Reviews (page 13 of 14)
I love the flex of naming this album "Birth of the Cool," but it earned the title. I'm not really into jazz, but I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this.
Reading other reviews here, some people are confused by the 1957 release date of this compilation. The tracks on this album were recorded in 1949/50 and originally released from 1949 on 10" 78rpm vinyl. The first of Miles Davis' collaborations with Gil Evans, and with Gerry Mulligan, John Lewis and Lee Konitz playing on all the tracks. Beautiful arrangements that are beautifully played.
This is pretty standard Miles. Almost like as if it his 5th best album. Still smooth and cool listening.
Not a difficult listen, mostly very melodic and swinging. Still not really what I'm into but I appreciate the craft. WELCOME SUKI
Very good chilled morning music. Would be perfect with a coffee on a Sunday morning
Just don’t get jazz at all
A collection of Davis' pioneering "cool jazz" recordings, marked with a distinct style and incorporating polyphony and harmony techniques drawn from classical music. Great set of polished, focused tunes.
Wow! Venus De Milo. I think I'm starting to get this jazz thing.
For some reason I'm reminded of Looney Tunes. I liked Boplicity and Rocker lot. The last song was... off-putting.
A Miles Davis album is always an adventure and a nice road trip. Good company, even when you have baf luck and they locked you up at a parking of a supermarket. Just keep your cool and fix it, thats what you can do thanks to this album 😉. Great jazz trip.
Not a jazz fan, but I am now.
Classic
Pretty good album. Wish it had some singing. 3/4/23
Non. Je ne me ferai jamais à toutes ces notes jouées un peu au pif. Aucun plaisir.
Jazz
couldnt finish the album i was so bored
Feel cool listening to this one. The arrangement takes you on a journey
as much as i LOVE miles davis, this isn't his best work, in my opinion. i see the artistic merit, but it's got a more big band-y sound than most of his other stuff, which isn't necessarily in my jazz palette. i prefer my brass instruments with intermittent solos, and more slow-moving. still great composition, just not my general tastes
Good, but not gonna be something I listen to regularly
This album shows the genius of Miles Davis even before he was THE Miles Davis.
Starts of very dance night at the us army officer's club with some pretty dames with swell gams, it's a step up from boogie woogie bugle boy from company B but doesn't have the same feel to Davis's later works. Then a few songs in it smooths out and we hear some good tracks with Moon Dream and Venus de Milo, nothing amazing but a nice listen.
I am discovering through this project that I am a fan of Miles Davis. The songs effortlessly blend together to create a lovely mosaic of Jazz instrumental harmony. This album is not as good as 'Kind of Blue' (the other Miles Davis album I've had so far in this challenge) and not as complex, but still sets an easy listening experience FAVORITE SONGS - Jeru - Moon Dreams 3.75/5
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.
It's the God damn jazz juice. One for the Bobby Nuts' Offal Collection.
Patrolling the Mojave almost makes you wish for a nuclear winter.
It’s jazz!
Does what it says on the tin. One of the greatest recordings of all time. What more do you want?
Pretty *cool* record here (see what I did there?). It's a very nice and relaxing listen with songs that kind of just twist and turn with instrument solos coming out of nowhere. I enjoyed it! 7/10
Doet me denken aan de muziek dat mijn opa vaak opzet, en dat is een goed ding
Finally, a Miles Davis album that is much more accessible than "Bitches Brew", although that is not a particularly a high bar to cross. "Birth of the Cool" reminded me of all the 80s and 90s sitcoms, with jazz intros or jingles in-between the scenes. Something that is not too distracting, but entertaining, classy and with some (a little) spice to it. It's probably blasphemous for real jazz fans, but I felt like sitting in a hotel lounge when listening to this album - relaxing, easy to follow, smooth. And that is what I think - it was a pretty nice listening session, track after track were flowing, nothing really caught my attention, for the better or worse. Perfect record for a chilled dinner with partner or friends.
Dope!
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?
