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Kiet Nguyen – IHRTLUHC

Professor A. Nottingham-Martin

Freshman Studies FRST 101

The Gravity of Miles Davis’ Kind of Blue

Even a person with the slightest knowledge in either field can tell that music and

physics are essentially different. However, there are underlying patterns which we see in both

upon close examination as we look at the emblem of each field. As mentioned by Richard

Feynman in his 1964 Messengers Lecture The Character of Physical Law, the law of

gravitation “has been called ‘the greatest generalization achieved by the human mind’”

(Feynman 14). Likewise, Miles Davis’ 1959 jazz recording Kind of Blue is described by

musician Herbie Hancock as “not only [a cornerstone record] for jazz; it’s a cornerstone

record for music” (Legacy 0:48). Similar to the law of gravitation, Kind of Blue lies atop

system so simple as to become exquisite in its action.

Just like the gravitational law, Kind of Blue is “simple in its pattern” (Feynman 33).

At the beginning of his lecture, Feynman states the formula for the law of gravitation, after

which he says “Now if I add the remark that a body reacts to a force […] inversely as the

mass, then I have said everything about the Law of Gravitation that needs to be said”

(Feynman 14-15). Gravity’s law in and of itself is simple because it does not need anything

more than a formula and a remark to pave the way for many other laws of physics. Thus,

speaking of gravity, Feynman says “it is simple to state the principles completely and not

have left any vagueness for anybody to change the ideas of the law” (Feynman 33).

Analogously, according to Bill Evans’ liner notes for Kind of Blue, present in all five songs

from the album are certain musical ideas conceived by Davis Miles “only hours before the

recording dates” in sketches “which indicated to the group what was to be played” (Evans).
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From these ideas, Davis lay the frameworks, “which are exquisite in their simplicity and yet

contain all that is necessary to stimulate performance with sure reference to the primary

conception” (Evans). This is evident of the album’s simplicity: Davis never felt the need to

deliberately jot down any accurate chord change or any certain notes; however, his

frameworks were clear enough for the musicians to culminate in what would be considered

the greatest jazz record of all time. All five songs in the album, however long and complex-

sounding, can be reduced to simple structures that are easy to decipher even for people who

are not experts in music. Similar to how the law of gravitation is “mathematical in its

expression” (Feynman 33), Kind of Blue can also be broken down in musical terms and

notation. For example, as noted by Bill Evans, the opening song for Kind of Blue “So What”

“is a simple figure based on 16 measures of one scale, 8 of another and 8 more of the first,

following a piano and bass introduction in free rhythmic style” (Evans), or, in simpler words,

the song is written in the head – solo – head ‘AABA’ form (Urness 2016). Moreover, the

song also makes use of the repetitive “so what” motive, as exemplified throughout the song

by Bill Evans (Urness “So What” 2016 0:35, 1:33, 6:11), and sometimes by Miles Davis

himself (Urness “So What” 2016 0:50). This is simple because musicians need only to base

their ideas on this form and the “so what” figure in order to improvise musical lines that in

harmony create a song, which is exactly what Miles Davis and his sextet did to put into music

the chilling “So What”. In the same fashion, they employ simplicity throughout the other

songs from the album as well.

And thus, like gravity, Kind of Blue “is simple, and therefore it is beautiful”

(Feynman 33). It is beautiful because it is simple in pattern, but complex in action. Although

the gravitational law can be reduced to only a formula and a remark, it acts as the basis for

many phenomena that can be “complicated” and “quite beyond our abilities” to work out

(Feynman 33). Likewise, even though Miles Davis’ ideas for the songs are essentially very
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simple, he still had to recruit the best musicians in improvisation to join his sextet. That is

due to the fact that improvisation is not an easy practice, as remarked by Bill Evans: “This

conviction that direct deed is the most meaningful reflections, I believe, has prompted the

evolution of the extremely severe and unique disciplines of the jazz or improvising musician”

(Evans). Even more severe is the challenge of group improvisation, which requires chemistry

and sympathy between members of the group in order to yield the best result. However,

according to Bill Evans, “this most difficult problem, I think, is beautifully met and solved on

this recording” (Evans). Improvisation does not mean randoming slamming keys on the

piano; it requires masterful knowledge of the scales and intricate deliberation in order to

produce music that is harmonious to the ear. Moreover, because of its complexity in action,

Kind of Blue is beautifully imperfect. According to Feynman, the law of gravitation “is not

exact”, and regarding it, “there is always an edge of mystery, always a place where we have

some fiddling around to do yet” (Feynman 33). The same applies to Kind of Blue: firstly, it is

not always accurate. According to Mark Urness’s analysis of “Flamenco Sketches”, Paul

Chambers misses the cue, goes off-mic and plays a wrong note (Urness 2016 “Flamenco

Sketches” 2:18, 2:35, 2:51). Nevertheless, that is the beauty of the album: it is very human,

and not fixed to any accurate musical standards. Hence, every time we listen to the record, it

sounds as if the band is playing masterful jazz right next to us. Furthermore, as is jazz music

in general, Kind of Blue is beautiful because there is “always some fiddling around” that the

musicians can do with it. It is wholly characterized by improvisation; it thus is beautiful

because it is a different experience every time we listen to Kind of Blue.

Similar to the law of gravitation, beneath Miles Davis’ Kind of Blue exists a

framework so simple as to epitomize utmost beauty. The record holds to itself the simplicity

uniquely characterized by the art of improvisation and the beauty of imperfection. In

Feynman’s lecture, he mentions the last characteristic of the gravitational law, that is its
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universality – “the fact that it extends over enormous distances” (Feynman 34).

Coincidentally enough, Kind of Blue, after its creation, has grown to be the most successful

jazz album of all time, one described by Herbie Hancock as “a record that I could recommend

to anyone, from any country, of any age: if you want to hear the spirit of jazz, listen to Kind

of Blue” (Legacy 6:57). All of the above is evident that Kind of Blue is indeed the gravity of

music, for time and time again it keeps alluring us back to its timelessly mellifluous melody.

Works Cited

Feynman, Richard. The Character of Physical Law. M.I.T. Press, 1985.

Evans, Bill. Improvisation in Jazz. Columbia, 1959.

Legacy Recordings. Miles Davis – Kind of Blue 50th Anniversary. Online video clip.

YouTube, 25 September 2009, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pBpLKm8vw4M.

Urness, Mark. Miles Davis – Kind of Blue: “So What” Listening Guide. Lawrence

University, 2016, https://moodle.lawrence.edu/mod/page/view.php?id=252358.

Urness, Mark. Miles Davis – Kind of Blue: “Flamenco Sketches” Listening Guide.

Lawrence University, 2016, https://moodle.lawrence.edu/mod/page/view.php?id=252362.

Urness, Mark. Freshman Studies Lecture on Kind of Blue. 7 March 2017, Lawrence

University.

Paper in a nutshell

1) Before starting my paper, I was puzzled by this aspect of the work: The liner notes for

the album by Bill Evans resemble what Feynman says in his lecture, so I wanted to explore

the similarities between Kind of Blue and the law of gravitation.

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2) Through re-reading and analyzing the work, I formulated this precise question that

readers may have about the work: How are Kind of Blue and the gravitational law alike?

3) After reading my paper, readers will understand something new about this

question/problem/issue, namely: As gravity is the basis of nature, Kind of Blue is indeed the

basis of jazz, specifically, and of all music, generally.

4) As a result of reading, discussing, and writing about this work, my thinking has

changed or developed in the following way: I learned to analyze a music work, which has

much more to do with gathering information from many sources.