Cool Jazz

Jazz in the United States

1890-2011

Professor Frank Lyons

Monday, 19 March 12

Fragmentation of Styles in the 1950’s

• Cool• West Coast• Hard Bop• East Coast• Modal• Third Stream

Monday, 19 March 12

Cool Jazz•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

Monday, 19 March 12

Miles Davis (1926-1991)

• 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

Monday, 19 March 12

Jeru (1949) - Mulligan

• 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

Monday, 19 March 12

Jeru (1949) - Mulligan• 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

Monday, 19 March 12

Boplicity (1949) - Henry (Davis/Evans)

• 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

Monday, 19 March 12

Boplicity (1949) - Henry (Davis/Evans)

• Recorded at second session with Miles Davis Nonet

• Very cool style• Seamless integration of written and

improvised elements• Reaction against ferocity of bebop

Monday, 19 March 12

Modern Jazz Quartet

• 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

Monday, 19 March 12

Django (1954) -Lewis

• John Lewis – Piano• Milt Jackson –

Vibraphone• Kenny Clarke –

Drums• Percy Heath - Bass

Monday, 19 March 12

West Coast Jazz

• 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

Monday, 19 March 12

Walkin’ Shoes (1952) -Mulligan

• Gerry Mulligan – Baritone Sax

• Chet Baker – Trumpet• Bob Whitlock – Bass• Chico Hamilton -

Drums

Monday, 19 March 12

Bernie’s Tune (1955) - Miller, Lieber, Stoller arr. Mulligan

• Gerry Mulligan – Baritone Sax

• Bob Brookmeyer – Trombone

• Jon Eardley – Trumpet• Zoot Sims – Tenor Sax• Peck Morrison – Bass• Dave Baily - Drums

Monday, 19 March 12

Blue Rondo Alla Turk (1959)-Brubeck

• 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

Monday, 19 March 12

Take Five (1959) - Desmond

• Paul Desmond – Alto Sax

• Dave Brubeck – Piano

• Joe Morello – Drums

• Eugene Wright - Bass

Monday, 19 March 12

Take Five (1959) - Desmond

• Paul Desmond – Alto Sax

• Dave Brubeck – Piano

• Joe Morello – Drums

• Eugene Wright - Bass

Monday, 19 March 12

Hard Bop

• Reaction against white domination of West Coast jazz

• Black musicians looking to identifiably black styles

• Features from bebop mixed with blues andgospel

• Accent on backbeat 2 and 4 from R&B

Monday, 19 March 12

Doodlin’ (1954) - SilverHorace Silver and the Jazz Messengers

• Blues changes• Rhythmic

displacement• Gospel swing

feel• Emphasis on 2

and 4

Monday, 19 March 12

The Preacher (1954) - SilverHorace Silver and the Jazz Messengers

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

Monday, 19 March 12

John Coltrane (1926-67)

• 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

Monday, 19 March 12

Blue Train (1957) - Coltrane

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

Monday, 19 March 12

Straight, No Chaser (1958) - Monk

• Miles Davis Sextet recording of Monk standard• Contrast of cool sound of Davis with the searching

virtuosity of Coltrane• Coltrane extending harmonic boundaries

Monday, 19 March 12

So What - Davis (1959)

• 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’

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

Monday, 19 March 12

Giant Steps (1959) - Coltrane

• John Coltrane – Tenor Sax

• Paul Chambers – Bass

• Tommy Flanagan – Piano

• Art Taylor - Drums

Monday, 19 March 12

Giant Steps (1959) - Coltrane

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

Monday, 19 March 12