Customer Reviews

Birth Of The Cool

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Nine musicians. Twelve songs. One of the most influential records in jazz.

The year was 1948. Miles Davis had moved away from Charlie Parker's band and struck out on his own. Neither a virtuoso like Parker, nor a genius theoretician like Dizzy Gillespie, nor a showman like Louis Armstrong, Davis sought a way to define his own "voice," to make it substantially different from those who had come before him. He became intrigued by the arranging work of Gil Evans, who had developed a laid-back, low-vibrato "cool" style, using unique instruments like the tuba and the French horn. To Davis, the Evans style seemed an interesting alternative to the standard modes of large- and small-band jazz, and a sensible step away from the manic, frenzied music of bebop, while at the same time incorporating the best elements of that sound.

Davis gathered a revolving collection of nine musicians around him to explore the possibilities of the Evans sound, including drummers Max Roach and Al Haig, pianist John Lewis, trombonist J.J. Johnson, and Evans protege Gerry Mulligan on baritone sax. The series of sides they produced between January of 1949 and March of 1950 touched off the West Coast "cool jazz" movement, inspired dozens if not hundreds of musicians, and are still acclaimed today, over fifty years after their release, as some of the greatest jazz recordings ever made, in a field that has no shortage of great moments. The singles were not collected and released as an album until the late '50's, by which time Davis had moved on to other things-several times, in fact-but the music sounded just as good, and Birth of the Cool is just as acclaimed today as it was then.

It's not hard to see why. The music swings gorgeously, effortlessly. The musicians are a true ensemble; they form a fluidly functioning unit, using elements of big band and bebop but fully embracing neither. Davis, Mulligan, and alto sax player Lee Konitz in particular found excellent ways to use this, especially on "Move," "Rouge," "Jeru," "Israel," "Rocker" and "Boplicity." This new style was especially beneficial for Davis, who had to learn how to work within his technical limitations as a trumpeter. He starts to develop his style here, a slower mode of playing, exploiting the lower registers of the instrument, using just a few notes to suggest the flurry of bebop virtuosity without actually having to play it. This was an important step for Davis, and for jazz in general, for it reminded people that one did not necessarily have to play like Paganini (or, more to the point, Parker) to play well.

Birth of the Cool is a lot of things-a transition between what came before and what came after, a strong musical statement by a group of musicians that had a lot to say, a strong beginning to the solo career of one of the most influential jazz musicians-but above all it is a timeless collection of great tunes, played ably by a collection of great musicians. Davis would go on to explore jazz from a variety of angles-modal, hard bop, orchestral, and fusion (unfairly maligned by purists, who resisted it much as big band aficionados resisted bebop)-but it was this album that started his journey, and it's this album that shows the rough promise of all that is to come. If it was important for no other reason, it's important for that. The fact that it's important for so many other reasons makes it a must have for anyone who loves jazz music. Simply put: if you don't have it, you should. And if you don't like jazz, this may be the one recording to change your mind. How do I know? Because that's what it did for me. It turned me around and made me receptive to a music I didn't understand or even particularly care for, and not only made me like it, but made me want to hear more things like it. I think it's safe to say that if it wasn't for Miles Davis and his nonet, I wouldn't love jazz the way I do today.

Pretty impressive, for just nine musicians, for just twelve songs, for just one record.

The music on this CD was recorded in 1949/50, but acquired its famous album title only retrospectively, in 1957. As a jazz term, 'cool' means something more specific than the vague, all-purpose adjective-noun it has since become. It came to particular prominence in the 1950s to describe a more cerebral, less impassioned way of playing jazz. It's generally supposed that these sessions were part of the inspiration for the 'cool school' of jazz.which flourished especially on the West Coast in the 1950s. That's possibly the main reason for the historical importance of the 'Birth of the Cool' sessions and the album may therefore be of more appeal to those interested in the historical development of jazz than to listeners who merely enjoy Miles's own playing.

