Reviews (page 12 of 14)
Would like to enjoy more jazz.
Classic jazz, mostly instrumental except the vocals on the final track.
Good jazz
Perfect Sunday evening vibe ahead of a busy week.
Jazz like this continues to definitely not be my thing, but this is sooooo smooth. Miles Davis made playing the trumpet sound like the easiest thing in the world; he was truly a master!
It certainly is cool. I didn't look at any track names, but that final track feels so out of place.
Nice trumpet. But... y'know... it's just... trumpet. Whilst trumpet can convey the three main emotions (happy, sad, and meepy), it struggles to get more complex ideas, philosophies or stories across. This is no doubt a great example of what it is, but what it is only has limited appeal for me. Rating: 3/5 Playlist track: Moon Dreams Date listened: 05/05/22
sounds like jazz to me
A little less experimental than the later David I’ve heard.
Historic, groundbreaking, and... kind of boring.
This is sneaky. I spent the first half doing something while listening and thought it was just ok. Unemotional, smoove jaz. But this kind of music rewards attention. Way better if you focus on it. Also worth noting: this sounds like normal 70s-2010s jazz mostly because this comes before all those biters.
Can’t get into it 🤷♂️. Give it 3 stars though so as not to seem racist.
😎 🎺
Made me feel uneasy, but I'm not sure if it was because I was feeling uneasy anyway.
Not really getting it
I like jazz, but this did not go well for me. I guess I need to listen more times to it. A decent album nonetheless. Miles Davis has better stuff in his catalogue.
J'ai un gros problème avec Miles Davis et je vais vous expliquer pourquoi. Il se trouve qu'en 2016, une chanson appelée « J'écoute du Miles Davis » d'un certain Navii passait très fréquemment sur les ondes radio. Vous l'aurez compris, cette chanson était tout bonnement insupportable et n'avait pour seul objectif de la part du chanteur que de se la péter avec un « Eh vous avez vu, j'écoute de la musique des années 50 ayant obtenu un succès critique, j'ai donc bon goût :) » implicite. J'ai depuis lors Miles Davis en horreur et ne peut l'écouter sans visualiser la tête de ce petit merdeux jouant de la guitare.
Cet album n'a trouvé que mon desintérêt le plus total. Fort heureusement, la version deluxe contenait la chanson "J'écoute du Miles Davis" de Navii, ce qui a permis de pimenter un peu le tout, pour un resultat qui reste très médiocre. Il va falloir que Miles Davis se reprenne en main dans les prochaines années, si il veut enfin réussir à exprimer son potentiel.
Cool instrumental album. The jazz was really easy to listen to and a refreshing change
Not my genre, but appreciate the great playing.
Otro disco de jazz que no me vuela la cabeza. Cómo resultado de este ejercicio lo aguanto, respeto y disfruto más, pero aún no llega ese punto de sorprenderme o quizá es que aún no distingo entre el buen jazz y el regular.
Jazzezito bonito, quizá ya totalmente metido en el Cool Jazz en lugar de al desmadroso y divertido de NOLA que me gusta más. Miles Davis es garantía en la trompeta y con sus bandas, pero eso no hace que sea algo que quiera oír con frecuencia y lo dejo nada más como un check en la lista.
You can tell this is really good jazz, but it still eventually ends of feeling like "listening to jazz"
There's no doubt Miles Davis had profound affect on Jazz, and this is a fine showcase of his undoubted skills. I'm just not into it.
Not my thing at all, but nice to listen to.
I like these old jazz albums a lot as background music and should probably try and more attention to the arrangements but I feel like a piano makes a big difference in jazz for me.
3.4 - seemingly straightforward jazz, with a bit of a big band feel. Timing is right and improvisation is obviously limited, but definitely a nice album to have in the background on a slow Sunday afternoon.
Laid back, generally cheerful, cool-ass blues. Martinis all round.
Some nice jazz that was much much better than bitches brew
Kolejny Miles na liscie, juz czwarty, tym razem z dosc zaskakujacym albumem, bo nie jest to studyjny krazek, a raczej kompilacja nagran z 49 i 50, wydana dopiero w 57, a material stanowil podwaliny cool jazzu, ktory najlepiej jest znany wlasnie z studyjnych plyt Davisa tamtego okresu, wiec miles ahead czy porgy and bess, po ktorych dopiero przychodzi epoka modalnego grania, jak na zaliczonym juz na liscie kind of blue, wiec nazwa kompilacyjnego krazka zobowiazuje i serwuje swieze podejscie do bebopu, podanie go w coolowym wydaniu, ciezko sprawdzic kto gra na ktorym traku, bo material byl nagrywany przynajmniej na trzech sesjach, ale nazwiska sie przewijajace obok Davisa, to raczej biala strona mocy jazzowej, jak zreszta przystalo na coolowy jazz, ktory zazwyczaj kojarzy sie z bialymi artystami, ale sa oczywiscie wyjatki od tej reguly i wsrod nich bedzie John Lewis z Modern Jazz Quartet, ktory ma na plycie swoje dwie aranzacje, to jest move oraz rouge, 11 kawalkow w 32 minuty, co daje dosc krotki kompozycje jak na jazz, na plejke dodam boplicity i otwierajacy plyte move, o ile slucha sie tego albumu szybko, bo taka krotka forma, to brak jej spojnosci, bo slychac, ze kazdy mial wlasny pomysl na coolowe brzmienie, wiec przynajmniej mozna otrzymac szersza perspektywe na granie lub tworzenie sie jednego gatunku przez kilku artystow, a to wszystko na jednej plycie
Not as good as In a Silent Way
3/5
The oldest album I have received on this list so far (first album from the 1950s in general), but it definitely did not feel dated in the slightest. I enjoyed this one for what it was: a very solid jazz record that establishes a specific mood right off the bat and just feels cool to listen to. I am not too familiar with Miles Davis or the genre in general, but I can tell that he is a fantastic trumpet player and songwriter based on this album alone. I liked the fact that the tracks were shorter lengths compared to what jazz is typically known for; this allowed for tight compositions and a nice quick pace throughout the entire album. This one is hard to give a rating to since I really have nothing to compare it to, but I could see myself throwing this on in the background again as a light listen. 3/5.
