Trumpeter Miles Davis released the groundbreaking Kind Of Blue in 1959 on which he had saxophonist and avant-garde pioneer John Coltrane solo on modal tone schemes. A record that had barely gotten through to the Netherlands in 1960. When Davis and Coltrane gave concerts that year in the Kurhaus in The Hague and the Amsterdam concert hall, many bebop purists spoke shame of Coltrane's seemingly
… immovable modal music and never-ending 'sheets of sound'. The Concertgebouw was even half empty. Music journalist and eyewitness Bert Vuijsje describes this vividly in the booklet of this episode of the acclaimed CD series Jazz At The Concertgebouw. Not everything was in order in camp Davis either, because Coltrane wanted to go home to form his own band. That same year, Davis returned to Europe with saxophonist Sonny Stitt and played again in Amsterdam. Apart from the haggling with saxophonists, Davis had a top band behind him with drummer Jimmy Cobb, bassist Paul Chambers and pianist Wynton Kelly. They too ensure that So What offers much more than just historical value. (MR)more