The historical interest centres primarily on these pieces as examples of jazz composition and arrangement. Along with the work of composer-arranger Tadd Dameron and some of Gil Evans's arranging for the Claude Thornhill Band, these scores were innovative in adapting the procedures of 'Be-Bop' to orchestrated jazz and in the ways in which they deployed the instruments of the nine-piece band, which included, unusually, French horn and tuba alongside trumpet, trombone and alto and baritone saxes. They skilfully exploit the variety of timbres and tone colours to create a sound suggestive of a larger band. This is especially true of Evans's pieces, which show his interest in rich, unusual and shifting chord voicings, although Mulligan's more ingenious arrangements also create some full-sounding, inventive passages. There's a brilliant moment in Evans's arrangement of 'Boplicity' when, within the space of just a few bars, a thematic figure spreads through the instrumentation with a kind of 'rippling' effect as a bridging section between Mulligan's and Miles's solos. It is inspired scoring in its own right, but it also seems to anticipate in miniature some of what Evans was later to do with larger jazz orchestras. His slow ballad arrangement, 'Moondreams', makes use of a favourite Evans technique of varying the chord voicings for different sections of a composition, to give the piece a sense of variety and continuous development. In the final bars he also employs a kind of 'impressionist' technique when the music seems to dissolve into little asymmetrical fragments of melody and rhythm before resolving itself in a brief, quiet coda.

Some of the other tracks - like John Lewis's arrangement of the up-tempo, 'Move' - are entertaining as scaled-down 'big-band' performances without being as strikingly original as Evans's scores. John Carisi's contribution, 'Israel', is one of the most adventurous themes on the album, seeming to point a way forward from 'Be-Bop' to a more advanced harmonic style, but doing so by means of a skilful variation on one of jazz's most 'traditional' forms, the 12-bar blues. It may be that Gerry Mulligan's arrangements tend to be underrated by comparison with Evans's - perhaps because they sound more influenced by the styles and procedures of mainstream jazz. But his scores have their innovative touches, like the rhythmic and harmonic 'dislocation' he gives to the middle-eight section of 'Jeru'. In their own right they are characterful, enjoyable pieces, and since he contributed most of the arrangements he was a major factor in the success of the album and its subsequent influence. He contributes an interesting reminiscence of the sessions as an addition to the liner notes.

Another interesting 'historical' dimension of Birth of the Cool is the collaboration of three composer-musicians who in the 1950s went on to make major contributions to modern jazz through their subsequent individual projects: Lewis with the Modern Jazz Quartet, Mulligan with his pianoless quartets and Concert Jazz Band, and Evans with his later collaborations with Miles and others.

This was, I believe, Miles's first album under his own name; but it's his early-fifties small-group sessions that best document his progress as a jazz improviser, particularly those which produced such classics as "Walkin", "Bemsha Swing" and "Bags' Groove" - as well as a series of fine ballad performances (there is little ballad playing on this album). Arguably, Miles had been a 'cool' musician from the start of his career with Charlie Parker. If so, these sessions can be seen as part of a process (begun during his time with Parker) of his adapting the 'hot' medium of Be-Bop to his own stylistic purposes. However, the liner note argues a contrary view: that Miles could not really be categorised as a 'cool' player. For me, Miles's improvised solos here are less interesting than his later work was to become, when the overt expression of feeling had became more prominent in his music. He was some way from developing that individual sound, with its brooding 'flat' tonality and emotive colouring, which from the late 1950s was to make him one of the most immediately identifiable soloists in jazz. An additional limitation is that the soloists were restricted to very short solos, so that one of the strengths in Miles's later music - his ability to 'build' an improvisation over two or more choruses - was not possible in these sessions. Nevertheless, there are some well-constructed solos from Miles, especially on "Jeru", "Godchild" and "Rocker", suggesting that the need for brevity encouraged him to make short solos as structured and 'eventful' as he could.

So, historically significant though it is, Birth of the Cool won't necessarily appeal to those who have discovered Miles's music via Kind of Blue, Milestones, Sketches of Spain, etc. Less immediate in its appeal than that later work, it is perhaps music that you have to 'learn to like' - though maybe that's generally true of modern jazz.