This always sounded like a brass band playing jazz to me. Listening to it repeatedly didn't change my mind. I think it's the french horn, it just doesn't belong. Sounds like it could break out into the theme from Johnny Briggs any second. More reeds please. Yes it's seminal and everything that Miles Davis did needs to be listened to, but not a great album for me.
Yes, this is jazz. It does the tootling and the swinging and it's quite okay actually. Bit on the polite side. Feels cool to have on in the background but it's not particularly blowing (ha) me away. 6/10
Pretty chill vibes, good music for a date night or chilling at home on the couch
A decent jazz album
Not a jazz guy but it’s clearly good.
This is my favorite Miles Davis album. But I still only have so much patience for it.
Not bad, nice jazz music but not really my type of music. Maybe might come back to it.
Good vibes. Fucking crazy amount of players
Very good at what it does, just not for me
Gefällt mir nicht ganz so gut wie die Bitches Brew.
Nice to hear but fails to be more than classical background music for my ears
Some fine compositions, great musicianship. Perfectly digestible.
Very cool - really enjoyed
Not my favorite Miles Davis album, but that doesn't really mean much. I'm ranking this a three, but it's a pretty high three. If I rounded up my scores, it would be a four, but I don't.
I don't understand jazz well enough to know what is great and what is bad. I know music theory (to a limited degree) and it clearly sounds nice. But I don't know what makes this great compared to other jazz which sounds similar. I get the later, out there, stuff a bit more. This just sounds like very nice music you put on to appear sophisticated. It's very mellow. I went away and did some reading and get why it's important now. Introduced polyphony to jazz, and chilled it out some. I'm up to Moon Dreams, and there's a very nice descending run which is the first distinctive bit of the album. I finished it. It is pleasant all the way through. A nice surprise at the end when you get vocals all of a sudden. I still don't 'get' this sort of more trad jazz, it all just seems very nice, but fails to excite me.
Miles always delivers - a solid jazz album, not entirely memorable but makes for a good listen
Miles is THE MAN. These early uptempo swing numbers are musical as anything, but they just don't give me the same feels as where he took his music shortly after. I've always found a swing shuffle beat to be a pretty corny sound and, besides a few tracks here, it's just all over this album. Can't hold it against Miles though, as he went on to create one musical masterpiece after another. Glad to have listened to this again after many years.
The recording quality on this is the best but i will give it some slack being 60+ years ago. Not having the best jazz ear, I don't know that I would be able to pick a song in here that I latched onto. Though I do like jazz and miles davis.
Enjoyable - Never listened to him before
Great music to drink wine and fuck to. I can't help but separate cool jazz / post-bop / whatever, from eating dinner at Vito's and leering at the waitstaff. Solid instrumentation, some generally interesting stuff going on, though doesn't grab my attention as much as other albums/tracks Miles Davis.
Super cool, super smooth. A few tracks I couldn't connect with. Best track: Jeru
Very nice indeed
A solid jazzy album. 0RS
It's a classic but not something I would regularly put on myself. I tend to prefer other Blue Note records from the period.
Cool jazz has never been my cup of tea, and this doesn't change that fact. It is, however, strikingly cohesive for a compilation, and the first half's sequencing hits especially hard. Move sounds completely boppy, but also like it's being pushed through something viscous. The slowing-down continues through the third track, and then Budo presents an aural challenge again but with tone instead of speed. The compositions are fairly straightforward temporally, but the nonet format gives lots of interesting texture variation. The drums come across as especially dynamic.
Good.
This is pretty primordial compared to the later Davis stuff that I like, but you can't really go wrong with it.
This was alright, one of those albums that's far too old to really judge. But I did tap my foot a bit. Very old timey, 3/5.
music to sample to make lo-fi beats to study to
So smooth.
Sadly don't have too much of an ear for such music. I'd love to give this a 4, but that'd feel a bit dishonest. Did enjoy it though.
Very jazzy, like the most jazzy ive ever listened to i think. Not really what i like, but nice to finally have a listen.
Going by the wiki description I was expecting something more laid back than this, but fairly enjoyable stuff for a jazz noob like me. The songs are short, some almost too short to leave a lasing impression, but there were some nice vibes.
Smoking room kinda jazz, I dug it, not sure if I would listen again but it was enjoyable
jsp c'est cool, c du jazz quoi c tout pareil tfacon le jazz :)
Shades of Blue is better imo
good background music
Legendary jazz. This was a good offering
A must-listen for Jazz beginners. I’m not huge on the cool / hard bop style but this album is still a great collection of tracks. Favorite Track : Venus De Milo Least Favorite Track : Boplicity
не мой стиль
Different. Good.
I never get that much pleasure from Birth of the Cool or Kind of Blue, compared the 1960s Miles albums, or even many of his 1950s albums. Both albums are obviously landmarks in jazz, but they're not particular favourites of mine. It's been a few years since I last heard this one. Some stellar playing and you can hear the new era in jazz coming directly in bebop's wake here. The one vocal track at the end always made this feel even less like a "proper album", so I'm enjoying the 2003 mono remaster that takes this track back off. Overall, I'm grateful it happened and had the effect it had... but it's an unexcited 3/5 from me. I'd go to 3.5 if halves were allowed.
Didn’t strike me in the way some of his other albums have, but will go back to it again
Love this album…. Great listening
The jazz basics. Important but not unmissable.
Fun and fast for the most part, like all my favorite jazz. Makes me miss Colin's shows.
A good album, but far from what I consider the best of Miles Davis (which really is "best").
Listened three times but couldn't quite get my attention grabbed on it. Did feel like one long jazzy sesh so it defies what I'm used to. However, that's a good thing about it, because it's kind of chill and I can focus on work while listening. Solid trumpet playing leads the melodies, and I can't say no to smooth double bass. Great stuff but there's not too much there in it for me.
