Birth Of The Cool

Clearly a set of fine musicians, led by the biggest name in jazz. Despite all that the birth of cool never really hit home. Most of the album felt like the kind of big band music guests walk out to on the Jimmy Kimmel/Fallon show. That was about as far it took me, the melodies were complex but not that interesting. The album didnt go places and the theme got repetitive by the end. If this album was the birth of cool jazz, we've come a long way. Then again, Coltrane has better albums from the same period, so age is no explanation.

I know, okay? I know that Miles Davis is jazz royalty. I know that he's, like, the best jazz trumpet player ever or whatever. I get it. But it's kinda boring, isn't it? Is that what the mean by "cool"? Because it doesn't feel cool. It feels... soft. Especially compared to the OTHER Miles Davis album on the list. "Bitches Brew" is so aggressive and chaotic while maintaining every bit of the sheer musicality that Davis is known for. And yes, I KNOW, okay? I know that there's 13 years between this and that. But THIS is boring while THAT is fascinating. Maybe we just needed the one Miles Davis album on here, hmm?

Not a fan

Mitt 110:e album och den fjärde av Miles Davis. Så jävla bra är han ju inte.

Ik had altijd de regel dat als ik iets vaker dan 3x had doorgezappt als het langskwam op de mp3-shuffle in winamp, dan gooide ik die muziek in de digitale prullenbak. Er is natuurlijk altijd wel een keer muziek waar je niet voor in de stemming bent, maar de meeste muziek doorstaat die test wel. Joni Mitchell niet bijvoorbeeld. Dit hangt er om

When I was at college, lots of people had posters of Miles Davis. That was a way to show you were ‘cool’. I didn’t! I just couldn’t get on with those jazz tunes. Jazz is an all encompassing term for so many things. I don’t hate all jazz, but I have never been able to get on with this kind Miles Davis and all those musicians are very talented but this is not my cup of tea. I made myself listen to this three different times on three different days at different times of the day to see if I would feel any different. I think I’ve given it a good go but I’m still not feeling it.

Too jazz heavy for my taste. Listened on an airplane and had to skip through some songs. To my ears it all sounds too similar. Not my style, I tried.

Ok

Background music

Olive Garden

Fine for when I’m doin something to have in the background. Made me feel like gale from breaking bad

I've heard of Miles Davis, but never listened to any of his stuff before today. I must say that jazz is not my favourite, and just instrumental music even less so. This music is beautiful in its own right though, and would be perfect for setting ambiance in a coffee shop or restaurant. Favourite songs: Budo, Darn That Dream, Moon Dreams, Jeru Least favourite songs: Venus De Milo, Deception 2/5

ugh

I don't understand jazz

This jazzy album has me bopping my head, however, compared to other jazz works, I'm sure this is exceptional, because I do like it. The problem is, Jazz isn't my top cup of tea, I'd probably give this album a 4/10 due to my enjoyment just not being there.

Miles Davis is cool, but it's Jazz, and well...you know.

Nice!

Meh, lots of brass. OK I guess

Jo jazz

Too much virtuosity just for the sake of it, too little melody or songs for that matter. This is music for other musicians and for the jazz fans, not for the general public.

didnt really listen

I feel like it's an album that I would've appreciated in my teens during my stages of teenage revolution. But right now ,lyrically and musically I find it hard to connect with it but appreciate how it's the early punk eras and can definitely see how they mightve inspired bands that came after them.

Nice but not really my cuppa tea. Binty got it right with “I feel like I’m in a Pixar film”

Average

Not really a jazz fan. I’m sure it’s good for others but not as enjoyable for me

It was ok, not really that cool. I still don't prefer jazz

Det är blues.

Jazz is just not my thing. I know that is sacrilegious to music lovers but oh well. It is good jazz, but good jazz is still jazz. Miles Davis was a musical genius and I appreciate the impact he has had on music. Just not my thing.

Trumpet Jazz that's less vomit inducing than John Zorn but still it's a NO from me

Pretty standard jazz. Didn't annoy me.

