#cooljazz

Personnel Miles Davis – trumpet John Coltrane – tenor saxophone Red Garland – piano Paul Chambers – bass Philly Joe Jones – drums

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.”

Personnel: Miles Davis – trumpet John Coltrane – tenor saxophone Philly Joe Jones – drums Red Garland – piano Paul Chambers – bass

Personnel: Terry Gibbs – vibraphone Pat Moran – piano Jimmy Bond – bass Gary Frommer – drums

The AllMusic review by Alex Henderson awarded the album 4 stars and stated:””Blue Moods is an excellent example of cool jazz. However, not all of the musicians who join Davis on this album were full-time members of jazz’s cool school… But even so, Blue Moods offers considerable rewards to those who have a taste for ’50s cool jazz”.

An Adventure in Sound: Reeds in Hi-Fi (also released as An Adventure in Sound – Reeds) is an album by composer, arranger and conductor Pete Rugolo featuring performances recorded in 1956 and first released on the Mercury label in 1958. Reception. The AllMusic review by Scott Yanow stated: “Unfortunately, the novelty effects tend to overshadow the creative elements, and despite the complexity of some of the writing, the overall feel is quite lightweight. A bit of a disappointment considering the potential.” Personnel: Pete Rugolo – arranger, conductor Harry Klee, Bud Shank – alto saxophone, flute Bob Cooper – tenor saxophone, oboe Dave Pell – tenor saxophone, bass clarinet, English horn Chuck Gentry – baritone saxophone André Previn – piano Barney Kessel – guitar Joe Mondragon – bass Shelly Manne – drums Five unidentified musicians – reeds

Grand Encounter (subtitled 2° East / 3° West) is an album by pianist and composer John Lewis with saxophonist Bill Perkins, guitarist Jim Hall, bassist Percy Heath and drummer Chico Hamilton recorded for the Pacific Jazz label in 1956. The subtitle refers to the groups mix of East Coast (Lewis and Heath) and West Coast (Perkins, Hall and Hamiton) musicians. Reception. Allmusic awarded the album 5 stars stating “this classic session is the ultimate in cool jazz”. Personnel: John Lewis – piano Bill Perkins – tenor saxophone Jim Hall – guitar Percy Heath – bass Chico Hamilton – drums