FUCK YES tammmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm 6/10
classic trumpet jazz
Hat mir gut gefallen, und wichtiger: das Tor zu einem langen Samstag mit durchlaufender Jazz-Playlist geöffnet. Die mir insgesamt sogar besser gefallen hat als das eigentliche Album hier. Da hört man - Aufnahme von 1949/1950 - noch viel Orchestersound und Swing und Bebop, und das klingt schon gut alles, aber für mein unbedarftes Ohr sind die späteren Sachen noch cooler (heißt ja dann auch so). Freue mich schon wenn die kommen. Super ist, hier den Übergang, bzw. „The Birth of the Cool“ so direkt freigestellt zu bekommen! 3,4 Sterne.
There's no doubt Miles Davis had profound affect on Jazz, and this is a fine showcase of his undoubted skills. I'm just not into it.
Not my favorite Miles.
good but old fasioned
un genie son dernier cd doo bop est tres different et a mon goût plus interessant
Ça se laisse écouter..en musique de fond. Mais rien de bin exitant pour moi.
Det jazzer detta
Se acaba haciendo un poco monótono con tanta trompeta y eso que solo dura 30 minutos.
J'adore le titre de l'album, Miles Davis chill à mort. J'aime le jazz et j'ai hâte d'entendre d'autres album dans le même style. Pour celui-ci, j'ai trouvé qu'il manquait encore un petit quelque chose. Dur à expliquer, mais j'aimerais quelque chose d'un peu moins poli, un peu plus rough. Je suis sur que ça va venir. Mon hit: Je trouve que ce genre de musique s'écoute plus en album qu'en segments de 2-3 hits mais je choisirais ''Jeru'' pour son côté ''Je débarque dans une grande occasion avec mon chapeau et mon chéquier''.
Solid album, bet given my newness to Jazz, i can't figure out what to love or hate about it. A fine listen.
Relaxing listen.
I feel bad about this because I know Miles Davis is an innovator and one of the all-time greats who was ahead of his time, but the music on this just doesn't do it for me. I just don't feel it. I'm giving it 3 stars out of respect.
was ok
Love trumpet, but this isn't my fave style
smoooooth. cooler than the cool side of the pillow
super cool, bud
Production: 12/20 Songwriting: 13/20 Innovation: 14/20 Bangers: 0/20 Emotional response: 12/20 =52 yeah lovely stuff. Not bangerific but that's fine.
I think I may intrinsically lack the sophistication to get jazz. Boodily beedily beedily boodily boopidy boodily doodily deedily beedily boodily deedily doodily do.
Good mix of cool jazz. Short album. A pleasant listen.
I liked it essentially - but too much brass music
3.5
Go miles
jazz is not for me
Of course miles davis albums should be on this list.
Miles 'boomer' Davis
-Jazz af -Easy to listen to -Brought a coding ephifany
There are better albums by Miles Davis, this one was lackluster.
I dont think i like the high energy jazz, it kinda j sounds like a bunch of instruments playing random shit at the same time and rlly loud I did kinda like moons dream(or one close to that) because it was slow moving actually sounded like the sounds go together.
"Please Hold" music on steroids
Emt
Vieläkään en jaksa välittää jazzista. Arvostan taitavia muusikoita, mutta ei tätä olisi huvittanut kuunnella kymmentä sekuntia enempää.
Nice background music, hard to differentiate one track from the next to my simpleton's ear. Which brings me back to one of life's great mysteries. How on earth does he decide what to call each track?
Gah. I'm sorry. I know this is probably Art. I just didn't engage with it at all. It flew between my ears like a shadow and was gone.
overall: 5/10 decent. calming, groovy kind of instrumentals id listen to in the background. not my taste tho
3/10 I never want my low reviews to give off the impression that I don't understand the talent being displayed. I very much do acknowledge the importance of albums like this. However that can all be true while not being the type of music I'm going to enjoy.
Good for background music.
Literally just sounds like background music. Not a big jazz kind of guy.
reminder i'm not a jazz person anyways but good song tbh
Cool album name! However, I'm sure this would be better appreciated by someone else, as I am not a fan of Jazz. For me to enjoy music, I need lyrics.
More Jazz. It's better than I thought but honestly kind of being.
Not really one for Jazz but this wasn't too bad. As background or lift music or out for a meal it works. Foreground it's a different story
Gotta admit, liked Bitches Brew more
Chill background music, but not interesting enough to actively enjoy it as an album.
2/5 Favorite Song: Darn That Dream
fun jazz album, but im not the biggest jazz head
Way too much trumpet for me. I felt like I was listening to skits supporting a sitcom from yesteryear. Technically, I'm sure this is impressive, but if a guitarist started soloing from the beginning to the end of song, it would be awful. I get the same vibe here.
Not my kind of music I think. Nice background sound.
Best Track - "Moon Dreams"
Why can't they just play the right notes?
I think I just accidentally listened to the same song 10 times in a row.
That’s it… Jazz isn’t for me, i guess. At least purely instrumental jazz. Yes, Davis is an incredibly talented musician. And yes, his music was probably revolutionary back when it was released. But nothing here grips or excites me. It’s nice to put on as background music, but whenever i tried to actively listen to it, my attention would just slip away. So what do i do with this? There are one or two jazz records that i enjoyed more from the list, or at least albums that gripped my attention. I guess compared to them, this is only a two for me.
Alors album de trompette, je saurai pas dire si c’est vraiment du « jazz ». Honnêtement pas si dingue, assez plat enfaite, les sons se ressemblent et on dirait des sons d’ascenseur. Ça manque un peu de folie je trouve, on ne ressent pas de virtuosité par Miles Davis. Après forcément c’est plutôt calme donc pas horrible à écouter même si je trouve le tempo un poil rapide pour être mis dans un salon tranquillement, ça sonne comme de la musique de soirée mondaine dans les films sur les années 60, sur une scène c’est pas mal mais un truc aussi plat sur tout un album c’est pas dingue. 1,5
There's some good ones on here, but man are there some snoozers. A few tracks on here felt like I was watching one of those 1950s PSAs that explained puberty and dating to 15 year olds. I had another Miles Davis album last week, In A Silent Way, that knocked my socks off. I feel like the shorter song length didn't give the artists enough time to spread their legs and explore.
