Is Kind of Blue the Best Jazz Album Ever


Let me begin by qualifying "best", in this case I use the word best to mean the most representative or widely accepted.

Kind of Blue is not my favorite album, but whenever I listen to it I feel that if someone were to ask me what is Jazz I would be compelled to play it, more specifically "So What".

Maybe it is the star studded cast, Miles Davis, Coltrane, Bill Evans, Cannonball Adderly. On their own these guys are legends. Together?

So the question can be twisted, are they any other jazz albums that could represent what Jazz so perfectly?
nick_sr
I was not a huge jazz fan, but got into it for the quality of recording aspects. Three jazz cds in my collection are KOB, Jazz at the Pawnshop and Cafe Blue - all said to be some of the best recordings ever. Of the three, Kind of Blue is my favorite by far. I listen to KOB regularly, and appreciate it more and more with each play.
Lloydc: Jazz took a wrong turn with BeBop??? This suggests that everything that followed is errant in some way, I.e., not jazz...? or what? "Bad" jazz? I mean, really now, what sort of absurdity is that? Please explain!

Coltrane? Wrong turn! Clifford Brown? toss 'im overboard! Andrew Hill? Bah!

Puhleeeeease!!
Short answer: yes. No contest whatsoever.
I own Brubeck, Chet, Coletrane etc. Etc.
But a lot of that stuff sounds like Mr. Rogers music in comparison.
Of course, this is simply my opinion, and only an opinion.
BTW, I went to the 50th anniversay show here, magnificent!
They played 3 bebop numbers to close the set. Stunning!
I agree that bebop ruined jazz, suddenly there was a style that damn few were qualified to play competently!
To be a jazz musician used to actually mean something.
Now we have Sting, Diana Krall, Norah Jones.....
I'll take the pioneers and originators any day.
Fripp1, while off-post, I too am interested in hearing more from Lloydc regarding bebop as a wrong turning in jazz.