Harmonic analysis, improvisation resources and recordings of the jazz standard composed by Miles Davis
Updated 2025
“So What” is a jazz standard composed by Miles Davis. It´s the first track on the 1959 album Kind of Blue (1959).
“So What”: recording analysis
Recording Analysis
Intro: double bass and piano. Arrangement: Gil Evans.
Melody A: piano and double bass.
Melody ABA: double bass, piano, sax and trumpet.
Rhythm section: swing. Drums: crash.
Trumpet solo, 2 choruses.
Tenor sax solo, 2 choruses.
Alto sax solo, 2 choruses.
Piano solo, 1 chorus. Background. Drums: cross stick.
Walking bass A, piano melody.
Melody ABA: double bass, piano, sax and trumpet.
Coda: walking bass AA.
Ending: fade out.
“So What”: recordings by Miles Davis
“So What”. CBS Studio 61 TV Broadcast, New York, April 2, (1959). The Robert Herridge Theater
The Robert Herridge Theater. CBS Studio 61 TV Broadcast, New York, April 2, (1959). Miles Davis. “So What”. This video doesn´t include the intro by Gil Evans.
Video Recording Analysis
Intro: arrangement by Gil Evans.
Melody A: piano and double bass.
Melody ABA: double bass, piano, sax and trumpet.
Rhythm section: swing.
Trumpet solo, 2 choruses.
Tenor sax solo, 3 choruses.
Piano solo, 2 choruses. Chorus 2: Background I: trumpet and tenor sax. Drums: cross stick.
Trumpet solo, 2 choruses. Chorus 2: Background II: trombones. Drums: cross stick.
Walking bass A, piano melody.
Melody ABA: double bass, sax and trumpet.
Coda: walking bass AA.
Ending: bass and drums.
“So What”. Intro by Gil Evans
The Robert Herridge Theater. CBS Studio 61 TV Broadcast, New York, April 2, (1959). Miles Davis. “So What”. Complete video with intro by Gil Evans.
Miles Davis at Carnegie Hall (1961). “So What”. Intro by Gil Evans.
“So What”. Miles Davis Quintet. Steve Allen Show (1964).
Miles Davis Quote: Modal Jazz
A return to melody.
No chords … gives you a lot more freedom and space to hear things. When you go this way, you can go on forever. You don’t have to worry about changes and you can do more with the [melody] line.
It becomes a challenge to see how melodically innovative you can be.
When you’re based on chords, you know at the end of 32 bars that the chords have run out and there’s nothing to do but repeat what you’ve just done—with variations.
I think a movement in jazz is beginning, away from the conventional string of chords … there will be fewer chords but infinite possibilities as to what to do with them.
Miles Davis
milesdavis.com
“So What”: Sequence of Analysis
“So What”: Scales for Improvisation
“So What”: Play-a-Longs
Jamey Aebersold. Vol. 50, “Magic of Miles Davis”. Two tracks: medium and fast. No melody.
Hal Leonard. Vol. 2, “Miles Davis”. Two tracks, one of them with the melody.
Kind of Blue (1959)
The Making of Kind of Blue (1959)
Kind of Blue Deluxe 50th Anniversary Collector´s Edition
Miles Davis. Kind Of Blue. Legacy Edition (2015). Alternate takes.
“So What”: Contrafacts
“So What” (Miles Davis), contrafact: “Impressions” (John Coltrane). Both pieces originate in Ahmad Jamal‘s 1955 cover of Morton Gould‘s “Pavanne”.
“Impressions”: Versions
Stanley Turrentine. “Impressions”.
Pat Martino. “Impressions”.
Wes Montgomery. “Impressions”.
“So What” (Miles Davis), contrafact: “Green Jeans” (Grant Green). Matador (1964).
“So What” (Miles Davis), contrafact: “Two For One” (Grant Green). Grant Green The Complete Quartets with Sonny Clark (1962).
Grant Green. Sunday Mornin´ (1961). “So What”.
“So What”: Versions
George Russell. “So What”. Miles Davis trumpet solo arrangement
George Russell & The Living Time Orchestra. So What (1983). “So What”.
Eddie Jefferson. “So What”. Miles Davis´ solo with vocalese
Ronny Jordan. “So What”. Added section: interlude
Chet Baker. “So What” (1964).
Bill Evans. Blue In Green (1974). “So What”.
Ron Carter Trio. So What (1998). “So What”. Double time.
Michel Petrucciani Trio. Live In Stuttgart (1998). “So What”. First exposition of the melody with the bass. Last exposition of the melody with drums.
George Benson. “So What”. Change of rhythm: even eighths to swing. Double time.
George Benson. “So What”. Live In Pori Jazz (1988).
Marcus Miller. “So What”. Rhythm: funk. Bass: slap.
Jeremy Steig. Flute Fever (1964). “So What”. Up tempo swing.
