The "So What" voicing was played by Bill Evans on the Miles Davis recording Kind of Blue (1959, Columbia Records). It consists of three perfect fourths with a major third on top. Levine analyses it in The Jazz Piano Book.
The So What voicing stacks three perfect 4ths and then a major 3rd on top: root, 4th, b7th, b3rd, 5th. Named after the Miles Davis tune where Bill Evans made it famous, this five-note voicing has a distinctive clarity — the major 3rd on top brightens what would otherwise be a purely quartal sound.
Classic: Root + 4th + b7th + b3rd(+12) + 5th(+12). Three 4ths (R→4→b7→b3) then a major 3rd (b3→5). Bright variation starts from the 5th.
Over minor 7th and minor 9th chords in modal contexts. The voicing works beautifully on tunes like So What, Impressions, and any Dorian vamp. Split between hands: LH plays the bottom two notes, RH plays the top three.
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