From Lana Del Rey, John Legend and Pulitzer Prize-winning rapper Kendrick Lamar to the members of Radiohead and guitar legends Carlos Santana , Duane Allman and Jerry Garcia, the number of musicians who have cited Miles Davis and his landmark 1959 release, “Kind of Blue,” as prime inspirations grows larger by the year. “It’s a pioneering album that was a turning point in jazz and it’s also a great bridge to classical and world music,” said pianist and Pulitzer Prize-winning opera composer Anthony Davis. “I’m not a hardcore jazz fan, but I love ‘Kind of Blue’,” said Melissa Etheridge .
“Discussing Miles makes you feel like a dime-store novelist talking about Shakespeare,” Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood said in a 2001 San Diego Union-Tribune interview. “We’ve taken and stolen from him shamelessly, not just musically, but in terms of his attitude of moving things forward.” Such sentiments come as no surprise to trumpet dynamo and San Diego Symphony jazz curator Gilbert Castellanos , who on Aug.
17 will lead “Miles Davis: Kind of Blue — In Concert” at the Rady Shell at Jacobs Park. Featuring a talent-packed sextet that includes saxophonist Joel Frahm, pianist Donald Vega and drummer Willie Jones III , it will be the sequel to Castellanos’ sold-out 2018 “Kind of Blue” tribute concert at Jacobs Music Center’s Copley Symphony Hall. “Experiencing ‘Kind of Blue’ is like floating on a cloud in the best dream ever, except that it�.