"It is the most singular of sounds, yet among the most ubiquitous. It is the sound of isolation that has sold itself to millions." Miles Davis's Kind of Blue is the best-selling piece of music in jazz history and, for many listeners, among the most haunting works of the twentieth century. It is also, notoriously, the only jazz album many people own. Recorded in 1959 (in nine miraculous hours), there has been nothing like it since. Richard Williams's "richly informative" (The Guardian) history considers the album within its wider cultural context, showing how the record influenced such diverse artists as Steve Reich and the Velvet Underground.

In the tradition of Alex Ross and Greil Marcus, the "effortlessly versatile" Williams (The Times) "connects these seemingly disparate phenomena with purpose, finesse and journalistic flair" (Financial Times), making masterly connections to painting, literature, philosophy, and poetry while identifying the qualities that make the album so uniquely appealing and surprisingly universal.

About the Author
Richard Williams writes for The Guardian on music and sports and has written books on subjects such as Phil Spector and Ayrton Senna. A former editor of Melody Maker and head of A&R at Island Records, Williams lives in London.


Book Information
ISBN 9780393076639
Author Richard Williams
Format Hardback
Page Count 320
Imprint WW Norton & Co
Publisher WW Norton & Co
Weight(grams) 544g
Dimensions(mm) 218mm * 152mm * 25mm