Fahrstuhlmusik 2

Not the worst jaz but it's jazz

The "Birth of Cool". It's cool jazz, which is still jazz, the only music genre with double 'z', because it can make you go zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Nice background music but I think there are better Miles Davis albums.

On the background during dinner this would be perfect. I miss the vocals, and everything sounds a bit the same. Not for me I think.

I don’t understand why this is so popular and beloved. Better than The Weather 🤮 Report, so I’m rounding up to a 2. And the album cover art is cool, so that helps.

Im sure it's good Jazz but it didn't connect with me.

Nerves

Talent, but not for me. Songs just all sound the same.

Does the album title ring true, yeah.....nah. It's quite listenable and not bad at all, and would be important for jazz fans. But for me no song sticks out in particular, or any moment in that regard.

Too much trumpet... Another Jazz album autoplayed right after this and I immediately thought... ahhh, that's better.

Boring

Cool album if your into jazzy trumpets. I know Miles Davis is the king of jazz but wasn't into it.

Decent background music while working but songs blend into each other and don't really distinguish themselves. Don't listen to jazz much either lol so probably won't revisit

Siinähän se taustalla meni.

Aika samaan kategoriaan muiden jazz-levyjen kanssa

Easy on the ears and has a very soothing vibe to it. Don't think it'd be something I'd go out of my way to listen to but still enjoyable

is this the jazz record that gets me in to jazz? nah.

This is some Glenn Miller jazz that would get my grandparents tapping their toes on thick condominium carpet. Never heard this big band style Miles. I'm sure a cool jazz head can hear subtle innovation somewhere in the record, but to me this sounds like standard Duke Ellington Count Basie business with a few interesting flourishes and asides. Hard to imagine the same trumpet player making Bitches Brew a decade later. [insert reference to previous comments on Jack Kerouac and jazz sounding different in its 50s context]. This style of jazz is really nice, and makes for great background music for a podcast, but to me its like listening to Little Richard. I respect the origins of the genre but what the genre developed into is much more interesting. C+

Yeah, I guess this was cool. 1957 was a long time ago. Some nice sounding songs. Moon Dreams stuck out. This seems like the transition from big band to jazz maybe, the synthesis of Miles’ Sound? Maybe he was doing more interesting stuff live? I was having trouble hearing the jazz amongst the big band stuff and had to restart this 3 times. It might’ve been the birth of cool, but it wasn’t cool yet, I like Miles when he gets weird, when psych Rock starts to inspire him.

jazz is really not my thing, so i have nothing to bad to say about it i just don’t have anything to say about it at all. it had a good ring to it but i was just bored. no opinion :)

Very listenable jazz, although a touch too "old-timey" jazz for me; I do feel like I should put on a suit and be smoking at a table in a black and white movie while this band plays in the background. I very much enjoy some (not that much) later period Miles Davis and can hear where he's heading with this collection, so it's interesting on that level in knowing the path he'd travel from here to something like Kind of Blue in just 8 or 9 years. 5/10 2 stars for excellent music history and I'd be good with putting this as background music but I prefer less boppy and more mysterious jazz.

Jazz is not for me

Good record

Instrumental only and I don't really like jazz music.

Appreciate the musicianship - detest the genre - my problem - not his

Listened to 50%. Unfortunately i was in the modd for some lyrics.

niet mijn stijl

Hip but just evaluated his last album so not much different

Yeah, sure.

bin eigentlich nicht qualifiziert, das zu halbwegs angemessen zu beurteilen. aber in dieser nummer soll die musik ja mit dem gedärm sprechen, daher leider: nicht wirklich.

Irgendwie hält sich Wiedererkennung und Einzigartigkeit verborgen, sodass ich wieder nur Freunde zum Essen einlade und diese Platte im Hintergrund laufen lasse

Le jazz c’est bon et j’aime bien les chansons sans paroles, mais ça reste une musique de background. Je ne m’imagine pas écouter cet album en travaillant, en baisant, en m’entraînant. Bref c’est une belle musique pour mettre en background dans un jeu, un souper ou un 5 à 7 à playa del Carmen en fumant un cigar et jasant avec des américains Je l’évite, moon dreams elle détone et n’est pas entraînante comme les autres Je lévite, l’album en général si je suis dans le sud cigare au bec, sinon bien j’écoute pas ça

Cooler than peeing your pants. Would’ve made those divas smile, but not something I’d listen too often

Not my style. It would be nice to play in the background though.

