Cobbler's Child - Reviews - Birth of the Cool

Miles Davis (1949)

Having made his reputation in large measure from playing with bop giant Charlie Parker, Davis confounded expectations when he embraced the "cool" arranging style of Gil Evans, an arranger for Claude Thornhill's band. Evans, who was employing unique voicings by adding French horns and tuba to Thornhill's instrumentations, also emphasized a diminished use of vibrato in both reeds and brass, producing a drier, "cool" sound. Two of Evans's arrangements, Boplicity and Moon Dreams, appear on the album. Also involved are baritone saxophonist Gerry Mulligan, who contributed such outstanding tunes as Jeru and Venus de Milo, and Modern Jazz Quartet pianist John Lewis. The result is a date that has withstood the tests of time, fashion, and Davis's own extraordinary growth as a performer.

- Fred Goodman

Listened on:

8 August 2004 - 9 August 2004
27 March 2004
21 January 2004

Return to all reviews