Miles Davis has always been one step ahead of everyone else. I like his influence, but I don't like his music as much. Newer music wouldn't be the same without him. I only know a couple of his records. I hadn't heard this one before. I like it better than the newer ones I know. Favorite song: Venus de Milo.
This album represents a transition between bebop and cool jazz in the late 40s and early 50s. As always, Miles Davis, a master of phrasing and dynamics, is one of the drivers of this change. The music certainly contains elements of both styles ranging from the high energy, virtuosic bebop, to the slower understated cool jazz. This album looks forward to the 1959 releases of Davis' Kind of Blue, and Dave Brubeck's Time Out.
I mean it’s fine.It’s just trumpet jazz music.It’s pretty sounding but pretty boring.Nothing super grabbing.it’s ok.
I'm not sure how arsed I am about this kind of Jazz. I know I really liked Kind of Blue, bounced off Bitches Brew when I tried them both 10-15 years ago, but I didn't go to this. Be interested to see how I react to Brew with several years more musical maturity. Anyway, this is enjoyable but I'm not really picking up enough variation to keep me massively interested.
Just incredible, obviously
arkaplan olarak dinlenir
Very enjoyable, even if I still don't quite understand all the nuances of the genre. That's a me problem, not a Miles problem, and one of the many reasons I am delighted to be doing this!
Babbity toot toot! Accessible jazzzzz
In the world of jazz this is the album with which I'm most familiar, because when CD players were new it was one of the first CD my dad got.
My Miles sweet spot starts about a decade after this, but I do very much enjoy dipping into his older stuff from time to time. This and Kind of Blue are the two first Miles albums I ever heard and the ones I'm still most likely to reach for if I'm looking for chill, early Miles - except when taking the time to visit the ones I've not heard yet. "Moon Dreams" and "Boplicity" are my favourites from this set.
This is the second Miles Davis album I’ve reviewed. I remember the first one surprising me as I generally consider jazz to be outside the boundaries of what I tend to enjoy, but I rather enjoyed it. I’m excited to listen to more today! Songs I already knew: none Favourites: Jeru, Budo, Boplicity You might be wondering about the very high score. I listened to this album this morning and have been thinking about it all day. This album has changed my stance on jazz. I’ll admit that I haven’t heard much jazz outside of a few albums, but this had got me wanting to find more. There wasn’t a moment when my foot wasn’t tapping and I wasn’t lost in the music, and that is quite the statement considering the genre and my personal preferences. Overall, a definite recommend regardless of whether you are already familiar with jazz or not.
Honestly Mid. Not a big jazz guy but I bet it was bumpin when my grandpa and grandma had my dad
always loved his music, but just recently learned what a POS he apparently was to his wifes and gfs. no approved! one star will be removed due to this.
It's good, but it's not Kind of Blue good. Certainly interesting from an historical perspective, as you can hear the transition from bepop and related styles to the hard bop more often associated with the late 50s.
Beautiful album. Time flies by. The mix is flawless, and cheerful, warm horns with the smooth bass make a listen for a sunny day. It's not as interesting as his other albums, which have more textures and intricacies, but Birth of the Cool is a classic, solid jazz record.
Bello, bello bello. Aiutatemi a dire bello.
Not a fan
La primera obra referencial de Davis. I segurament la més fàcil de digerir en les seves primeres escoltes. Un geni
I don't think this was the rebirth. This was just the straight up birth of the cool.
Miles's first game changer (and the first in quite an impressive list: see *Milestones*/*Kind Of Blue*, *Sketches Of Spain*, *In A Silent Way*/*Bitches Brew*, *On The Corner*...). Not as striking today as those later masterpieces, but still an essential listen for sure... Number of albums left to review or just listen to: less than 700, I've temporarily lost count here Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: approximately a half so far (including this one) Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: a quarter Albums from the list I will certainly *not* include in mine (many others are more important): the last quarter
quite short much instrumental jazzy
This didn't make a large impact on me, though it was as enjoyable as any Miles album, there are some I am much more fond of.
Mais um albúm longe da minha zona de conforto. Tive muita dificuldade em distinguir as canções de imediato, o que sempre é muito importante em minha avaliações. Porém, o ritmo é contagiante. Impossivel ficar indiferente. Hora agitado, hora mais lento. Certamente é um disco que necessita de mais e mais audições até um veredito final.
