First Look+Listen: Books & Articles

Examines how successful companies can "jump to the next S-curve" through an analogy to the life's work of Miles Davis, especially his paradigm-shattering Kind of Blue album in 1959. Students consider how and why Davis, who had already proven he was tops in his field, created a new disruptive innovation in the field of jazz, in the process creating the most commercially successful jazz album of all time. The case also delves deeply into the creative process, and Davis's creative leadership and ability to cultivate talent (such as that of saxophonist John Coltrane)--many of the great jazz musicians of the 20th century came out of the informal "Miles Davis University."

This article reviews the album "Kind of Blue" by Miles Davis.

Reviews the music recording `Kind of Blue,' performed by jazz musician Miles Davis.

The article offers information on several releases of music in 1959. Miles Davis has released his "Kind of Blue" which is considered to be the best-selling records in jazz as well as his "Sketches of Spain" in November. On April 1, John Coltrane has issued his "Giant Steps" with Milt Jackson. Meanwhile, Dave Brubeck has introduced his "Time Out" which later became the most popular album in his career. Some other music releases in 1959 are also reviewed.

After discussing the nature of improvisation and the unique challenges and dangers implicit in the learning task that jazz improvisers create for themselves, the author broadly outlines seven characteristics that allow jazz bands to improvise coherently and maximize social innovation in a coordinated fashion. He also draws on his own experience as a jazz pianist. Finally, implications for organizational design and managing for learning are suggested.

The article reports on the resolution passed by the U.S. House of Representatives that intends to honor the landmark album "Kind of Blue" by Miles Davis on December 15, 2010 in the U.S..

How limits boost creativity. For too long, we’ve mistaken the speed and spontaneity of basketball and jazz as evidence that these forms of entertainment are simple and facile, somehow less complicated than football or Wagner. But nothing could be further from the truth. It doesn’t matter if we’re watching Blake Griffin execute a dunk or listening to the modal melodies of Kind of Blue – these improvised creations only exist because their creators have internalized the necessary set of patterns, training their brain to execute astonishingly difficult calculations in the blink of an eye. As a result, they’re able to see what we cannot, envisioning rebounds and passing lanes and melodies that the rest of us can’t even comprehend. We take these performers for granted because they make it look so easy. But it only looks easy because they’ve worked so hard.

The writer maintains that Miles Davis's album Kind of Blue has something to do with the spiritual realm. He notes that Davis acknowledged both sacred and secular influences that merged in his music, suggesting that this synthesis is the very basis of the spirituality of African peoples and characteristic of their religions. He points out that Davis said he became especially conscious of the combination of sacred and secular influences that comprised the essential feel of his music when he recorded Kind of Blue in 1959..

Trumpet stylist Miles Davis has earned a reputation as a challenging and stimulating bandleader. Basically, his approach combines leadership with democracy. Davis rarely gives his musicians specific directions. Instead, he encourages teamwork, listening, and relying on band members for ideas and direction. Davis's nondirective style is rooted in change, often to the point of radical discontinuity. His unorthodox leadership skills have served him well on everything from classic jazz recordings like Birth of the Cool and Kind of Blue to the rock-funk experiments of On the Corner..

Although a hit upon initial release and given a major boost by the first CD reissue, Miles Davis's Kind of Blue has sold at an even greater rate since Legacy released the disc in a remastered, repackaged form in spring 1997. Originally released by Columbia on August 17, 1959, Kind of Blue is the all-time most popular traditional jazz album, with well above 3 million copies sold globally, according to label reports. SoundScan says that, since the latest reissue, the disc is selling approximately 5,000 units per week. The success of Kind of Blue is discussed..

Trumpeter Miles Davis, who died recently at age 65, made a number of contributions to the jazz world. During the late 1940s, he and his nine-piece band did Birth of the Cool. In the mid 1950s, he participated in a landmark quintet with John Coltrane, with whom he recorded Kind of Blue. That recording turned the jazz world on its ear by using scales and modes instead of chords. Miles Ahead and Sketches of Spain, his records with Gil Evans, took a new approach to integrating an orchestra with a soloist. In the 1960s, Davis made a fresh start, delving into the avant-garde on E.S.P. During his electric phase, he recorded two of his greatest contributions: Bitches Brew and In a Silent Way.

Kind of Blue is the best-selling jazz record of all time, and yet few listeners grasp the meaning of the album—or of Miles Davis’s vision of modal jazz. Its release in 1959 revealed modality as an entirely new creative tool that gave musicians unprecedented latitude in developing improvised solos. While most references define the style in terms of static harmonies, a more thorough analysis reveals that Davis founded modal jazz on the underlying goal of melodic freedom. Modal composition relaxed the harmonic constraints that had previously forced players into creating formulaic solos; it also introduced a new
degree of rhythmic flexibility that permitted improvisers to think more melodically. Combined with the freedom to choose from a wider range of notes, these factors made modal jazz the perfect environment for melodic inventiveness.

The album, recorded with virtually no rehearsal and consisting of primarily first takes, altered jazz forever.

Since it hit the airwaves half a century ago, Kind of Blue by Miles Davis has influenced the hearts and minds of jazz fans everywhere. Its songs became instant classics, and it has also converted many a nonfan to appreciate the music's subtlety and complexity. In a new business case, HBS professor Robert D. Austin and Carl Størmer highlight the takeaways for thoughtful managers and executives from this story of creation and innovation.

ImproViz is a visualization technique for diagramming music that brings to light the signature patterns of a jazz musician's improvisational style. ImproViz consists of two parts: (1) melodic landscapes show the general contours of musical phrasing; and (2) harmonic palettes represent the musician's tendency to use a particular combination of notes in a given part of the song. Viewing the jazz standard All Blues through the lens of ImproViz illustrates the contrasting melodic and harmonic styles of three musicians. This analysis uncovers some surprises, such as how Miles Davis played musical ideas that contradicted his own composition. ImproViz offers jazz students a new way to study jazz theory and can also serve as a real-time improvisational aid, allowing a student to borrow the harmonic vocabulary of jazz masters.