Gerald Wilson. Orchestra Portraits (1963). “So What”. Big Band. Up tempo swing. Backgrounds.
John La Barbera Big Band. On the Wild Side (2003). “So What”. 3/4. Backgrounds.
“So What”: Recordings
Musician – Album (year)
| Bill Evans | Blue in Green (1974) |
| Bill Evans | With Jeremy Steig. What´s New (1969) |
| Bill Evans | Evans in England (2019) |
| Christian Scott | Rewind That (2006) |
| Dexter Gordon | Heartaches. Jazzhus Montmartre. Copenhagen, Denmark. August 5 (1965) |
| Dexter Gordon | Stable Mable (1975) |
| Eddie Jefferson | Body and Soul (1968) |
| George Benson | Beyond The Blue Horizon (1971) |
| George Russell | George Russell & The Living Time Orchestra (1983) |
| Gerald Wilson | Orchestra Portraits (1963) |
| Grant Green | Sunday Mornin´ (1961) |
| Herbie Hancock | A Tribute to Miles (1994) |
| J. J. Johnson | J.J.! (1965) |
| Jeremy Steig | Flute Fever (1964) |
| Jerry Garcia and David Grisman | So What (1998) |
| John La Barbera | Big Band. On the Wild Side (2003) |
| Larry Carlton | B. Smith’s Rooftop Café (Live). New York, October 23 (1992) |
| Larry Carlton | Last Nite (1986) |
| Larry Carlton | At The Chestnut Cabaret (2022) |
| Marcus Miller | The Ozell Tapes Live (2002) |
| Marcus Miller | A Night in Monte-Carlo (2010) |
| Marcus Miller | Tutu Revisited (2011) |
| Michel Petrucciani | Live – Montreux Jazz Festival (1996) |
| Michel Petrucciani | Live In Tokio (1999) |
| Michel Petrucciani-Eddy Louiss | Conférence de presse, Vol 1 (1994) |
| Mike Stern | Fusion For Miles. A Guitar Tribute (2005) |
| Miles Davis | Kind of Blue (1959). Legacy Edition (2015) |
| Miles Davis | Playboy Jazz Festival, Chicago Stadium. August 7 (1959) |
| Miles Davis | Olympia Theatre, Paris, France. March 21 (1960) |
| Miles Davis | Live at Konserthuset, Stockholm. First Concert. March 22 (1960) |
| Miles Davis | Live at Konserthuset, Stockholm. Second Concert. March 22 (1960) |
| Miles Davis | Tivoli Konsertsal, Copenhagen, Denmark. March 24 (1960) |
| Miles Davis | Kongresshalle, Frankfurt, Germany. March 30 (1960) |
| Miles Davis | Kongress-Saal, Deutsches Museum, Munich. April 3 (1960) |
| Miles Davis | Live at Kongresshaus, Zürich. April 8 (1960) |
| Miles Davis | Live at Kurhaus, Scheveningen. The Hague, Holland. April 9 (1960) |
| Miles Davis | Live at Concertgebouw, Amsterdam. Holland. April 10 (1960) |
| Miles Davis | Live at the Black Hawk, San Francisco, California. April 22 (1961) |
| Miles Davis | At Carnegie Hall. New York. May 19 (1961) |
| Miles Davis | Live at the 1963 Monterey Jazz Festival. September 20 (1963) |
| Miles Davis | Four & More. Live at Philharmonic Hall, Lincoln Center. N.Y. February 12 (1964) |
| Miles Davis | Live at Kohseinenken Hall, Tokyo, Japan. July 14 (1964) |
| Miles Davis | Live at the Berlin Philharmonie, Germany. September 25 (1964) |
| Miles Davis | Oriental Theatre, Portland, Oregon. May 21 (1966) |
| Monty Alexander | Here Comes The Sun (1971) |
| Monty Alexander | The Definive Black & and Blue Sessions (1979) |
| Monty Alexander | In Tokyo (1979). “Impressions”/”So What”. |
| Ron Carter | Spanish Blue (1975) |
| Ron Carter | So What (1998) |
| Ronny Jordan | The Antidote (1992) |
| The Swingle Singers | Mood Swings (2006) |
| Ulf Wakenius Group | First Step (1992) |
| Wes Montgomery | Back On Indiana Avenue (The Carroll DeCamp Recordings) (2019) |
Frankfurt Radio Big Band. “So What”.
Jazz Orchestra of the Concertgebouw – Live at the Royal Concertgebouw. “So What”.
Metropole Orkest. “So What”.
Studio Jams #57 – “Come Together / So What” Jam
Miles Davis. Documentaries
Official Trailer | Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool | American Masters | PBS
Miles Davis – The Legend of Miles Davis (from The Miles Davis Story)
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Hello! This was such an amazing analysis of Miles Davis, I’m currently using it for a paper as a source and was wounding who created this analysis so I could credit them accordingly? Thank You so much!
Thanks for your comment. Analysis: Daniel Fedele.