[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 190 (Tuesday, December 15, 2009)]
[House]
[Pages H14891-H14892]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
HONORING 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE RECORDING OF ``KIND OF BLUE''
Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to
the resolution (H. Res. 894) honoring the 50th anniversary of the
recording of the album ``Kind of Blue'' and reaffirming jazz as a
national treasure.
The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
The text of the resolution is as follows:
H. Res. 894
Whereas, on August 17, 1959, Miles Davis, Jimmy Cobb, Bill
Evans, Wynton Kelly, Paul Chambers, John Coltrane, and Julian
``Cannonball'' Adderley collaborated to record the album
``Kind of Blue'';
Whereas ``Kind of Blue'' ranks 12th on the list of the
``500 Greatest Albums of All Time'' published by Rolling
Stone magazine;
Whereas ``Kind of Blue'' was recorded in 1959, the year
Columbia Records declared ``jazz's greatest year'';
Whereas ``Kind of Blue'' marked the beginning of the mass
popularity of jazz in the United States;
Whereas in 2008, the Recording Industry Association of
America awarded ``Kind of Blue'' quadruple-platinum status,
meaning 4,000,000 copies of the album had been sold;
Whereas in 2002, the Library of Congress added ``Kind of
Blue'' to the National Recording Registry;
Whereas ``Kind of Blue'' was recognized as the bestselling
record in the history of jazz;
Whereas 50 years after the release of ``Kind of Blue'',
MOJO magazine honored the Legacy Edition of the album by
giving it the ``Best Catalogue Release of the Year'' award;
Whereas ``Kind of Blue'' both redefined the concept of jazz
for musicians and changed the perceptions of jazz held by
many fans;
Whereas today, the sole surviving member of the Miles Davis
Sextet, Jimmy Cobb, is performing and touring with his So
What Band in tribute to the 50th anniversary of ``Kind of
Blue''; and
Whereas ``Kind of Blue'' continues to be the standard
masterpiece of jazz for American musicians and audiences:
Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) honors the 50th anniversary of ``Kind of Blue'' and
recognizes the unique contribution the album has made to
American jazz;
(2) directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to
transmit enrolled copies of this resolution to Columbia
Records;
(3) encourages the United States Government to take all
appropriate steps to preserve and advance the art form of
jazz music;
(4) recommits itself to ensuring that musical artists such
as Miles Davis and his Sextet receive fair protection under
the copyright laws of the United States for their
contributions to culture in the United States; and
(5) reaffirms the status of jazz as a national treasure.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Michigan (Mr. Conyers) and the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Smith) each
will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Michigan.
General Leave
Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include
extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Michigan?
There was no objection.
Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Today we honor Miles Davis, the trumpet player, and his sextet,
recognizing the 50th year of the recording of one of the legendary jazz
tunes, one of the most important too of the 20th century, that was an
album called ``Kind of Blue.'' It was recorded in New York, a Manhattan
church turned recording studio--and there were six other people with
Miles Davis: John Coltrane; Julian ``Cannonball'' Adderley; Bill Evans
and Wynton Kelly, pianists; Paul Chambers, bass; Jimmy Cobb, the
drummer--and made musical history and changed the artistic landscape of
this country and in some ways the world.
At the Congressional Black Caucus event this past September, we
honored the only living artist of that recording date, Jimmy Cobb, the
drummer, who was there and who performed, as a matter of fact. It was a
great time for a great event that occurred 50 years ago.
The reason that it was great was that each one of these artists--
Coltrane, Adderley, Davis, Bill Evans, Wynton Kelly, Paul Chambers, and
Jimmy Cobb--all became musical leaders in their own right. And they
were experimenting with what was once called bebop, now progressive
jazz, and some went on to modal jazz, which I'm still finding out what
that's all about. They'd usually take chords of a song, sometimes a
ballad or a popular song, and then substitute chords, and then you'd
get this creative improvisation of what their interpretation of a song
means to them. And that's what modern jazz is, of course, all about.
So with the event that the Congressional Black Caucus had with the
only living musician from that historic recording, this gives us a
chance and an opportunity to understand what this contribution to music
means to the American cultural scene.
Jazz is celebrated all over the world. I introduced a concurrent
resolution on jazz, H. Con. Res. 57--I have forgotten what year now,
but it was passed in both the House and the Senate--and it celebrated
this contribution, this musical contribution that's been appreciated,
reinterpreted all over the world. Whenever and wherever I travel, I
always try to locate the musicians, whether it's in Norway or Jamaica
or Germany. This music is still going on and it's something that we
celebrate, and I'm glad to bring before the House today this
resolution, 894, for passage.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. SMITH of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, I support Chairman Conyers' sponsorship of House
Resolution 894, which honors the 50th anniversary of the album ``Kind
of Blue'' and reaffirms jazz as a national treasure.
I thank Chairman Conyers for his excellent work over many years to
honor and support jazz not only in music halls but in the Halls of
Congress.
In 1987, Chairman Conyers' House Concurrent Resolution 57 designated
jazz a national American treasure. Taking its name from this
resolution, the HR-57 Center for the Presentation of Jazz and Blues
later established itself on 14th Street in Washington, D.C., to educate
aspiring musicians on the history and culture of jazz and blues.
In 1990, Chairman Conyers won passage of appropriations legislation
awarding the Smithsonian Institute with funding to establish a
comprehensive jazz program, including the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks
Orchestra.
