ALBUM RELEASE NEWS

There are landmark LPs, and then there is Kind of Blue, Miles Davis’ indisputable August 1959 masterpiece on Columbia. As much as we truly love and can’t live without that historical album, we are beyond thrilled to hear that Analogue Productions is set to release Birth of the Blue — a 180g 1LP collection documenting the transformative first session held in 1958 by the same band that would go on to record Kind of Blue the following year — on December 13, 2024.

Birth of the Blue will be made available in both limited-edition blue vinyl and black vinyl options, and its SRP is a quite reasonable $40. The new BotB LP can be preordered directly from Acoustic Sounds here.

More stats for you now about BotB. Featuring Davis’ legendary sextet — tenor saxophonist John Coltrane, alto saxophonist Julian “Cannonball” Adderley, pianist Bill Evans, double bassist Paul Chambers, and drummer Jimmy Cobb along with Davis on, of course, trumpet — this historic set was recorded at Columbia’s 30th Street Studio in New York City on May 26, 1958. It’s probably somewhat of an understatement to say that the set captures the origins of a momentous shift in modern jazz, especially given that this sextet had first come together less than two weeks prior to rolling tape.

Featuring four tracks that run for a total of 31 minutes, including three ballads (“On Green Dolphin Street,” “Stella by Starlight,” and “Love for Sale”) and one Davis original (“Fran-Dance”) — the music on BotB has been “meticulously” remastered from new transfers of the original stereo session tapes, and it is now being presented as a standalone release for the first time ever.

The lacquers for Birth of the Blue were plated and pressed at Quality Record Pressing (QRP), and its premium, tip-on gatefold jacket from Stoughton Printing features period-correct artwork plus new liner notes from acclaimed jazz historian Ashley Kahn, author of Kind of Blue: The Making of the Miles Davis Masterpiece.

In his liners, Kahn notes that the four tunes on Birth of the Blue have previously been treated as “archival lagniappe — a stepchild undeserving of its own release.” He continues, “But to quote Miles himself: So what. Together these tracks capture a very rare and special group of improvisers in their first weeks as an ensemble, and have their own story to tell. Together, they merit their own release — musically, historically, undeniably.”

Here’s an insightful, official Acoustic Sounds videoclip from YouTube on how BotB came together — including the important production roles Vic Anesini and Matthew Lutthans played in getting it there.

Not only all that, but on Wednesday, December 4, 2024, Analogue Productions and Acoustic Sounds will preview the release of the Birth of the Blue LP with a special playback session and panel discussion featuring Kahn, Acoustic Sounds founder and CEO Chad Kassem, and Davis producer and archivist Steve Berkowitz, at New York City listening room All Blues. Named after another classic track on the Kind of Blue album and inspired by the jazz kissa bars of Japan, All Blues is home to one of the finest vintage playback systems in New York. The event is open to the public — and, travel gods willing, AP will be there in tow to hear BotB firsthand for ourselves, prior to our own in-depth review.