Cool Jazz

• • • • • •

Cool  West  W est Coast C oast Hard Bop East Coast Modal Third Stream

• 1947 – Group of musicians began to gather regularly at Gil Evans New York apartment

• 1949/50 – Miles Davis Nonet recording  sessions

• Band featured Gil Evans’ circle including  Davis, Mulligan, Konitz and Lewis

• Released by Capitol as Birth of the Cool

• Born into well-to-do family  • • • •

in Illinois  Worked in Parker’s bebop quintet 1945-48 Nonet recordings 1949-50 Developed intense lyrical style of playing  Pioneered use of harmon mute – became his signature sound

• Miles Davis – trumpet • Kai Winding – trombone • Junior Collins – French • • • • • •

horn John Barber – tuba  Lee Konitz – alto sax Gerry Mulligan –  baritone sax  Al Haig – piano Joe Shulman – bass Max Roach - drums

• Recorded at first session with Miles Davis Nonet • Cool style • Less overtly virtuosic • Sophisticated arrangement by Gerry  Mulligan • Different instruments conceived of as single section • Use of classical instruments • Mixed race ensemble

• Miles Davis – trumpet • JJ Johnson – trombone • Sandy Siegelstein – • • • • • •

French horn John Barber – tuba  Lee Konitz – alto sax Gerry Mulligan –  baritone sax John Lewis – piano Nelson Boyd – bass Kenny Clarke - drums

• Recorded at second session with Miles Davis Nonet • Very cool style • Seamless integration of written and improvised elements • Reaction against ferocity of bebop

• • • •

John Lewis – Piano Milt Jackson – Vibraphone Kenny Clarke – Drums Percy Heath - Bass

• Formed in 1952 •  Wore concert attire and played concert halls • Reaction against stereotypical image of black jazz musicians as junkies •  Anti-drugs

• John Lewis – Piano • Milt Jackson –  Vibraphone • Kenny Clarke – Drums • Percy Heath - Bass

•  After WW2 many moved to California to pursue the • • • • •

‘American dream’ Gerry Mulligan moved to the West Coast after the ‘Birth of the Cool’ sessions Formed a ‘pianoless’ quartet with Chet Baker on trumpet, Chico Hamilton on drums and Bob Whitlock on bass Developed more relaxed ‘cool’ style in keeping with lifestyle on West Coast  Young fan base  Very popular on college circuit

• Gerry Mulligan – • • •

Baritone Sax Chet Baker – Trumpet Bob Whitlock – Bass Chico Hamilton Drums

• • • • • •

Gerry Mulligan – Baritone Sax Bob Brookmeyer – Trombone Jon Eardley – Trumpet Zoot Sims – Tenor Sax Peck Morrison – Bass Dave Baily - Drums

• Dave Brubeck’s • • • •

Quartet Time Out – album released in 1959 Experimenting with odd-metre 2+2+2+3 Odd-metre sections alternate with 4/4 swing sections Metric modulation  between sections

• Paul Desmond • • •

– Alto Sax Dave Brubeck – Piano Joe Morello – Drums Eugene Wright - Bass

• Paul Desmond • • •

– Alto Sax Dave Brubeck – Piano Joe Morello – Drums Eugene Wright - Bass

•

•

•

•

Reaction against white domination of West Coast  jazz Black musicians looking to identifiably black styles Features from bebop mixed with blues and gospel  Accent on backbeat 2 and 4 from R&B

• Blues changes • Rhythmic • •

displacement Gospel swing  feel Emphasis on 2 and 4

• Hank Mobley – Tenor Sax • Kenny Dorham - Trumpet • Horace Silver – Piano •  Art Blakey – Drums • Doug Watkins - Bass

• • • • •

Born in Hamlet, North Carolina   Went to music conservatory  Joined Miles Davis’ quintet in 1955 First made an impact as leader with 1957 recording Blue Train  After problems with drugs had a ‘spiritual awakening’ in 1957

• • • • • •

John Coltrane – Tenor Sax Lee Morgan – Trumpet Curtis Fuller - Trombone Paul Chambers – Bass Kenny Drew – Piano Philly Joe Jones - Drums

• Miles Davis Sextet recording of Monk standard • Contrast of cool sound of Davis with the searching   virtuosity of Coltrane • Coltrane extending harmonic boundaries

• • • • • •

Miles Davis – Trumpet Julian ‘Cannonball’ Adderley – Alto Sax John Coltrane – Tenor Sax Bill Evans - Piano Paul Chambers – Bass Jimmy Cobb - Drums

• From Kind of Blue – the biggest selling jazz • • •

recording of all time Constructed from dorian mode on D and Eb 32-bar song form AABA  ‘Modal jazz’

• John Coltrane – Tenor Sax • Paul Chambers – Bass • Tommy Flanagan – Piano •  Art Taylor - Drums

• • • • •

Fast harmonic rhythm Unusual chord progression based on thirds  Ambiguous phrasing  Extended solos – Coltrane 206 bars Stretching the boundaries on all levels