Ок, знаю цього мужчину. Цей альбом не чув. Це приємний і стабільний джаз, не експериментальний.
I normally enjoy high-tempo rock and punk music, which in a sense could be seen as the opposite of this. I have also tried to listen to jazz before, but it has never stuck. I know that Miles Davis is a legend, and the thing with this album is that the high tempo actually fits my taste a lot better than the slower ones I may have been listening to earlier.
as a musician, always heard about how talented and revered jazz musicians are. but let's be frank, this shit is boring. Yea they can noodle for days over complex chord progressions, but where's the hook, the melody, the harmony, or anything memorable? Snoozefest.
Faudrait que quelqu'un d'intelligent m'explique je pense.
Fine but not my thing
I guess I'm not cool. I see my lack of enthusiasm for modern jazz as something of a failure of taste on my part. I like Dixieland, swing and some bebop but refuse modern jazz except where fused with hip hop.
Great musicians. Still not a jazz fan
Situational. Time and place. Tilling a garden, maybe not one of them hahah.
Not for me
Stefnulaus jazz, finnst mér.
Boring
First time I listened to jazz by choice. It had some fun moments I felt like dancing to. I can understand the appeal it has for some people. It felt like background music in a vintage movie. The songs felt a bit similar but that could just be a me thing. It was nice but I just felt like I should be doing something while listening to it. Favorite songs where Jeru, Boplicity and Rouge. I give it 2.45
beautiful but not for me.
Pas encore atteint l’étape d’écouter du jazz pr le fun si c’est pour pas voir les instruments en vrai dsl
It's nice to have on in the background but most jazz just leaves me really cold.
It was a fun listen, definitely not the genre I usually listen to. Jazz always has a lot of emotion and it's hard to dislike it, but I do find it a bit boring and not quite for my taste.
If you like jazz this is for you
I come to The Birth of the Cool with all the baggage of someone whose idea of jazz has been irreversibly warped by The Fast Show (“Nice!”) and, frankly, that’s probably half the problem. I still struggle to feel the appeal in the way devotees clearly do. That said, this is about as painless — even pleasant — as jazz has been for me. What helps is the calmness and structure. Rather than showboating chaos or musicians disappearing up their own solos, these tracks feel arranged, considered, and (crucially) tuneful. There are actual melodies you can hum, and the ensemble playing gives it a softness and balance that stops it tipping into self-indulgence. It’s undeniably stylish and historically important, and I can appreciate its relaxed, late-night sophistication even if it doesn’t exactly stir my soul. I wouldn’t put it on for fun, but I also wouldn’t flee the room — which, for jazz, is genuine progress
jazzy jazz jazz
All instrumental, not my thing!
Not a fan of jazz
Just another jazz piece with saxophone.
Heard of it before but hadn’t heard it. Interesting.
Nicht gehortt
I mean I guess it's pretty cool?
Its fine I guess. As Barry B Benson has asked "You like Jazz?" And the answer is no. But La La Land is still dope.
Tja, det er bedre end det tidligere jazz-album, men det har stadig den klare ulempe, at det er et jazz-album 2.1
I'm a lyrics type of gal. Instrumentals don't really satisfy me so this album really had a hard time convincing me. I like a lot of swing-inspired modern songs so I thought I'd like it a lot more than I did. It feels very simplistic to me. I went in completely blind not knowing anything about it. I'm glad I tried something new, but it didn't land for me. Especially the song called Israel, that I skipped, but it already lost me by then.
Not cool enough
parecía música de restaurant caro no mí tipo de música
I can’t help it. I really don’t enjoy this the way I wish I did.
Not the biggest fan of this one, i enjoy more of his stuff after this album.
Bastante meh la verdad, me esperaba mucho más, siempre escuché que Miles Davis es el peak del jazz (junto con John Coltraine) pero este álbum pasó sin pena ni gloria, tiene dos temas memorables pero lo demás es jazz de fondo para restaurante, espero que algún otro trabajo de Miles me llegue a sorprender, por ahora fue un inicio agridulce.
meh, don’t really appreciate jazz like that especially without a diversity of sound or lyrics
Fine background music. No real feelings about this one. Sorry Miles.
good vibes thats all. Not my thing
This just doesnt do anything for me at all. I know, I'm the worst. But it sounds like one long song. I respect it, I know theyre great musicians. But its totally lost one me
I'm not really a great jazz fan. But O know that Davis was something of a trailblazer. But this album is a bit of a noodly-doodly kind of jazz album, and I didn't really enjoy it too much. Matters were made worse by my streaming platform supplying an extended editions with a load of radio broadcast live performances complete with announcers and (in some cases) appalling vocals.
Não é minha praia!
This would make good film soundtrack music. But to listen to alone I just can't get on with jazz. It's just too smug and pretentious for me. But at least it's not prog rock.
Miles is right, this album is cool as hell. Too cool for me, unfortunately. I’m not a blues fan. Not the kind of instrumental tracks I like, but obviously he’s very talented.
шось не йде
Everybody reckons this bloke is a genius. I don’t know if I’ve ever heard a song of his. I’m intrigued. Every song on this album is pretty much the same just longer or faster than the others. It sounds exactly the same.
Didn’t realize this was all instrumental but I also know nothing about miles Davis. Sounds real chill Post listen: Turns out miles Davis isn’t Sammie Davis jr. music all kind of just blends together and there were no standout tracks. Maybe I’m just not into jazz
I don't like jazz but it's tolerable
Album vieillissant qui montre que cette forme de jazz est sympa mais sans plus
As someone who just does not like fast, swing-y jazz, I unfortunately have to put this one in the 'not for me' pile.
I can appreciate the iconicness of Miles Davis and how he changed the trajectory of music but I don’t like the sound of trumpets enough to enjoy this album.
I dont think I can deal with another jazz album
Cannot listen to it on its own, need to either watch it performed or functioning as a soundtrack.
some decent stuff but too much for one sitting for me
This was a big yawn for me. I’m sure this is all technically proficient, but it was in no way electrifying.
Funky, nice background music. Didn't grab my attention the whole time
Guess I am not that big into Jazz - too fast and chaotic
I can listen to and appreciate it, but I don’t get that much enjoyment from it.
