Kind of Blue is a studio album by American jazz musician Miles Davis originally released on August 17 1959 by Columbia Records. Recording sessions for the album took place at Columbia s 30th Street Studio in New York City on March 2 and April 22 1959. The sessions featured Davis s ensemble sextet with pianist Bill Evans drummer Jimmy Cobb bassist Paul Chambers and saxophonists John Coltrane and Julian Cannonball Adderley. After the entry of Evans into his sextet Davis followed up on the modal experimentations of Milestones (1958) by basing Kind of Blue entirely on modality in contrast to his earlier work with the hard bop style of jazz. Though precise figures have been disputed Kind of Blue has been described by many music writers not only as Davis s best-selling album but as the best-selling jazz record of all time. On October 7 2008 it was certified quadruple platinum in sales by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It has been regarded by many critics as the greatest jazz album of all time and Davis s masterpiece. The album s influence on music including jazz rock and classical music has led music writers to acknowledge it as one of the most influential albums ever made. In 2002 it was one of fifty recordings chosen that year by the Library of Congress to be added to the National Recording Registry. In 2003 the album was ranked number 12 on Rolling Stone magazine s list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.