First played and recorded by Duke Ellington's orchestra in 1930, "Mood Indigo" would prove to be Ellington's most famous composition. The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences inducted the original recording of the song into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1975. Though the original was an instrumental work, 10 years later lyrics were written and the song became a standard for jazz vocalists.
Miles Davis arguably began a revolution in jazz when his album "Kind of Blue" was released in the summer of 1959. It would become the best-selling jazz record of all time. "So What" is the opening track from that record, and its free melodic and rhythmic style would become emblematic for the "new sound." Davis' improvisations introduced what would be known as modal playing, improvising based on scales and not restricted by the chord progressions. Many jazz players would follow Davis' lead and move toward freer soloing.
Wes Montgomery is understood as the king of jazz guitar, and "Four on Six" displays his vitriolic ability for soloing on the instrument. From the memorable opening arpeggios in unison with a piano, through the melody lines and the solos Montgomery displays his genius for rhythm, melody and dynamics. He plays clear singing, single-note melody lines as well as blasts of his famous octaves. His chordal improvisations have the feel and sound of piano improvisations, astonishing jazz critics at the time. Montgomery shows all that the electric jazz guitar can do.
The burst of Louis Armstrong's trumpet through all the triplets and blue notes in the opening bars of "West End Blues" made jazz history. The song was composed by Clarence Williams and Joe "King" Oliver in 1929 and was first recorded by Armstrong that year, but would be recorded again 10 years later and a few more times in Armstrong's career, occasionally with Armstrong improvising scat singing as well.
Blue Train was the title track from John Coltrane's influential album of saxophone music. When the record was released in 1957 it was considered to be Coltrane's first important work as a leader. It features some of Coltrane's early virtuosity on the saxophone, especially his ability to modulate through different scales at a rapid pace. The song itself was written by Coltrane, as was every composition on the album.