Why Birth of the Cool?

Did it all start with Birth of the Cool? No, hardly. Miles Davis’ classic recording from 1949-1950 was not his start, It isn’t even his best album. What about that recording makes it cool? Miles, fresh from his stints with Bird goes off and does his own thing. He is very much of a New Yorker bebop head at the time. Sure, he does play differently than other trumpet players at the time, but that doesn’t mean he can pull off this new, West Coast Jazz thing very easily. Seriously, when it comes down to it, its not even west coast jazz.

This album is different though. It isn’t bebop.

What makes it so cool? Gil Evans? Very much so. Lush harmonies, a big ensemble, interesting melodies, french horns(!), tubas(!). This is already a different recording. Yeah, there are bebop harmonies, but its different. It was a statement of change. Bebop is great. But this was Miles’ first statement of change. He changed jazz (and perhaps all music) 5 times. His music never was old, or antiquaited. This was his first statement.

2. Kind of Blue
I’m sure I’ll write about Kind of Blue another day, it certainly deserves that, but for now, in one sentence. Kind of Blue was to Hard Bop what Birth of the Cool was to Bebop. A reaction.

3. The second quintet of the 1960s
Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, Wayne Shorter, Tony Williams, and Miles Davis.
Gawd dammmnn…

4. Electricity
The phase that broke up the second great quintet. On Miles in the Sky, Miles brought in a Rhodes keyboard for Herbie Hancock. Herbie threatened to walk out because he didn’t think it was a good idea. Miles told him to sit down and play. Miles liked the sound. What did we get next? In a Silent Way, Bitches Brew, and On the Corner. Each a reaction to the next one.

5. Hip Hop?
Yes. Maybe one of Miles Davis’ worst records, Doo-Bop. Why is this important? It is the connection of two generations of musicians. In fact pretty much everything Miles did in the 80′s was forgetable. But it is still important. Roy Hargrove, the Roots, Common, Meshell Ndegeocello, and many others have this to thank for their work.

Birth of the Cool is a bold statement. How is cool born? Who is egotistical enough to claim that they are “giving birth to it.” Well, it turns out it was true. Miles was always that way. He still is that way in fact. As a trumpet player myself, I feel comfortable saying this. Most trumpet players try to play really fast, and high. In fact some are so committed to that they put things like this in their email signature “HFL”, which stands for higher, faster, louder. Miles is the opposite of that. He plays notes that mean something. Not catchy things, not high notes for the sake of playing high. That is why he is cool. Plus he said things like this, “Don’t play whats there, play whats not there.” or “Do not fear mistakes, there are none.”

That is cool.