TRANSCRIPT:
I’m Mark Rapp, and this is Rapp on Jazz.
In the late 1950s, a new approach to improvisation began to take shape—modal jazz. Instead of relying on fast-moving chord progressions, modal jazz is built on sustained scales, or modes. This shift gave musicians more space and freedom, encouraging melodic exploration rather than constant harmonic change.
Miles Davis’s 1959 album Kind of Blue is the landmark example. Tunes like “So What” allowed players to improvise over a single mode for extended stretches, creating a spacious, almost meditative sound. John Coltrane carried the concept further with Impressions and A Love Supreme, pushing modal jazz into deeply spiritual territory.
Modal jazz changed the landscape of modern music. It influenced jazz musicians and rock, classical, and world artists, who found inspiration in its openness and created a timeless palette.
This has been Rapp on Jazz, a co-production of ColaJazz and South Carolina Public Radio, made possible by the ETV Endowment of South Carolina.