"So What" by Miles Davis

On this episode, Kirk dives in to one of the most influential jazz recordings of all time. As the lead track on Miles Davis's landmark album Kind of Blue, "So What" signaled a new era in jazz harmony, composition, and improvisation. This episode will get into what that actually means, how the tune works, and why the seven musicians who played on Kind of Blue were each such a crucial part of the album's magic. Artist: Miles Davis Album: Kind of Blue (1959) Written by: Miles Davis Listen/Buy via Album.Link ALSO REFERENCED/DISCUSSED: “Will O’ the Wisp” by Miles Davis and Gil Evans from Sketches of Spain, 1960 “Seven Steps to Heaven” by Victor Feldman/Miles Davis from Four And More (Live), 1966 “Giant Steps” by John Coltrane from Giant Steps, 1960 “Resolution Pt. 2” by John Coltrane from A Love Supreme, 1965 “This Here” By Cannonball Adderley from The Cannonball Adderley Quintet in San Francisco, 1960 “Mercy Mercy Mercy” by Josef Zawinul from Mercy, Mercy, Mercy, 1966 “Autumn Leaves” by by Joseph Kosma, performed by the Bill Evans Trio on Portrait in Jazz, 1959 “Dancing in the Dark” by Dietz/Schwartz, performed by the Bill Evans Trio on Trio 64, 1964 “No Blues” by Miles Davis performed by Wes Montgomery and the Wynton Kelly Trio on Smokin’ at the Half Note, 1965 “Donna Lee” by Charlie Parker/Miles Davis recorded by the Charlie Parker Quintet, 1947 “I Wish” by Stevie Wonder from Songs in the Key of Life, 1976 “Excursions” by A Tribe Called Quest from The Low End Theory, 1991 “Rimshot [Intro]” by Erykah Badu from Erykah Badu: Live, 1997 Discussion of Miles: The Autobiography by Miles Davis and Quincy Troupe, 1990 Discussion of Ascension: John Coltrane and his Quest by Eric Nisenson, 1995 2026 Edit: Correctly identified the second note in Miles' opening phrase. The Strong Songs Kind of Blue Playlist Kirk made a new playlist of the recordings discussed on this episode, in the hopes that it would give a sense of how the seven musicians on Kind of Blue went on to make all kinds of great music as bandleaders. It's in chronological order, so don't put it on shuffle. Unless, you know, you want to. Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1X2ETUpsFfH03FHOZDCiic?si=UHahG4EcRcSQ_tBlpzSakA Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/strong-songs-kind-of-blue-playlist/pl.u-mJy8DG8t1g8Ka OUTRO SOLOIST: BJ Cord This episode's outro soloist is BJ Cord, a fantastic trumpet player based in Portland. BJ works at Monette trumpets making some of the most beautiful horns in the world, and is a regular presence on their Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/monettetrumpets -------------------- April 2020 Whole-Note Patrons AccessViolation - Andrew Walters - Caleb Rotach - Chad Barnard - Clint Johnson - Craig J. Covell - Dan Apczynski - Dave Florey - Glenn - Jared Norris - Mark Schechter - Merlin Mann - R Watson - Ryan Torvik - Viki Dun April 2020 Half-Note Patrons AJ Schuster - Albukitty - Alex Singer - Alexander Polson - Amanda Furlotti - Andre Bremer - Andrew Baker - Andrew Lee - Arjun Sharma - Bill Thornton - Brant Brantphillip - Brett Douville - Brian Amoebas - Brooke Wilford - Chas Lednicky - Chris Brown - Christer Lindqvist - Cyrus N. White - Darryl Stewart - Dave King - David Stroud - Duncan - Earl Lozada - Eero Wahlstedt - Elliot Jay O’Neill - Emily Williams - Fishbones - Forrest Chang - Gavin Doig - Gerry Nelson - Jacob Dye - Jaehoon Jeong - James Johnson - Jeffrey Olson - Jenifer Carr - Jennifer Bush - Jeremy Dawson - John and Sharon Stenglein - Jon O’Keefe - Joujou - Juan Carlos Montemayor Elosua - Judith Stansfield - Jules Bailey - Justin Liew - Justin McElroy - Kate Albury - Kevin Morrell - Kevin Pennyfeather - Leigh Sales - Mark Steen - Markus Koester - Matt Betzel - Matt Gaskell - Max Schechter - Melanie Stivers - Michael Blackwell - Michael Bochner - Miriam Juskowicz - Mueller - Nate from Kalamazoo - Nicholas Schechter - Richard Toller - Robbie Ferrero - Robert Paul - Sam Fenn - Samuel Gardner - Shane DeLeon - SP - Tanner Morton - Tom Clewer - Tom Lauer - Toni Isaacson - Wayne Marsh --------------------💃STRONG SONGS LIVE!🕺July 11, 2026 | Portland, ORBuy Tickets Here (Livestream Tix Now Available!)----LINKS-----💰 SUPPORT STRONG SONGS!Patreon | One-Time Donation🏠 HOMEPAGE👚 MERCH💬 DISCORD SERVER📬 KIRK'S NEWSLETTER🎸 KIRK'S GEAR & INSTRUMENTS🎶 KIRK'S MUSIC📷 KIRK’S SOCIAL MEDIA:Instagram | YouTube | Bluesky🎧 EVERY STRONG SONG:Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube Music🎨 SHOW ART:Tom Deja, Bossman Graphics