Marc Myers' fairly negative take on 'Kind of Blue'

[Jim Alfredson]

Marc is a friend and IMO probably the best blogger out there on the classic-jazz era. I think KOB deserves the status that it has, but it's nice to see some attention drawn to the '58 sessions (which, in my record-store-clerk days, I used to push on jazz customers as a "prequel" to KOB).

No need to diss Kind of Blue to prop up the 58 Sessions.

[AllenLowe]

actually to me the real warmup to the KOB sessions was the Something Else date with Cannonball -

[BruceH]

There'll always be nay-sayers. For everything. "Rubber Soul sucked." "Elvis sucked." "Beethoven sucked." "Children of Paradise sucks." Yeah. Sure. Whatever.

[Dave James]

I haven't seen Myers' KOB article yet, but I read his blog religiously. You really have to respect what he's doing in a general sense even if you disagree with the specifics of one or two columns. I think he's a very bright, articulate guy with a gift for asking the right questions and getting the most our of his interviews. Read his multi-part Creed Taylor, Hal McKusick, Russ Garcia or Benny Golson pieces and tell me you don't come away impressed. Sure, I disagree with anyone who sees KOB differently than I do, but that certainly doesn't mean he's not entitled to his opinion. The last thing I would say is that he's just being contrary to attract attention. I don't know the guy, but no way do I see him in that light.

Up over and out.

[ghost of miles]

The last thing I would say is that he's just being contrary to attract attention. I don't know the guy, but no way do I see him in that light.

Completely agree, based on my knowledge of Marc and of his blogging. Jsngry has identified a very real (and very annoying) syndrome, but it doesn't apply in this case. That said, I hew closer to Jsngry's evaluation of KOB than I do Marc's.

[JSngry]

Ok, y'all know him & say he's cool and all that, so since I know y'all, ok.

But he's still wrong here, and his reasoning (beyond the undeniable and no-need-to-be-defended subjectivity of "it just doesn't do it for me") is just silly, to say nothing of "tone-deaf".

And yes, I did say wrong. I'm reminded of Clem's dismissal of The Beatles as essentially being that they weren't important because they stopped being important while they were still important. It's wishful thinking that attempts to make one's personal opinion into "fact". An opinion, hey, cool. We all got them.

Beyond that, well, 50,000,000 Elvis fans might well be wrong, but not about what you'd like for them to think that they're wrong about.

[Shawn]

actually to me the real warmup to the KOB sessions was the Something Else date with Cannonball -

Allen speaketh the truth.