2.75/5 - not as good as his later albums and being a comp seems a bit unfair

nett, aber Stellenweise langweilig zum Hören nebenbei

Great talent. Just didn’t tickle my fancy.

The value of this kind of jazz is in its live performance. It's more suitable for live listening than listening from a recording.

Eh... it's jazz

Birth of the Corny. Wish the compilers of the list would limit each artist to one album maximum, for Miles maybe 2.

The nerdiest geek on the lamest 90s B-Grade teen comedy would be cooler than this. Trumpets and jazz? No thanks.

Well I had dodged a bullet for a few blissful jazz free weeks. I knew it couldn't last so here goes. Someone get the wasp and put it in the milk bottle. That's what this sounds like to me. Not as tuneless as the last effort of his but not great. I thought I missed singing on these records until the last song which has tuneless singing to go with the music. A big well deserved 1.

fine i dont want to listen to this rn

good, but just melody

Another Miles Davis album? Please stop with the 50's jazz stuff Not for me

Dire. Utterly tuneless.

Too long….

Skipped most of this one

One star because you are making me rate it.

Not my music

pff

slow and jazz

Day 174 Nope, my third Miles Davis album and the third one I’ve hated, I keep expecting it to click because of how highly rated Miles is but I think I just have to accept I’m cloth-eared when it comes to Jazz music

i just dont get jazz

Not a fan of jazz and this didn't add much to my appreciation. Just boring.

I dont like the 50s

I hate jazz. It is the most boring genre in history.

Nie lubię jazzu, ale po pierwszych kilku nutach nie zostałem odepchnięty, więc plus. Dobra, po drugiej piosence już mi się znudziło. Maybe im stupid (albo faktycznie nie lubię jazzu), ale każda z piosenek brzmi tak samo. Gdyby nie krótkie pauzy pomiędzy utworami, myślałbym, że wciąż leci pierwszy utwór. Jak się nie skupiam to zaczyna mi się podobać. Przyjemny jako background noise. Minusem jest to, że jak uświadomię sobie, że nie skupiam się na muzyce to wtedy zaczynam się na niej skupiać i przestaje mi się podobać. Cieszę się, że już skończyłem słuchać i już nigdy nie będę musiał wracać do tego albumu. Ja naprawdę nie lubię jazzu.

jazz music is NOT my thing at all

Richtiger Dreck alla Typ Jazz für Wichtigtuer unfassbar dass man sowas aufgenommen hat, obwohl das damals noch teuer war klingt nach Soundcloud Jam Schrott aber gut wir hatten ja nichts meine Meinung

2/10 - Instrumental Jazz

I’m not a big fan of jazz, but I can understand the appeal. It reminded me a lot of tracks you’d have for a movie, like crime/thriller or even a comedy. There’s too much noise and a lot of instruments being played and it’s quite overwhelming. 1/5

didn’t wanna rate trumpet

So this immediately wasn't my cup of tea because i don't like jazz, but i did give it a listen. It reminded me of the kind of music that is played during theatre when they are changing scenes or in the beginning when the lights turn on and you see them all move their ways before someone starts speaking. With that said, i still couldn't wait for the album to be over. I can listen to maybe one or two songs like that, but definitely not the whole album.

i respect it and I'm sure it hit different in its day but just does nothing for me

Square music

instrumental, but mostly because not my cuppa

Blues are just not for me.

Nicht mein Genre!

I've never enjoyed this. It's not quite on the level of Trout Mask must listen bullshit, but it is close. I love Miles and regularly listen to the motherfucker, but I'm not one of those completists that worships everything he put out. It smacks of the crossover period between say the swinging Duke and Bird bebop and he's still looking for a sound, in short it is a mess. I've never understood the recorded in the 40's released in the 50's bizzo either. Actually, as it is playing, I'm reminded it really give me the shits. But he was a motherfucker.