Jake: Good but all sounds the same Greg: Good but all sounds the same Annie: Good but all sounds the same We obviously need more jazz training 🤣🤣
Il y a des jours, en me levant et en regardant la liste de ce foutu projet des "1001 Albums qu'il faut avoir écoutés avant de crever", je me demande vraiment dans quelle galère je me suis fourré. Je savais que ça n'allait pas être une promenade de santé. Je savais qu'il y aurait des trucs qui me feraient saigner des oreilles, des pop-stars préfabriquées, de la country dégoulinante ou du rock progressif chiant à mourir avec des solos de clavier de vingt minutes. Mais je savais aussi qu'il y aurait le mur. Le fameux mur des légendes intouchables, des vaches sacrées. Les artistes devant lesquels la bien-pensance musicale t'oblige à te prosterner sous peine de te voir retirer ta carte de mélomane. Et aujourd'hui, paf, je me prends le mur en pleine gueule. Miles Davis 1957 et Birth of the Cool. Bon, je sais que je vais me faire des ennemis. Les puristes vont hurler au blasphème, déchirer leurs cols roulés, recracher leur vin nature et m'accuser de ne rien comprendre à l'histoire de la musique. Mais je m'en fous, je l'annonce d'emblée : moi, Miles Davis, ça m'emmerde. C'est physique, c'est mental, c'est comme ça. Et d'ailleurs, c'est un peu la même chose avec John Coltrane. Voilà, c'est dit, c'est écrit noir sur blanc sur cette critique, le blasphème est consommé. J'attends la foudre, mais en attendant, je vais vous expliquer pourquoi je me fais chier en écoutant la prétendue naissance de la "coolitude". Pour comprendre, il faut que je remette un peu de contexte. Je suis né en 1970 et j'ai grandi avec une autre urgence dans les tympans. J'ai commencé à vraiment bouffer de la musique quand j'étais ado, au moment où le post-punk, la cold wave et les prémices de l'indie rock redéfinissaient les règles. Moi, mes héros ne portaient pas de costards impeccables en soufflant dans des cuivres avec l'air faussement détaché dans des clubs enfumés. Mes héros, ils chantaient le désespoir avec des guitares saturées ou des boîtes à rythmes glaciales. Mes héros s'appellent The Cure, Nick Cave, Joy Division ou New Order. Plus tard, je suis passé de l'autre côté du miroir. Entre 1991 et 2000, j'ai usé mes fonds de culotte dans une radio indépendante et j'en ai programmé des trucs. J'en ai écouté des galettes improbables. Ensuite, entre 96 et 2000, j'étais derrière le comptoir d'un disquaire indépendant. C'était mon époque, mon univers. Quand un gamin rentrait dans la boutique en cherchant une claque, je ne lui tendais pas du Miles Davis. Je lui filais le dernier Sonic Youth, un bon vieux Pixies, le hurlement primal de Nirvana, ou si je voulais vraiment le traumatiser, je l'orientais vers du Godflesh ou les fréquences telluriques de Sunn O))). Là, il y avait de la matière, là, il y avait du danger. Alors forcément, quand je mets Birth of the Cool sur la platine, le contraste est rude. Entendons-nous bien, et je tiens à le préciser avant que la police du jazz ne vienne défoncer ma porte : je ne remets ni en cause leur talent, ni leur importance historique. Je ne suis pas complètement teubé. Je sais lire une encyclopédie et je comprends très bien ce que Miles Davis a apporté. Je comprends que cet album de 1957 (compilant des sessions de 49 et 50, d'ailleurs, petite parenthèse pour les nerds) a cassé la frénésie du bebop pour proposer un truc plus arrangé, plus posé, plus "cool". L'utilisation du cor d'harmonie, du tuba, ce nonet improbable... oui, c'est brillant sur le papier. C'est de l'orfèvrerie. Mais sur moi, ça glisse. L'importance historique, ça ne fait pas dresser les poils sur les bras. Je ne leur demande pas de sonner comme le jazz que j'affectionne, car ils en seraient tout bonnement incapables. On ne peut pas réécrire l'histoire. On crée avec les outils qu'on a entre les mains à l'instant T, pas avec ceux qui n'existent pas encore. C'est la base de la création artistique. Comment voulez-vous faire du jazz hardcore si le "hard" et le "core" n'ont pas encore été imaginés ? Comment tu veux cracher une violence urbaine sourde et post-industrielle quand la distorsion de malade mental, les pédales d'effets dégénérées et le concept même de "bruitiste" n'ont pas encore infusé la conscience collective ? Tu ne peux pas. Donc ils font avec les outils qu'ils ont entre les mains. Ils ont leurs trompettes, leurs saxos, leurs partitions hyper complexes et leur génie de l'arrangement. Très bien. Mais l'artisanat qui en ressort ne me convient pas du tout. C'est trop propre, c'est trop poli. C'est de la musique d'ameublement pour des intérieurs chics, ou la bande-son d'un film noir où tout le monde boit des dry martinis en plissant les yeux. Moi, j'aime la sueur, j'aime l'abrasif, j'aime quand la musique te prend par le col et te secoue jusqu'à ce que tes dents claquent. Quand j'ai envie de jazz, d'ailleurs, je ne me tourne pas vers les années 50. Je vais voir du côté de chez John Zorn. Ah, Zorn ! Voilà un mec qui a compris. Là, on a un mec qui a digéré l'histoire, qui a pris les instruments traditionnels, mais qui y a insufflé la fureur du grindcore, du free, du dub, avec une énergie de psychopathe. Zorn, il prend les outils du jazz et il les utilise pour défoncer les murs. Miles Davis, sur Birth of the Cool, il utilise ses outils pour tapisser le salon avec un papier peint très chic, mais profondément soporifique. Pendant l'écoute de l'album, je n'ai pas pu m'empêcher de regarder le temps défiler sur la platine. C'est terrible de ressentir ça. Ce n'est même pas que c'est mauvais, c'est pire : c'est inoffensif (pour mes oreilles de vieux con biberonné aux musiques extrêmes et alternatives). Les morceaux s'enchaînent comme une brise tiède un jour de canicule. Ça rafraîchit deux secondes, et puis on s'en fout. Des titres comme "Jeru" ou "Boplicity" sont d'une virtuosité indéniable, les harmonies sont riches, le son d'ensemble est soyeux. Mais putain, qu'est-ce qu'on s'y ennuie ! On dirait que la musique s'excuse d'être là. Elle demande poliment la permission d'occuper l'espace sonore sans déranger la conversation