ProJazz.net

Birth of the Cool is an album by the American jazz trumpeter and bandleader Miles Davis. It was released in February or March 1957 on Capitol Records. It compiles tracks recorded by Davis’s nonet for the label over the course of three sessions during 1949 and 1950.

Reception.

The AllMusic review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine awarded the album 5 stars out of 5 and stated:”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.”

Track listing:
Side one
1. “Move” (Lewis) Denzil Best 3396 January 21, 1949 2:29
2. “Jeru” (Mulligan) Gerry Mulligan 3395 January 21, 1949 3:10
3. “Moon Dreams” (Evans) Chummy MacGregor, Johnny Mercer 4348 March 9, 1950 3:13
4. “Venus De Milo” (Mulligan) Gerry Mulligan 3764 April 22, 1949 3:10
5. “Budo” (Lewis) Miles Davis, Bud Powell 3398 January 21, 1949 2:31
6. “Deception” (Mulligan) George Shearing, Miles Davis 4346 March 9, 1950 2:46
Side two
1. “Godchild” (Mulligan) George Wallington 3397 January 21, 1949 3:08
2. “Boplicity” (Evans) Cleo Henry† 3766 April 22, 1949 2:58
3. “Rocker” (Mulligan) Gerry Mulligan 4347 March 9, 1950 3:04
4. “Israel” (Carisi) John Carisi 3767 April 22, 1949 2:15
5. “Rouge” (Lewis) John Lewis 3765 April 22, 1949 3:13
6. “Darn That Dream” (Mulligan) Eddie DeLange, Jimmy Van Heusen 4349 March 9, 1950 3:26

Personnel:
Miles Davis – trumpet
J. J. Johnson – trombone all tracks except as below
Kai Winding – trombone on “Move,” “Jeru,” “Budo,” and “Godchild”
Mike Zwerin – trombone on Royal Roost recordings
Junior Collins – French horn on “Move,” “Jeru,” “Budo,” “Godchild,” and Royal Roost recordings
Sandy Siegelstein – French horn on “Venus de Milo,” “Boplicity,” “Israel,” and “Rouge”
Gunther Schuller – French horn on “Moon Dreams,” “Deception,” “Rocker,” and “Darn That Dream”
Bill Barber – tuba
Lee Konitz – alto saxophone
Gerry Mulligan – baritone saxophone
Al Haig – piano on “Move,” “Jeru,” “Budo,” and “Godchild”
John Lewis – piano on “Venus de Milo,” “Boplicity,” “Israel,” “Rouge,” and Royal Roost recordings
Joe Shulman – bass on “Move,” “Jeru,” “Budo,” and “Godchild”
Nelson Boyd – bass on “Venus de Milo,” “Boplicity,” “Israel,” and “Rouge”
Al McKibbon – bass on “Moon Dreams,” “Deception,” “Rocker,” “Darn That Dream,” and Royal Roost recordings
Max Roach – drums all tracks except as below
Kenny Clarke – drums on “Venus de Milo,” “Boplicity,” “Israel,” and “Rouge”
Kenny Hagood – vocals on “Darn That Dream” and “Why Do I Love You?”

_____________________

Released: 1954
Label: Capitol