Fuck jazz

Nie. 1/5

Eh, fine. Just not my jam. 1/5 stars.

I realize it's a good album and Miles Davis is one of the best to ever do it. It just isn't my type of music.

não eh mto meu tipo

Miles Davis is an amazing musician, I'm just not that into instrumental jazz. At least Darn That Dream has words. And it was fairly interesting. Can we get more of that? Best song: Darn That Dream

É jazz. Puro Jazz. O que vem na cabeça quando falam "jazz". É isso. Esquecível. Já é a imagem consolidada do jazz, nada de diferente.

He’s having more fun than the audience

I don't get Jazz. I'm sure this is very good but not for me

01) Move - 5,0 02) Jeru - 5,0 03) Moon Dreams - 5,5 04) Venus De Milo - 4,5 05) Budo - 5,0 06) Deception - 4,5 07) Godchild - 4,5 08) Boplicity - 4,5 09) Rocker - 4,5 10) Israel - 4,5 11) Rouge - 4,5 12) Darn That Dream - 5,5 TOTAL: 4,79 (48/100) Current ranking: 517/545 This is so boring...

After spending time with a range of jazz records during this challenge, I can confidently say that Miles Davis is a master of his craft. His technical skill and musical intuition are undeniable, and I understand why he is held in such high regard within the genre. That said, jazz simply doesn’t resonate with me. Despite recognizing the artistry involved, I find the music unengaging — it tends to blur together and leave little lasting impression. It’s a genre that, for me, lacks emotional connection or excitement. Favourite Track: Jeru stood out with its lighter, more melodic tone — it was the one moment that genuinely caught my attention. Least Favourite: Unfortunately, much of the rest of the album felt indistinct; the tracks seemed to merge into one continuous, unmemorable experience. Album Artwork: A classic, minimal jazz cover — fitting but nothing remarkable.

Not me.....

21/1001 In the town where I was born, grew up and still call home to this day, Tuesday evenings are frequently, although less so in recent years, accompanied by bell ringing rehearsals at the parish church, the unmistakable sound of which can be heard pretty much right across town. It is my understanding - and I may be completely wrong about this - that the seemingly random noises they produce during these sessions is the result of something called "change ringing", wherein they ring the peal of six bells in a system determined more by mathematical sequences than by any consideration for musicality and melody. I could not possibly begin to comment on how skilled our local campanologists were, nor how accurately and satisfactorily they were executing the changes, because, regardless of any notion of skill or proficiency in execution, the resulting sound was still an ABSOLUTELY F**KING MEANINGLESS DIRGE to my ears. And this, I regret to inform you, is also all true of Miles Davis, jazz music in general and this album. Miles Davis may be the best jazz musician to have ever graced this planet - I simply could not tell you from listening to these tracks, pieces of music which exist to move me not one iota. If playing every note there is, in every possible articulation and every imaginable sequence is the goal, then he surely wins the prize. Congratulations, Miles.

Really not my cup of tea at all. I find it very distracting listening to jazz in general.

Jazz: nope Miles Davis Jazz: double nope

Can't do big band or jazz

this kind of jazz is too much for my tiny smooth brain

I don't mind a bit of jazz, but I didn't like this. Possibly it's that it's brass band.bur no not for me.

Who let the toddlers have access to the music box at the nursery? Tinnitus inducing mish-mash of uncoordinated noise.

Jolly jazz at its best. Great for background music, which it was on this listen. So unfortunately it didn't have or grab my attention as much as it should have done.

ugh, jazz. whatever.

3/10

Meh. Not as bad as some of his stuff, but still crap.

😴

Still not a jazz fan

This is probably a very good jazz album, but I am not a fan of jazz at all, so it is 1 star or F for me.

Sorry to say, but this is just horrifically boring to me. Instrumental background jazz does nothing for me.

I know he's talented and famous, but gogdamn, it's tough for me to make it through a jazz album. No need to relisten, I'm not going to enjoy.

Couldn't get through it.

