Birth of the Cool

This is an instrumental jazz album with a mellow feel to it. The instrumentation is impeccable and evocative, as you would expect from a classic jazz album. It is more focused on a groove than some solo-filled albums such as Head Hunters. I didn't think it was the best jazz the list has given me(it's hard to top A Love Supreme) but it's still good nonetheless.

Nice …to quote the fast show.

Cool indeed. Great collection of jazz hard to imagine this is 70 years old as it still sounds cool and interesting now.

Odd last song brings the album down a bit . Dropping a possible 5/5 to 4 .

Favorite track(s): Moon Dreams, Budo

I never feel “qualified” to judge jazz albums—it’s just not a language that I speak. This sounds good, and I had an easy time listening to it. I also didn’t THINK much about it as I listened to it because I don’t speak the language. It quickly fades in the background. Perfect for sipping whiskey in the company of a small crowd, swapping stories, using big words. But I don’t think I can really compare this to the pop music on this list.

This is of spectacular importance to jazz history, but I just think it's pretty good. This is basically a collection of 78 rpm singles recorded by Miles Davis and a large, revolving cast of musicians. Considering this, Birth Of The Cool sounds very cohesive. At The End Of The Day, these are songs from the same era, with the same sound, and similar artistic mission statements. The singles chosen for this record are Miles Davis' earliest cool jazz recordings. Cool Jazz being a post-WW2 movement slowing bebop down, making it a little more accessible, and adding some new instrumentation. This album in particular is renowned for its unusual instrumentation, the inclusion of French Horn and Tuba being of particular note. The compositional style on here is also noteworthy. These songs all hover around 3 minutes (or shorter) pretty consistently, which was kind of out of necessity, given that they were originally on 78 rpms. But it does give Birth Of The Cool a really interesting brevity. It also showcases all the improvisation and density associated with jazz music in fascinating little bite-sized packages. But, for all of the interesting things about this album, I just liked it, I didn't love it. I enjoyed my time here, and can appreciate the listening experience from a perspective of historical significance, I just don't think I'm that into cool jazz. It's easy and breezy, almost to a fault. I think I just like my jazz to hurt at least a *little* bit more. But this is coming from an Ornette Coleman fan, so keep that in mind. Regardless, this was an interesting, quick, and broadly enjoyable listen. And if you really know your jazz, I'm sure you'll be more into it than I am.

This is good, but not quite as good as Miles Davis would later get on Kind of Blue. Still, pretty solid and Davis' trumpet tone is amazing as always.

v jazzy

I’m not generally a jazz fan, but did enjoy this one.

Fun fact this is Lisa Simpson's favorite album

I could pretend I’m going to listen to this again and give it a higher rating but it’s not true. I enjoyed it, but not something I’d go out of my way to listen to.

This was fun. Very melodic.

I don't have the historical knowledge to fully appreciate what this style was such a departure from. But I really enjoy it - it has a very classy sound.

Solid grooves here, big band sounds with brass and woodwinds. Lovely. Did feel like hold music/weather channel music for a little bit but overall enjyable

𝘉𝘪𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘰𝘰𝘭 may not have the universal aura of 𝘒𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘉𝘭𝘶𝘦, but it’s a landmark in its own right. Miles Davis and his nonet trade the frenetic energy of bebop for elegance, subtlety, and carefully arranged textures. The result is a cooler, chamber-like jazz that still feels fresh in its restraint — a pivotal step in Davis’s evolution and in modern jazz history.

The album title says it all.

I love this album so much that I know all the lyrics to every song

Not bad.

But certainly not the birth of cool. More Big Band than jazz, and Big Band ain't cool.

Vibe kinda ruined by the one track that had a vocal. Really could have done without that.

I think this needs another listen but for now it's a 3.

The album I put on when I'm trying to impress a classy lady. (W.A.S.P. by W.A.S.P. if she's FILTHY)

I mean it's alright I guess. I don't know much about jazz other than the gigantic influence on, not just black music, but black culture as a whole, but jazz isn't my cup of tea. If I or someone else wanted to start listening, Miles Davis is one of the small handful of jazz artists I would start with, and this album in general is a good starting point. Not my style, but I dig it.

Leichter unspektakulärer Jazz. Es war auszuhalten.