Which 1959 Miles Davis album is widely regarded as the best-selling jazz album?

Miles Davis’s 1959 album Kind of Blue is widely regarded as the best-selling jazz album. It was recorded for Columbia Records and features Davis with John Coltrane, Cannonball Adderley, Bill Evans, Wynton Kelly, Paul Chambers, and Jimmy Cobb.

The album is celebrated for its modal approach, in which musicians improvise over relatively simple scales or modes rather than rapidly changing chord sequences. This gave the performances spaciousness and encouraged distinctive solos. Its tracks include “So What,” “Freddie Freeloader,” and “All Blues.”

The album’s sales status is often described as “best-selling jazz album,” although exact totals vary by source and by how jazz is classified. It is not Miles Davis’s only landmark recording: Bitches Brew later became a key document of jazz fusion. Kind of Blue remains especially influential because it combines accessible melodies with advanced improvisation.