John Valerio formed the Kind of Blue Project to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Miles Davis Sextet’s historic album of 1959. Although most jazz musicians have played each of the five tunes from the album over the ensuing years, rarely, if ever have they performed them together as a suite. Kind of Blue, was conceived as such and the order, moods, and tempos of the tunes are crucial to the synergy of the parts that create the complete work of art. The Kind of Blue Project attempts to re-create the original album’s mood and ambience as well as the music. The idea is not to copy the music but to present the tunes in order and have each player bring his own experience and interpretation to the music.
Joining pianist, John Valerio for this project are some of North and South Carolina’s finest jazz musicians: Jon Thornton on trumpet, Doug Norwine on alto saxophone, Doug Henry on tenor saxophone, George Hoar on bass, and Sonny Thornton on drums (see Musicians page). Each performance includes a multi-media presentation on the importance and uniqueness of the album as well as on the innovative use of and improvisation on modes (see History page). The performance also includes other tunes recorded by the Miles Davis Sextet of 1958-1959.