Modes were for the longest time a mystery for myself. Coming from a classical background the theory taught behind them was vague and the application even more shrouded. But after making the connection between chords and modes I got the hang of them. For the past few years I have been developing an ear for picking out the characteristic notes of the modes.
Modal music developed in the 50s as musicians explored the realms of non-functional harmony and one of the famous recordings from that era was the album Kind of Blue by Miles Davis. Classic piece for learning about the dorian mode is the tune So What from that album. It also has the famous quartal minor 11 voicing for the piano.
My song recommendation for March is So What by Miles Davis