This Collector's Edition marks the 50th anniversary with an unprecedented presentation of music, images, insight and history to celebrate the album that is essential to any music collection, the ideal gift item for any jazz lover, especially fans of Miles Davis... a true collector's set. "This painterly masterpiece is one of the most important, influential and popular albums in jazz. At the time it was made, Kind of Blue was also a revolution all its own. Turning his back on standard chord progressions, trumpeter Miles Davis used modal scales as a starting point for composition and improvisation breaking new ground with warmth, subtlety and understatement in the thick of hard bop." - www.rollingstone.com In 1958, after a string of critically acclaimed and successful albums, Miles Davis was searching for a new direction to take the music, and signs were pointing him off the chordal highway into a new jazz style: modal. His innovations would open up the world for improvisers. He recruited key players with the potential to solidify his new approach, forming his famed sextet with rising jazz giants John Coltrane, Cannonball Adderley, Bill Evans Wynton Kelly, Paul Chambers and Jimmy Cobb. Miles hired the little-known Evans because he needed a pianist who was into the modal thing. Davis and Evans both had developed personal voices characterized by a melodic flow that suggested, rather than defined, musical structure. It was his relationship with Evans that created the spark that resulted in the album Kind of Blue. The first CD contains the entire original album including "Flamenco Sketches" alternate take, the "Freddie Freeloader" false start, and in-the-studio dialog from the Kind of Blue sessions. The second CD contains rare musical material around the same time as the Kind of Blue recordings including the first session by the Miles Davis sextet, May 26, 1958, over 30 minutes of studio material, and the first authorized release of two extended live performances from April 9, 1960 Den Haag Concert and The Zurich Concert. The DVD features an in-depth documentary highlighting the story behind Kind of Blue as well as the historic April 2, 1959 TV program "Robert Herridge Theater: The Sound of Miles Davis" which starred Miles Davis and John Coltrane. The fourth disc in this set is the original album pressed on 180g Blue Vinyl - absolutely beautiful! Musicians: Miles Davis, trumpet Julian "Cannonball" Adderley, alto saxophone (except Blue In Green) John Coltrane, tenor saxophone Wynton Kelly, piano (Freddie Freeloader) Bill Evans, piano Paul Chambers, bass Jimmy Cobb, drums Features: Housed in Deluxe 50th Anniversary Collector's Edition Box 2 CD, 1 DVD 1 180g Blue Vinyl LP DVD: Region 0 (all regions), NTSC LP sized 60-page hardbound book Poster Rare musical material including the first session by the Miles Davis sextet, May 26, 1958 Over 30 minutes of studio material First authorized release of two extended live performances from April 9, 1960 Den Haag Concert and The Zurich Concert. Selections: Disc 1 - CD: 1. So What 2. Freddie The Freeloader 3. Blue In Green 4. All Blues 5. Flamenco Sketches 6. Flamenco Sketches (alternate take) 7. Freddie Freeloader - studio sequence 1 8. Freddie Freeloader - false start Previously Unreleased: 9. Freddie Freeloader - studio sequence 2 10. So What - studio sequence 1 11. So What - studio sequence 2 12. Blue in Green - studio sequence 13. Flamenco Sketches - studio sequence 1 14. Flamenco Sketches - studio sequence 2 15. All Blues - Studio sequence Disc 2 - CD: 1. On Green Dolphin Street 2. Fran-Dance 3. Stella by Starlight 4. Love for Sale 5. Fran-Dance (alternate take) 6. So What Disc 3 - DVD: Celebrating a Masterpiece: Kind of Blue Total Running Time: 81 minutes Disc 4 - LP: 1. So What 2. Freddie The Freeloader 3. Blue In Green 4. All Blues 5. Flamenco Sketches