des gens qui dînent. Je repense à mes années chez le disquaire. Le rayon jazz, c'était toujours un monde à part. Il y avait les clients habitués, ceux qui venaient chercher la dernière réédition Blue Note en vinyle 180 grammes, qui scrutaient les crédits avec des lunettes sur le bout du nez pour voir si c'était bien Rudy Van Gelder à l'enregistrement. Je les respectais, ces mecs. Ils avaient leur passion, leur érudition. Je pouvais discuter avec eux de pressages et de labels, mais je savais qu'on n'habitait pas sur la même planète musicale. S'ils m'avaient demandé mon avis sincère sur Birth of the Cool, je leur aurais sorti la même tirade qu'aujourd'hui. L'art, c'est subjectif. C'est une histoire de tripes et mes tripes, elles ont été formées dans les années 80 et 90. Elles ont besoin de tension, de catharsis, d'un son qui gratte, qui saigne ou qui pleure. Le cool, le détachement, la sophistication froide des années 50, c'est un langage que je comprends intellectuellement, mais que je refuse de parler émotionnellement. Alors voilà, l'exercice des "1001 Albums" m'oblige à passer par là. Je l'ai fait, j'ai écouté du début à la fin sans zapper, par respect pour l'œuvre. J'ai sagement attendu que la dernière note de "Darn That Dream" s'évanouisse dans le silence. Et le silence qui a suivi était, à mon grand désespoir, bien plus excitant que les trente-cinq minutes précédentes. Je referme la page de cet album mythique sans aucun regret, prêt à retourner à mes disques crades et à mes complaintes désenchantées. Je ne retire rien à la légende de Miles Davis. Qu'il repose en paix sur l'Olympe des génies musicaux. Mais pour ce projet, pour ce carnet de bord qui est le mien, avec mon vécu, mon background de mec de la radio indé et ma sensibilité à moi, je ne peux pas faire semblant. Je ne vais pas me masturber intellectuellement pour faire plaisir à la critique institutionnelle. La naissance du cool, c'est peut-être la mort de ma patience. Note : 2/5 (Et franchement, je lui mets 2 juste pour l'histoire des outils et l'artisanat. Le reste m'est passé au-dessus de la tête à une vitesse supersonique).
Background music
too nigga
Jazz ei oo mun juttu yhtään. Ei vaikka Miles Davies on taituri.
I liked this more than I thought I would! It definitely faded into the background and I lost concentration on it a lot but I really thought I would find it hard to listen to and I’d give up on it like I do with most Jazz. My opinion of jazz (except experimental(?) jazz that sounds like noise/nothing) is slowly changing like I hoped it would, I’m so glad. It’s a 2/5 but a 5/10.
Trumpet 😍😍 nice upbeat jazz album
I don’t appreciate a horn or horns in the forefront. For me this was jangling my nerves until the horns with lower notes took over, but that was usually fleeting.
When this was released it was so revolutionary that one critic said it wasn't even jazz. This is difficult to imagine today given that this is basically what I think of when someone says "jazz." It certainly is more melodic and song-based than a lot of jazz. And it's a bit surprising there are nine musicians on these tracks given how stark and empty a lot of it sounds. Most tracks focus on Miles's trumpet, and sometimes the drums do some cool stuff, but the other instruments are mostly in the background. Largely it's too simple for my liking, but livelier tracks like "Budo" are interesting. This is likely more interesting for jazz fans who can point out all the things that made it revolutionary than it is for the average person.
Great music
Jazzzz
Meh didn’t float my boat
Good and mellow.
Jazz really isn't my thing. I can't say I disliked it, but I don't ever see me returning to it. I'm sure there's reverence and importance to this album, but to me, it sounded like 40 minutes of music that would back a quirky 1960s film.
Its actully not so bad. I can listen this while im chiling or something liker that, but there is many other albums i prefer more than this.
toot
Before listening, I decided to read a short biography of Miles Davis; it's certainly impressive. He lived a relatively short life, but managed to play with a large number of renowned musicians and, most importantly, became the founder of several jazz styles. This record is a collection of his works from 1949-1950, which later became the foundation of the subgenre known as cool jazz (hence the album's title). The problem is that jazz gives you two options: either you're in the know, or it's completely out of your league. I'm going with the latter. The album is just over half an hour long, and it's all seemingly different, yet for me, it's all the same. It's not easy to listen to, and the slight feeling of being a bohemian in a 1950s American restaurant quickly becomes tiresome. Star for the fact that the author became a colossus of the genre during his lifetime and remains one to this day, and a star for the fact that, overall, this album can be pleasant background music for work, cooking dinner, or even dinner itself.
Very talented on the trumpet!
Glad it was only 35 mins as it kind of got on my nerves after a bit. Jazz isn’t for me.
Not bad in the moment but couldn't tell you a thing about it immediately after.
I don’t know what else to say about these jazzy records. It sounds alright.
Some of these recordings are from the late 40s so while not the oldest release must be in the running for oldest material. The discrete short tracks mean there weren't any other stuff to look out for like repeated motifs or call backs over the album's course and it helped clarify for me that I can take or leave jazz for casual listening. I said it before with the Duke album about it being a live genre and that sitting in the same room will always be a totally different experience
it's Jazz.. 01/26/2026
definitivamente um álbum de jazz. eu acho que eu realmente não gosto de jazz….
4/10 - Favorite song: Godchild
felt like i was at a fancy restaurant or something
This album is nearly 70 years old and it sounds like it. That's all I have to say
I respect it, but didn't enjoy it.
97/1001 First listen. Jazz. I just don’t get it. 3/10
Älter als ich ...