Even more than John Coltrane, Miles Davis' cultural icon status has overshadowed his music. So it's worth mentioning that he was a masterful trumpet player who explored the instrument's lower register and tended to play slower, more lyrical lines, often deeply melancholy, rather than the showers of high notes of Dizzy Gillespie and his imitators. If you're new to Miles it's easy to get confused, as he released a multitude of records during a 45-year career, in a bewildering array of different styles. Davis was at the center of almost every movement in modern jazz (except he skipped "free jazz"): early be-bop (he played with Charlie Parker in 1945); the "cool" sound; hard bop; orchestral experimentation; the "modal revolution"; fusion. He also played with most of the key jazz artists of the post-war period, and is probably the single artist who best represents the winding course jazz has taken.

I recently got this collection of sides originally released in 1949 and 1950 by the Miles Davis Nonet, not released on LP until 1957. The unusual instrumentation (with French horn and tuba) is carefully used by the arrangers (including Gil Evans, Gerry Mulligan and John Lewis) to create an incredibly full sound, with a remarkable range of tonal colors. The tunes are also incredibly beautiful. The famous "cool" sound is a bit too reserved for my taste, and the arrangements have a certain Hollywood aroma, but there's no denying the power and originality of the work here. Fans may find this jarring because of its transitional nature, with obvious big band elements such as Kenny Hagood's dated-sounding vocal on "Darn That Dream." Some of the arrangements display the breathtaking complexity of later records, though.

This album not only put Miles Davis on the map, it started a whole new style of jazz music. Miles worked with Gil Evans on this 1949 project and the results were pure magic. The supporting cast of musicians are a nice group too. He even had french horn players (Junior Collins on one session, Sandy Goldstein on another and Gunther Schuller). Most of the musicians Miles worked with on this album were white, because those were the only people he could get hired at the time. Of these musicians, Gerry Mulligan (baritone saxophone), Lee Konitz (alto saxophone) and Kai Winding (trombone) all shine the most. Tracks like "Move" showcase the band's chemistry and innovative, playful harmonies. This song was originally recorded as a bebop tune, but Miles and company give it a little bit more of a cool, swinging style. "Jeru" is the ultimate definition of cool jazz. This Gerry Mulligan composition shows off Miles and Gerry's soloing abilities. It also has a nice theme and some good ensemble playing. "Moon Dreams" is kind of like a musical "still life", this ballad is played with a slow seriousness that makes it a classic. The ensemble playing here is beautiful. "Venus De Milo" is another Mulligan composition and has a somewhat laid-back latin feel. I like this tune because it just sounds nice to sit back and listen to. "Budo" is a classic Bud Powell tune, while this track only lasts about two and a half minutes, it's a classic instantly. The ensemble playing is very energetic and Miles, Lee Konitz and Kai Winding all take great solos. This tune was also recorded by Miles around the time of the 'Round About Midnight sessions. "Deception" is a track that Miles is given credit for writing but it's really another track called "Conception", that Miles recorded later on in the Dig session of 1951. It's a nice tune, with a kind of tension-building theme sequence, along with a nice solo from Miles. "Godchild" has a great theme because all the lower instruments play it making it a fun, playful track. Once again, Miles plays a nice solo and Kai Winding takes a good trombone solo as well. "Boplicity" has credit given to Miles Davis's mom, although she didn't actually write the piece, Miles and Gil Evans did. "Boplicity" is a masterful cool composition and has been recorded many times by other musicians. Gerry Mulligan starts it off with a great sax solo and Miles leads in with the group and then playing a good solo. Other tracks like "Rocker" and "Israel" were very influential in structure and composition, along with John Lewis's "Rouge", which has string bass played and is a very fun and amusing piece. The album ends with the Kenny Hagood vocal feature "Darn That Dream", which is a slow piece that wasn't recorded until 1950 (along with a couple other tracks from the "late" sessions). Hagood's vocal is cool, and Miles plays an outstanding solo in the middle of the piece. The band backs the vocal very well ending the album nicely.

This is a classic album, as everyone else has previously stated. Not much left to say.

