So What, one of the most iconic tracks in jazz history, was recorded by the great Miles Davis in March 1959. The track, composed by Davis and featuring a killer band – him on trumpet, John Coltrane on tenor sax, Cannonball Adderley on alto sax, Bill Evans on piano, Paul Chambers on bass and Jimmy Cobb on drums – is notable for its minimalist, modal, call-and-response approach.
But how did Davis come up with the track and the title? Let’s take a closer look.
According to Evans, the charts for So What, like other key tracks on the seminal Kind Of Blue album, were surprisingly simple. In an interview with NPR, Evans said, “There was a simplicity about the charts that was remarkable – like Freddie Freeloader, So What, and All Blue – there was nothing written out.”
Evans went on to say that the introduction to So What was the only part that was written out, and the rest was communicated through verbal instructions from Davis. Evans and the other musicians were given instructions like “Play this pretty,” “You play this note,” and “You play this note.”
In his Definitive Biography of Miles, Ian Carr describes the simple genius of So What: “It is yet another variation on the call-and-response technique, with the bass calling (preaching) and the horns and piano saying “amen” (or “so what?”) to each of his statements.”
According to Carr, it is an approach that brings the best out of the track’s soloists:
“Miles plays two superbly sculpted choruses and is followed by Coltrane. With the latter, Bill Evans’s accompaniment changes from the graceful ebb and flow he used for Miles, to more insistent and ominous chords. With Cannonball there is a more cheerful and relaxed feeling and finally, Evans himself plays a solo with riff backing from the horns that is a subtle variation on the original ‘amen’ response, giving the performance tremendous lift.”
As for the title, there are two possible explanations.
The first is that it was suggested by Beverly Bentley, the actress and activist lover of Davis around the time of recording, who told him that “So what?” was his most-used dismissive remark.
The second is that it came from a retort by Miles’ brother-in-law when Davis told him in 1944 that he was leaving for New York. Davis said he was going to try to make it as a musician, and his brother-in-law reportedly replied, “So what?”.
Regardless of how the title came about, So What remains one of the most enduring tracks in jazz history. It was groundbreaking at the time, and the track has influenced countless musicians in the decades since its release.