Miles Davis - Birth Of The Cool (1957) [2017] Hi-Res

Birth of the Cool is a compilation album by American jazz musician Miles Davis, released in 1957 on Capitol Records. It compiles eleven songs recorded by Davis's nonet for the label over the course of three sessions during 1949 and 1950.
Most of the tracks were originally released as 10-inch 78-rpm singles, and then also released in 1954 as both a 10-inch LP - Miles Davis - Classics In Jazz and two 7-inch EPs - Miles Davis - Classics In Jazz Part 1 and Miles Davis - Classics In Jazz Part 2.
Featuring unusual instrumentation and several notable musicians, the music consisted of innovative arrangements strongly inspired by classical music, and marked a major development in post-bebop jazz. As the title implies, these recordings are considered seminal in the history of cool jazz. The majority of the recordings on the record are under three minutes.

Legendary work from Miles Davis – large group sessions that virtually define the "cool" in cool jazz! The work's quite different from Davis' earlier bop sides with Charlie Parker – and show a distinct influence from modernists like Gerry Mulligan (who is on the recordings) and from the experiments of the Tristano school. Miles is less the leader than the creative visionary – as all players come together in a perfect blend of sound, perfectly polished, and with a very dark edge.
So dubbed because these three sessions – two from early 1949, one from March 1950 – are where the sound known as cool jazz essentially formed, Birth of the Cool remains one of the defining, pivotal moments in jazz. This is where the elasticity of bop was married with skillful, big-band arrangements and a relaxed, subdued mood that made it all seem easy, even at its most intricate. After all, there's a reason why this music was called cool; it has a hip, detached elegance, never getting too hot, even as the rhythms skip and jump. Indeed, the most remarkable thing about these sessions – arranged by Gil Evans and featuring such heavy-hitters as Kai Winding, Gerry Mulligan, Lee Konitz, and Max Roach – is that they sound intimate, as the nonet never pushes too hard, never sounds like the work of nine musicians. Furthermore, the group keeps things short and concise (probably the result of the running time of singles, but the results are the same), which keeps the focus on the tones and tunes. The virtuosity led to relaxing, stylish mood music as the end result – the very thing that came to define West Coast or "cool" jazz – but this music is so inventive, it remains alluring even after its influence has been thoroughly absorbed into the mainstream.


Tracks:

01. Move 2:35
02. Jeru 3:15
03. Moon Dreams 3:21
04. Venus De Milo 3:14
05. Budo 2:34
06. Deception 2:50
07. Godchild 3:12
08. Boplicity 3:02
09. Rocker 3:07
10. Israel 2:19
11. Rouge 3:17

Personnel:

Miles Davis – trumpet (all)
Kai Winding – trombone (January 1949)
J. J. Johnson – trombone (April 1949, March 1950)
Junior Collins – French horn (January 1949)
Sandy Siegelstein – French horn (April 1949)
Gunther Schuller – French horn (March 1950)
Bill Barber – tuba (all)
Lee Konitz – alto saxophone (all)
Gerry Mulligan – baritone saxophone (all)
Al Haig – piano (January 1949)
John Lewis – piano (April 1949, March 1950)
Joe Shulman – bass (January 1949)
Nelson Boyd – bass (April 1949)
Al McKibbon – bass (March 1950)
Max Roach – drums (January 1949, March 1950)
Kenny Clarke – drums (April 1949)
Kenny Hagood – vocal ("Darn That Dream" only)