These type of instrumentals really don't do much for me in any way... :/
Trompetengedudel. Wers mag, für den ist es sicherlich ein Fest. Für mich nicht.
Hätte es gerne höher bewertet, aber es fällt sehr schwer die Art von Musik objektiv zu beurteilen... Eignet sich gut als Hintegrundmusik während man eigentlich was lauteres macht
Definitely can appreciate the talent and the skill to create a body of work like this. I just don’t think jazz is for me. It would probably hit different if I listened to it live.
I guess it’s just not for me. I listened to it three times, nothing stood out, nothing excited me or bored me. It’s not a one because it didn’t offend my ears, but it’s not something I have any interest in hearing again
😕
uxmo kinos musikaa. ცუდი არაა უბრალოდ უკანა ფონზეც არ ჩავრთავდი რა, კინოს მუსიკას ჰგავდა ჩემთვუს
Not for me.
I didn't like it it was too old and most of the playlist was just sound without voice
First listen Saved 4/11 Top track: Boplicity
Jazz
I feel so ‘unsophisticated’ but - nope.
Jazzy - talented musicians making music I'm just not that into (I'm trying for the sake of my child though!), at least it was a quickie!
It's not for me I'm not a big fan of horns due to the high pitch but I can see why ppl like it
Actually, I'm not a fan of music without the lyrics, so this album just feels like the background music. And it's not bad, it's just not for me, I mean, it's good for studying because it doesn't have that noisy/distracting sounds, but I'd rather listen to some music with lyrics in it
Cute jazzy album but not my style
i respect it and I'm sure it hit different in its day but just does nothing for me
Not my thing. This is his 3rd album and it sounds just like the first two. I don't understand or appreciate jazz. The intro song was all I really needed to hear. BORRRRRIIIINNNNG from start to finish. I love energetic horns, this is not that. It's like funeral music in New Orleans. The man could play, I get it, but this isn't innovative, it was never popular outside of the jazz community, no hits, boring background music in a bar I wish I had never gone into. 2 stars
A jazz record I didn’t hate! Some song structure, and mercifully 32 minutes. Not unenjoyable to put on while working a nine to five desk job.
I just don't like Jazz music
Hate.
Trevligt, men skapade inte mersmak
4.9/10
2.5 stars I don’t know if there’s something I’m missing about jazz. I understand that this is a representation of a shift in jazz, a “birth” of you will… but it just sounds like what “jazz music” is to me. Sure, it’s not as esoteric or mind boggling as some experimental 20 minute tracks can be, but it doesn’t sound so different than more straight forward stuff I’ve heard in the background for most of my life. And perhaps that is more of a testament to how much I’m used to bebop/postbop/whatever that I take for granted that jazz was different before. I liken this to old blues records like Muddy Waters: I can appreciate what it did for music and how it inspired music I enjoy today, but this stuff is not something I would actually listen to. And if this list is called albums you MUST listen to before you die, I think that classification doesn’t fit. But apparently many people would disagree with me. That being said, the songs are all quick and the album is brief. It’s all quite listenable. It’s not at all a pain in the ass to get through. So I’ll give it points for that over many things on this list.
Not as mind bending as I was expecting, but then I am not listening in 1957. More alike than different from track to track, and while obviously stacked with talent, Miles doesn't stand out as much as he blends in. I would say his soundtrack to Ascenseur pour l'echafaud is a more immediate and personal record from the same period.
I know Miles Davis is THE jazz guy... but I just don't love jazz. It's an extremely important building block for so much music and maybe I'm just too stupid to understand it but it doesn't do it for me
It’s jazz
I enjoy his later work but this is too random for me.
It was fine as background music, but I wouldn't choose to listen to it again.
Don't get it, sorry
Forgettable jazz
Cool began as rebellion and ended as wallpaper. When Miles Davis released The Birth of the Cool, he wasn’t trying to start a trend; he was trying to get some air. Bebop had turned jazz into an Olympic event - all velocity and virtuosity, no room to breathe. Davis’s answer was silence, space, and understatement. He made stillness sound radical. His cool was an act of refusal: a rejection of spectacle, of demand, of the social compulsion to perform. The horn spoke quietly, so you listened harder. For a while, that kind of calm was thrilling. It suggested control in a noisy world, a way to stay dignified while everything else boiled over. Cool was courage disguised as detachment - standing up and standing apart as roughly the same thing. But rebellion, like a good riff, only works once. The moment it’s copied, it becomes attitude. The controlled tempo, the self-contained posture, the immaculate minimalism: all absorbed, flattened, commodified. The pose of indifference replaced the substance of resistance. It became disdain - then worse. The sound of cool was laminated by culture, translated into advertising’s dialect of detachment. It ceased to be oppositional and became ambient. Now it sells coffee, sunglasses, hybrid cars. It is the official soundtrack of the middlebrow - the hum of playlists and loft apartments. What was once a defiant whisper against hysteria has become background music for people afraid of sincerity. Cool’s relational nature doomed it. It could only exist as contrast - to heat, to hysteria, to sincerity. Once those oppositions were appropriated, cool lost its tension. The birth of the cool was, inevitably, the beginning of its death. The embers that glowed under Miles’s quiet horn have cooled to ash - elegant, tasteful, and entirely cold. 2 [over ‘Rocker’] Maria: “I don’t want that.” Me: “You don’t like this song?” Maria: “No I want a happy song.” Me: “Is this not a happy song?” Maria: “No this isn’t a happy song, this is a bad song.” I actually thought it was alright but the Birth of the Cool was not cool enough for my two year old. And she hadn’t even heard its stupid title, which is the squarest thing about it. 2/5
4/10 I just don't like jazz. It sounds dated and of a different era. I might as well be rating Beethoven and Mozart.
