Miles Davis - Birth of the Cool
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Free Music Notes for Birth of the Cool
Free Music Review: One of the Best Ten Jazz Records, Ever
Hit: 5 Stars
You know the story, lost on a desert island, with just ten records to listen too. This would be #1 on my list.Free Music Review: Birth of the Cool deserves 50 stars.
Hit: 5 Stars
Miles Davis is awesome - Birth of the Cool deserves 50 stars.Free Music Review: A defining jazz record
Hit: 4 Stars
Even more than John Coltrane, Miles Davis' cultural icon status has overshadowed his music. So it's worth mentioning that he was a masterful trumpet player who explored the instrument's lower register and tended to play slower, more lyrical lines, often deeply melancholy, rather than the showers of high notes of Dizzy Gillespie and his imitators. If you're new to Miles it's easy to get confused, as he released a multitude of records during a 45-year career, in a bewildering array of different styles. Davis was at the center of almost every movement in modern jazz (except he skipped "free jazz"): early be-bop (he played with Charlie Parker in 1945); the "cool" sound; hard bop; orchestral experimentation; the "modal revolution"; fusion. He also played with most of the key jazz artists of the post-war period, and is probably the single artist who best represents the winding course jazz has taken. I recently got this collection of sides originally released in 1949 and 1950 by the Miles Davis Nonet, not released on LP until 1957. The unusual instrumentation (with French horn and tuba) is carefully used by the arrangers (including Gil Evans, Gerry Mulligan and John Lewis) to create an incredibly full sound, with a remarkable range of tonal colors. The tunes are also incredibly beautiful. The famous "cool" sound is a bit too reserved for my taste, and the arrangements have a certain Hollywood aroma, but there's no denying the power and originality of the work here. Fans may find this jarring because of its transitional nature, with obvious big band elements such as Kenny Hagood's dated-sounding vocal on "Darn That Dream." Some of the arrangements display the breathtaking complexity of later records, though.
Free Music Review: Thank's Lisa!
Hit: 4 Stars
I was ordering some other stuff on Amazon, T.V. on in the background. I heard Lisa Simpson say something about Miles Davis, Birth of the Cool and ordered the CD to get the order over $25 for free shipping or some other impulsive reason. My third-grade students really enjoyed listening to this CD while they worked on their assignments. Very accessible jazz and should be in every collection.
Free Music Review: why Kenny Hagood??
Hit: 4 Stars
This innovative breakthrough album ends on a bum note. Why did anyone think Kenny Hagood was a good singer? He almost sounds like a Bill Murray parody. At best, his vocal performance is workman like, at worst, it's boring and trite. Birth of the Cool is much better listening experience if you just skip the last track!