"Freddie Freeloader" is a blues in B-flat from Miles Davis's 1959 masterpiece Kind of Blue, notable for being the only track on the album to feature pianist Wynton Kelly rather than Bill Evans. Kelly's four-chorus solo opens the improvisational sequence with a joyful, swinging energy that contrasts with the more impressionistic atmosphere of the rest of the album, his block chords and bluesy inflections connecting the music to the hard bop tradition. Davis follows with six masterful choruses of trumpet improvisation that exemplify his gift for building a solo from simple melodic fragments into an emotionally compelling narrative, each phrase perfectly placed. Coltrane's five-chorus tenor solo reveals his growing harmonic ambition, his lines probing the blues changes with an intensity that would soon lead him to revolutionary innovations. Cannonball Adderley brings five choruses of alto saxophone that overflow with the soulful exuberance and melodic generosity that made him one of the most beloved players in jazz. Paul Chambers closes the solo sequence with two choruses of bass, his rich tone and rhythmic assurance evident throughout. The blues form grounds the modal explorations of the album in a more familiar harmonic language, making "Freddie Freeloader" one of the most accessible yet musically rewarding tracks on what many consider the greatest jazz album ever recorded.
