Miles Davis - 'Birth Of The Cool'

 

Miles Davis’ 1957 album ‘Birth of the Cool’ is a modern jazz classic, a snapshot of the post-bebop direction that the young trumpeter was beginning to pursue at the ripe age of 22.

Miles leads his band of merry men [band of merry men? - Ed.]: George Russell, John Lewis, Lee Konitz, Kai Winding, Mike Zwerin, Al Haig, Max Roach, Gunther Schuller, and Al McKibbon, amongst a rotating cast of others.  They all congregated at arranger Gil Evans’ apartment on 55th Street in Manhattan, where they fleshed out their sound. 



The album’s title, Birth of the Cool, refers to the new style that Davis and his collaborators were pioneering. ‘Cool Jazz’ was characterized by a more relaxed and understated approach to improvisation, with an emphasis on melodic and harmonic subtlety.  The pioneering harmonies, complex chords, and voicing on the collection of songs were ahead of their time.  Even more impressive when you recall that the recordings happened almost a decade before their eventual release.  This style would go on to influence a wide range of musicians and genres, including West Coast jazz, bossa nova, and even rock music.



Following the album’s release, ‘Birth of the Cool’ would establish Davis as one of the most important figures in jazz history.  The album’s innovative sound, which featured slower tempos, softer tones, and a more relaxed approach to improvisation, helped to usher in a new era of jazz that would have a lasting impact on the genre.



While, 'Birth of the Cool' is one of the best cool jazz albums ever and one of Miles Davis’s best albums, it also helped to break down racial barriers in the jazz world. The album’s diverse group of musicians included both black and white performers, and its success helped to challenge the notion that jazz was exclusively a black art form.  Not only did the record set the tone for innovation, but its influence also stretched far beyond that of music and achieved serious social significance.  That’s quite an achievement, considering that Miles was in his early twenties when the sessions began.

Today’s freeload is the much sought after, and long out of print Japanese remaster, 1st press, 'Black Triangle' label CD.  This is the version that myself, and fellow "Audiophools" like.







For the freeload, tell us what some of your favorite groundbreaking albums are.