not bad, but it's just jazz
Har förstått att det är en samling av stenkakesinglar. Bortsett från det öppenbara med låtlängden märks det på två vis. För det första musiken provar lite allt möjligt bara det är nytt, avsaknad av röd tråd är tydlig. För det andra. Det finns inga andningspauser, musiken får aldrig chans att vila, precis allt ska propsa på maximal uppmärksamhet hela tiden. Detta blir förstås naturligt då varje låt egentligen skall stå för sig själv, men på ett regelrätt album hade man förstås haft möjlighet att addera stunder av respit. För det tutas på hela tiden och mestadels rätt bra. Ibland är det sämre, "Move", "Rocker" och "Budo" har jag svårt för. Ibland är det skitbra "Deception", "Venus..." och kanske även "Boplicity" . Men grejen är främst att jag pallar bara typ två spår i taget, jag kan inte lyssna på det här som ett album, jag hade behövt de där andninspauserna. En sak till, likt mycket jazz försvinner det jag främst uppskattar med jazz, nämligen groovet, rytmen, till förmån för soloinstrumentet. Trummor och bas är så lågt mixade i produktionen att dom nästan försvinner när det tutas på. Jag är inte så noga med tutandet, det är svänget jag vill åt. Det är en tvåa som nosar på en trea
Nej, nu går skam på torra land. Ett samlingsalbum på listan! Inspelningarna i sig är mest av akademiskt intresse. Så här lät Miles innan han hittade rätt med Round about midnight och Kind of blue. Eller för den delen Sketches of Spain eller Bitches brew. Musiken får en tvåa men redaktörerna är underkända.
May be the birth of cool.. But cool hadn't quite peaked yet. Miles has an expansive discography, and within it are more than one five star albums. For me, this doesn't quite boop that button.
It´s jazz, it´s instrumental, it´s pretty well played according to my untrained ear, it´s not my style but it´s not bad. 2/5
So so samey.
Boring
I don‘t like Jazz
I liked Moon Dreams and Venus de Milo. Godschild (especially the opening) and Boplicity were okay. I don't think I like trumpets that much.
Of all the jazz I’ve had to listen to, this has been the best. Some of it had melodies and the songs were short. It was also more upbeat. It was much better than the Indian music I had to listen to yesterday.
Leider ned so lust gha uf jazz
Jaa aso de ersti track isch sooo nervös gsi, da hani denkt uiii nei. Denn biz smoother wurde aber hed mi zwenig abgholt, zu altgebacken & boring. Dead of the cool
I've heard much better jazz albums. it's not bad but I think the era had a lot more to offer.
This is fine as background music. I'm not annoyed with it but doesn't really thrill me. I probably don't understand the history of jazz enough to appreciate what Miles Davis is doing. For jazz lovers I'm sure this is a great album but I feel like I'm stuck listening to hold music. I don't think I like Miles Davis that much.
Jazz I feel does not get the attention it deserves on this list. To explain, I’m surprisingly religious when it comes to listening to a new album everyday, and with that I usually (sometimes I can’t decide how I feel so I’ll give it a few days/replays) only spend a full day with the album. Sometimes that means I only listen to it once or twice, which I think hurts Jazz music and Rap music the most. Both for similar reasons, that being that the enjoyment from jazz comes from knowing the song so well you know what notes/sequence come next, and for rap, knowing the lyrics and bars and trying to keep up with the song. But yah what im getting at is that I haven’t had enough time with this album, I also feel the same way about Johnathan Coltrane’s A Love Supreme cause I gave that album a bad review as well. But I can acknowledge that there’s an unbelievable amount of talent that went into this and that album. But I feel like both of these albums don’t have a lot to grab onto, it just feels like you’re drowning in music. But as I got my second and third full play throughs I started to actually recognize that he songs more and more. Sadly I just got sick to death of the same atmospheres sonically over and over again so I had to move on. I think over time this album could grow on me and I could see myself regretting this star rating. But sadly it’s not really for me right now.
I'm too much of a pleeb to appreciate this fancy music.
For the jazz lovers this would be a good one. A non jazz person it is difficult to listen to these albums, after a couple of songs it gets repetitive and boring. The type of music you will hear as background music on restaurant having a nice dinner.
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)
Remastered ça serait cool
Some of the slower songs (Moon dreams, Boplicity) I enjoyed as moody background music. Nice for working or reading. Many of the other songs are a bit too note-filled for my taste. I'm not a jazz nut, and I feel that much of the Jazz repertoire is meant to show off the technical and academic prowess of the players. At some points (Rocker for example) the big band sound makes me smile. But the solos turn me off again.
I suppose it's good jazz, but I don't have the discerning ear to differentiate between good and bad jazz. I would rate it between 2 and 3, but I will settle on 2 because I'm unlikely to listen to it again
I know this album is important, it just didn't jive with me. I didn't really feel anything while listening to it. It would be a cool album to read/focus to. I will try it again in a few weeks to see if maybe it is my headspace.
I get it. I just don't GET it. Two stars because it deserves that at least. Two stars also because I just don't get it.
Well it's jazz. A genre I'm not in love with. It is very good and in its original form, only 35 minutes long. Again, I dont think I would give it a second listen.
I thought I would love this, but I only found it okay
Just seemed like regular jazz, but I liked the non-instrumental song.
Leichter unspektakulärer Jazz. Es war auszuhalten.
Felt like the sound track to a black and white movie taking place at a casino, but Moon Dreams is the one song I will go back to.
o.k. but not my preferred style of music.
Jazz is still not really my thing it would seem. I read that this album was under appreciated when it came out and later gained renown. Maybe I'm one of those people who wouldn't have liked it on release Standouts Darn That Dream 2/5
4/10
You can feel the talent and hear things that have been sampled or borrowed by other artists. But this was not my cup of tea. At times it was just unorganized noise.
If there werent any Davis albums on the list I would agree on the placement in the list, but we just had Kind of Blue which is better. 2/5
Do you like jazz
No, it wasn't.
Not my bag
wasnt a fan, could have been in a mood
I'm not cool enough for this, and that's ok with me.
Kan erkennen dat het goede muziek is maar ik hou gewoon niet van Jazz.
I just don’t like jazz all that much but this was an ok listen
He’s a legend but not my style.
Not a jazz guy
Again not my favorite style of jazz:(
Blaasinstrument
Yep, that's jazz.
Jazz is not my thing. I can appreciate the musicianship that is heard here but can't say I really enjoyed it. Favorite: Godchild Would I listen to it again: No