Miles Davis - Birth of the Cool

Although Miles Davis initially came to fame as the trumpet foil for bop giant Charlie Parker, the first recordings to gain him wide attention were the 1949 and 1950 sessions that were later dubbed “The Birth of the Cool.” These highly influential sides brought Davis together with such important collaborators as arranger Gil Evans, saxophonists Gerry Mulligan and Lee Konitz, and pianist John Lewis. The music itself, inspired by such forerunners as the saxophone playing of Lester Young and the impressionistic big-band sounds of Claude Thornhill, certainly drew on a “cooler” palette than the more frenetic modern jazz of the period. Still, this new attitude coaxed superb improvisations from the featured players, whose concise passages flowed beautifully through the highly crafted arrangements. The arresting tonal colors and more restrained atmosphere drew in a new generation of players -- mainly on the West Coast -- who, during the early 1950s, brought the popular “Cool School” of jazz into being. By that time, Davis himself had moved on to contemplate different musical vistas. Steve Futterman

enjoy!