This edition contains the complete seminal album "Birth of the Cool," bringing together the talents of Miles Davis, Gerry Mulligan, John Lewis and Gil Evans, among others. As a bonus it's added all of the tracks recorded by the same group live at the Royal Roost a year before the studio LP was made. See full details at the 16-page booklet.
Although it is highly revered today, the music of the Miles Davis Nonet left the audiences of the late 1940s indifferent. However, the group was highly popular among other musicians, and served as an inspirational force to a multitude of other bands and individuals over many generations.
Tracklisting:
01. Jeru (Mulligan) (3:12)
02. Move (Best) (2:33)
03. Godchild (Wallington) (3:09)
04. Budo [Hallucinations] (Davis-Powell) (2:33)
05. Venus de Milo (Mulligan) (3:10)
06. Rouge (Lewis) (3:13)
07. Boplicity (Henry) (3:00)
08. Israel (Carisi) (2:17)
09. Deception (Davis) (2:46)
10. Rocker (Mulligan) (3:05)
11. Moondreams (MacGregor-Mercer) (3:19)
12. Darn That Dream (De Lange-Van Heusen) (3:24)
13. Theme (Evans) (0:21) - Live Bonus Track
14. Move (Best) (3:44) - Live Bonus Track
15. Why Do I Love You? (Kern-Hammerstein) (3:44) - Live Bonus Track
16. Godchild (Wallington) (5:52) - Live Bonus Track
17. S'il Vous Plait (Lewis) (4:24) - Live Bonus Track
18. Moondreams (MacGregor-Mercer) (3:08) - Live Bonus Track
19. Budo [Hallucinations] (Davis-Powell) (3:25) - Live Bonus Track
20. Move (Best) (4:49) - Live Bonus Track
21. Darn That Dream (De Lange-Van Heusen) (4:24) - Live Bonus Track
22. Moondreams (MacGregor-Mercer) (3:48) - Live Bonus Track
23. Budo [Hallucinations] (Davis-Powell) (4:21) - Live Bonus Track
Total time: 77:53
The studio tracks appears originally in LP format as "Birth of the Cool" (Capitol T762). And contains the results of three different sessions.
Tracks #1-4, personnel: Miles Davis (tp), Kai Winding (tb), Junior Collins (fh), Bill Barber (tuba), Lee Konitz (as), Gerry Mulligan (bs), Al Haig (p), Joe Shulman (b) and Max Roach (d). Recorded in New York, on January 21, 1949.
Tracks #5-8, personnel: Miles Davis (tp), J.J. Johnson (tb), Sandy Siegelstein (fh), Bill Barber (tuba), Lee Konitz (as), Gerry Mulligan (bs), John Lewis (p), Nelson Boyd (b) and Kenny Clarke (d). Recorded in New York, on April 22, 1949.
Tracks #9-12, personnel: Mies Davis (tp), J.J. Johnson (tb), Gunther Schuller (fh), Bill Barber (tuba), Lee Konitz (as), Gerry Mulligan (bs), John Lewis (p), Al Mckibbon (b) and Max Roach (d). Recorded in New York, on March 9, 1950.
The bonus live tracks are radio broadcast from the New York's Royal Roost Club, and were originally issued in two different albums: Royal Jazz RJD 514 & Bandstand TKCB 30024. Personnel: Miles Davis (tp), Mike Zwerin (tb), Junior Collins (fh), Bill Barber (tuba), Lee Konitz (as), Gerry Mulligan (bs), John Lewis (p), Al Makibbon (b), Max Roach (d), Kenny Hagood (vcl on 15 & 21). Recorded on September 4 (tracks #13-19) and September 18 (tracks #20-23), 1948.
All arrangements by John Lewis, Gerry Mulligan, Gil Evans, Miles Davis & John Carisi.
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Review:
"So dubbed because these three sessions (two from early 1949, one from March 1950) are where the sound known as cool jazz essentially formed, The 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."
Stephen Thomas Erlewine -All Music Guide