I must start by saying that it is impossible to dare not to rate this with five stars.To give a small instance of the impact of this work, as a brazilian, I recognize in this album the strong influence that it had over brazilian music. I am also certain that Miles extended his influence all over the world. So if you are an american, be proud of it, and tell all the world: "America is the birthplace of The Cool".

This band only played for a couple of weeks, and just a few tracks were recorded. Almost 10 years elapsed before these tracks were compiled in an LP for the first time. Neverthless, the music from those sessions is one of the greatest achievements in jazz. For Miles hardcore fans, every album is genious and essential and a cornerstone, but this one really is. And a good place to start a jazz or a Miles collection. The story of how the original master tapes were discovered almost 50 years after they were recorded only adds to the magic aurea surronding this CD. The other version available, 'the complete birth of the cool' did not use the original master tapes, and therefore is inferior in sound quality, and its only for completists.

This album was a great bridge between the bebop that Miles played with Gillespie/Parker and Duke Ellington/Claude Thornhill big band style music. This became cool jazz, with Gerry Mulligan at the helm, who was a large part of this disc. Mulligan helped arrange much of this material, along with Gil Evans. This was the beginning of a great period between Miles Davis and Gil Evans. The remastered version makes for an even clearer look at great art.

This album delivers a rapid fire of upbeat, catchy singles - none of which extend beyond 3 1/2 minutes. In addition, this CD contains live versions of many of the same studio songs from 1948.

I have a habit of listening to this CD at work, and it always draws the attention of my co-workers. People who don't even own a jazz album become interested in the music.

I'm not a historian of jazz music by any means, but I feel this album is a bridge between the early "big band" type jazz and the modern, abstract jazz perfected in Davis' later albums.

Late in the 1940s a group of jazz musicians -- Miles Davis, Gerry Mulligan, John Lewis, Kai Winding, Lee Konitz, just to drop a few names -- took to hanging out between gigs at a certain lower Manhattan coldwater flat. That the renter of this flat happened to be arranger/composer/theoretician Gil Lewis gives, for jazz afficionados everywhere, whole new meaning to the term 'fortuosity.'

Evans was the spark; Davis (even then ever-restless, ever-questing) was the lightning rod. "Birth Of The Cool," ultimately, is the result. (I use the term "ultimately" because the initial releases -- as with the "Davis Nontet's" live appearances -- debuted to less-than-lukewarm critical reviews. All of which, for me, defines the value of jazz criticism as a whole.)

The collaborations of those coldwater flat sessions -- and this album -- were instrumental in the resulting careers of their participants. Mulligan, particularly, would in this album give the lie to latter-day critics who tend to downplay his contributions as a composer/theoretician. His comps/arrangements (listen closely to both "Jeru" and "Venus de Milo), while obviously influenced by Evans' tutelage, demonstrate a deep study of -- and abiding respect for -- the musical idiom in which he chose to work. The close-ensemble arrangements each of the album's various compositions, amplified by the sheer musicianship of all personnel involved, furthermore, herald the movement of today's "back-off-of-bebop" movement.

This is an album which cannot be fully appreciated -- nowhere near so -- at first-listen; what happens upon further listenings, however, is likely to be sheer magic. Even the (at-first) seeming incongruity of Kenny Harwood's vocal in "Darn That Dream," upon subsequent listenings, shows a sure hand in its instrumentation.

An album for any serious jazz student's (or musician's) collection.

For any fan of Jazz, Classical or Miles... you must buy this album. The new RVG remastering shines clearer light on this revolutionary masterpiece (it single-handedly sparked the entire "cool" west-coast Jazz movement, bringing to bear artists such as Chet Baker, Gerry Mulligan, Stan Getz and Dave Brubeck). Never harsh, always swinging, this magnificent blend of improvisation and composition (the voicings are simply ecstatic!) is truly unique - no other album or band in the history of music has sounded quite like the group put together for this recording. The lines are intricate, harkening back to the Charlie Parker/Dizzy Gillespie Be-Bop recordings of the early 40's (which preceded this album, more-or-less), but are taken with a swinging, sing-song, sensual, casual mood and style that is guaranteed to take the edge off. And to imagine, it was Miles' first REAL debut as a leader!