no doubt that Schapiro has been channelling that style when building this album. All the originals from Schapiro are called “Boiled Funk”, while Pitek’s is “Foiled Bunk”, using the letters to be found in ‘Kind of Blue’.

I am not sure what jazz experts will feel about this, rearranging an album which has been milestone ever since it was released in 1959, but from a listener’s perspective I think he has nailed it, as this is both true in spirit to that album yet is also bright and fresh. Come into this with an open mind and be prepared to enjoy what is a truly remarkable piece of work.

Rating: 9/10

https://open.spotify.com/album/4najh5CAqn9bsYPiLIbKVO?si=mZT3485-R-CP1CwZGjfVQQ

Links:
https://schapiro17.com/
https://www.summitrecords.com/