Sorry Miles Davis I cannot stand this

Improvisointi tappaa varovaisen kiinnostuksen teemoja kohtaan. Jazz-artistit ovat väärässä metafysiikasta.

I don't like Jazz, cool or hot.

Jazz is not my thing. Sound everybody plays on his own and not like a band together. A wonder that the same song sound the same, playing it next time....

Ass on steel man.

What the fuck is this? Where are the melodies? Sounds like bunch of skilled deaf musicians playing together. Will not listen again!

Jazz has plenty of talent but there's a reason people use it for elevator music. It's easy to listen to in the background, but when you actively try to listen, it has no entertainment value. There were only a couple songs here that I could even listen to past 30 seconds before getting immensely bored, and every song felt like an eternity

Not my thing. Too much cacophony.

1. move - 1 2. jeru - 1 3. moon dreamz - 1.5 4. venuz de milo - 1 5. budo - 1 6. deception - 1 7. god child - 1 8. boplicity - 1 9. rocker - 1.5 10. izrael - 1.5 11. rouge - 1 12. darn that dream - 1

It’s confirmed, still not a jazz fan. I can imagine this music playing in the background at a dinner party. I’m glad I listened to it, but won’t be revisiting this album.

I know I'm supposed to like it but it's not that good. 2/10

Didn't love.. I like words in music.

Great album but my brain is a bit too stupid for jazz. Too many things going on

uninspired

This just isn't for me.

death of the cool, false advertising 1 stars

really wasn't in the mood for this, so slow....

I'm aware of Miles Davis, and I appreciate in his genre he's a

Compilation album?!?? Why? Music here is absolutely great, but the idea of putting a compilation album on this list is beyond my comprehension, and hitting a low.

Absolutely not for me.

Just don’t get jazz at all

Non. Je ne me ferai jamais à toutes ces notes jouées un peu au pif. Aucun plaisir.

It's the God damn jazz juice. One for the Bobby Nuts' Offal Collection.

Honestly Mid. Not a big jazz guy but I bet it was bumpin when my grandpa and grandma had my dad

Tried. Couldn’t get into it.

Elevator lounge music. Background filler. Next.

Just don’t connect with this style of music. Sorry!

Meh. Only listened to a couple songs.

Doet me een beetje denken aan de lokale harmonie of fanfare. Helaas is dit album veel meer jazz dan ik lief heb. Als het een pianospeler zou zijn, zou ik zeggen dat ik het teveel gepingel vind :-). *

ew.

Not my cup of jazz tea

Jazz är för långtråkigt funkar som lounge musik

Not for me

Closest I get to jazz is Steely Dan

1.5

Birth of the Cool is a compilation album by jazz musician Miles Davis, with 11 tracks from Davis's nonet during 1949 and 1950. This album - as the name suggests - was the birth of cool jazz music, which is more relaxed and lighter than original jazz at the time. It's like combining jazz and classical music together to create a sophisticated sound. At release, this album didn't make a splash, but listeners did enjoy the change of pace jazz music. Over time, this album has gained more popularity as a result of this style of jazz becoming more popular than the older and faster, "bepop" style. This album is included in this famous list of albums because it's historically significant in the jazz genre. Although I am not a huge fan of jazz music, I did enjoy letting this album play in the background while I worked.

Elevator music at best

Don't like jazz

Hvis jeg var til jazz, så var det fedt. Stadig kaosjazz, men hey. Nu har jeg lyttet det færdigt, og det er som om jeg har lyttet til ét lang kaosnummer. Lettere stresset.

Didn't like it at all. Seems too chaotic. I guess I don't understand jazz...

Jazz is the pits

Rubbish.

I am not cool. I don't understand this, let alone enjoy it at all. I think it's hereditary, I heard my Mum this week say the same thing, she doesn't get it either. I don't know if it's meant to be impressive technically, or in an abstract art kind of way, or is it just avoiding the norm. I could probably learn to get it, but that sounds painful.

I first listened to this when I was in high school. My mom had the CD, and I took it to my room...pretty sure I never gave it back to her. Can’t wait to get back to it.