Chairman Conyers has long supported efforts to present live jazz to
the public in Washington, D.C. He has served on the board of directors
of such organizations as Capital City Jazz Festivals, Inc., the
National Jazz Service Organization, and the Rhythm and Blues
Foundation. His love of jazz is shared by many. Jazz is an historic
American creation, and as such, it certainly should be honored and
supported by Congress today.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the famous jazz album ``Kind
of Blue.'' On August 17, 1957, Miles Davis and his ensemble sextet
collaborated to record ``Kind of Blue.'' This album popularized jazz
like never before. It led Columbia Records to declare 1959 as ``jazz's
greatest year.'' Today, ``Kind of Blue'' is recognized as the best-
selling jazz album of all time. Its influence on music beyond jazz
alone has led music writers to view it as one of the most influential
albums ever. In 2002, it was one of 50 recordings chosen by the Library
of Congress to be added to the
[[Page H14892]]
National Recording Registry. In 2003, ``Kind of Blue'' was ranked No.
12 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all
time.
One reviewer called ``Kind of Blue'' a defining moment of 20th
century music. Ashley Kahn, the author of the book ``Kind of Blue: The
Making of a Miles Davis Masterpiece,'' called it ``the premier album of
its era, jazz or otherwise.'' Pianist Chick Corea, one of Miles Davis'
acolytes, said, ``It's one thing to just play a tune or play a program
of music, but it's another thing to practically create a new language
of music, which is what `Kind of Blue' did.''
As a distinctly American language of music, jazz is rightfully
honored by Chairman Conyers' resolution today. So it is with great
pleasure that I join him in supporting this resolution, and I urge our
colleagues to support the resolution as well.
Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back
the balance of my time.
{time} 1115
Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, I yield as much time as he may consume to
one of the people who knows a little about this music and who has come
a long way from Memphis, Tennessee. He is the distinguished gentleman
from Tennessee (Mr. Cohen).
Mr. COHEN. I thank the chairman.
Mr. Speaker, we all start as a tabula rasa in all areas of life. Then
we grow, and we have the opportunity to learn. In my fewer number of
years here on Earth than the chairman, I have learned quite a bit about
jazz myself.
It has been my honor to have friends who have been involved in jazz
in Memphis--particularly, the late Phineas Newborn, Jr., who was a
great pianist, one of the great jazz pianists of all time. He was a
Memphian, and he was known by jazz musicians all over the world as a
great jazz pianist. Others have come from Memphis and have gone to New
York, which is oftentimes where jazz is played.
Marvin Stamm, a great flugelhorn player, performed with different
orchestras throughout the country as a Memphian. He went to North Texas
State University for his education where he got a degree in jazz band,
which is one of the few places in the world, Mr. Smith's State, that
has jazz band distinction.
In New York, there are Bradley's, Village Vanguard and all of those
wonderful places where you historically have been able to hear people
like Art Blakey. I was able to see Max Roach in Baltimore once at a
jazz festival. I am a fan of Charlie Parker's and of Miles Davis. They
are great jazz musicians. I think all musicians respected Miles Davis
as one of the greatest influences on their lives regardless of whether
they were rockers or whether they were blues musicians or jazz
performers.
I thank the chairman for his appreciation of what is a uniquely
American cultural achievement, one that the world holds dear and
respects America for. The appreciation of jazz is an art form that is
being lost to our students. It is one that needs to be taught in our
schools and that needs to be maintained as a living and breathing
expression of the American art industry.
Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 1 minute merely to say that
I appreciate the gentleman from Tennessee because an earlier jazz
started in his State, in Memphis and in Nashville. The roots of it were
embedded in the modern jazz of the music that we reaffirm today as a
national treasure.
Before I yield back the balance of my time, because I studied music
as a young person, I owe these musicians a debt of gratitude because it
was they who recommended that I go to law school, so I am grateful to
them for helping my career.
Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to applaud the
actions of the House in recognizing the 50th anniversary of Miles
Davis' ground breaking recording, Kind of Blue. I would also like to
thank Representative Conyers for his spirited commitment to preserving
the American art form known as jazz. I urge my colleagues to support
this important resolution.
Mr. Speaker, 50 years ago, Miles Davis brought together six gifted
musicians, Bill Evans, Cannonball Adderley, Paul Chambers, John
Coltrane, Wynton Kelly, and Jimmy Cobb. These men, who we now revere as
jazz legends, under Davis' lead, fashioned the best selling jazz album
of all time. It is no wonder that Kind of Blue is ranked as the 12th
greatest albums of all time by Rolling Stone Magazine. Selling more
than 4 million copies to date, Kind of Blue changed the shape of jazz
through the buzz of Davis' trumpet and his focus on musical modes. The
album's influence on popular music throughout the years cannot be
overstated. Musicians including Quincy Jones, Duane Allman, Q-tip, and
Pink Floyd have cited the jazz standards of Kind of Blue as a musical
inspiration, and as a musician, I was also inspired by the stylistic
melodies of Kind of Blue.
Mr. Speaker, as Kind of Blue continues to introduce listeners around
the world to jazz music and the genius of Miles Davis, let us not
forget the importance of jazz education and music appreciation.
Mr. CONYERS. I yield back the balance of my time, Mr. Speaker.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Conyers) that the House suspend the rules
and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 894.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be
postponed.
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