Some good music at last!
Definitely lives up to its name. Layers upon layers of the very smoothest jazz, delivered as only Miles and his band can.
Jazzy
I love jazz, and this is of the more upbeat variety. It's very enjoyable but gets a little tedious by the end.
Obviously technically perfect but to me just not as interesting as some of his later work.
I have this album already and I love it
What a great talent and mind. Personally think Kind of Blue was his greatest album. This one is right up there.
I’d class myself as a casual jazz fan, probably about 4/5 jazz albums Iv listened to frequently. My all time favourite being kinda blue. So I was excited to see this on the list. Enjoyed this, nice short songs easy to appreciate, much less of a challenge than bitches brew, but can tell this is a few years before kind of blue where miles would truly hone his craft. Great jazz album worth a list will be added to my rotation list, just not quite masterpiece level.
Jazz innit
Tästä tykkään! 1950 luvulla hölmöjä ihmisiä.. tälläsellä saa ne viihdyettyä...
a lot more listenable than some other Miles Davis albums I can tell you that.
One of my all-time favorite albums. Fabulous.
Waarschijnlijk niet verkeerd, maar niet mijn ding.
A fine album, nothing special when taken at face value, but cool to think that this was the emergence of a new genre of jazz that was more subdued than bebop. Kind of Blue is much more memorable, but this was fine. Three stars.
I'd consider Sean as cool as Miles Davis!
I liked a lot of the upbeat happier songs. Some of the slow stuff was hard for me to enjoy at work.
Jazzy
Miles davis wel eens geluisterd, maar eerste keer wat langer. Lekkere jazz, maar las vaak dat het niet zijn beste is dus ga me er wat meer in verdiepen. 4 sterren voor het opwarmertje
Heel soepel album, luistert gemakkelijk weg. Maar nog niet mn favoriete Miles Davis album
While not my style, the abilities of the musician are not lost on me.
Obviously great
Walk into a random jazzclub across the globe and there's a good chance that the orchestra playing is still trying to mimic the sound and atmosphere created on Birth of the Cool. With one collection of songs, bebop was surpassed by cool jazz, and smoke-filled venues never looked back. Highlights were 'Venus de Milo', 'Godchild' and 'Boplicity', but everything was just cool as heck.
This is pretty cool, Miles. Pretty cool indeed.
Not my music style
Chill, probably would put this on for nice background music. Exciting for instrumental music.
Peppy and fun, but rich with intricate complexity, and also succinct! I suppose for Mr. Davis brevity is the soul of cool? I appreciate that.
Mitt 110:e album och den fjärde av Miles Davis. Så jävla bra är han ju inte.
Seminal Jazz Album
Good for Christmas
какими-то мотивами так напоминает светлые смешные советские комедии
не понимаю, как оценивать джаз... он почти всегда типа объективно крутой.. но просто с ничего сравню с прослушанным не так давно альбомом сары воан, который мне понравился больше (оценки ничего не значат блин, я не могу так (окей, очев, что они не значат ничего для музыкального мира, но я даже чисто для себя оценивать не могу, сложна))
I mean, it's jazz and it's Miles Davis. It's great.
Jazz alegre. Pone muy de buenas.
First Miles Davis album I listened to. Really enjoyed this, and in a weird way, it makes me ready for the Christmas season. Looking forward to more Miles Davis music.
not exactly mys style, but great if you're looking for new tastes
Vrolijk ontspannen getoeter voor bij het haardvuur. Zal destijds ongetwijfeld baanbrekend geweest zijn, maar tegenwoordig associeer je dit met whisky nippen bij kaarslicht in een sjieke lounge. Of vooruit, bij beschaafd publiek in een keurige jazzclub in een kelder in Parijs.
Dit luistert gewoon lekker weg. Toch is het wat minder interessant allemaal dan 'Kind of Blue', het album dat ik eerder van meneer Davis kreeg. Een album dat je móet horen? Dat denk ik niet. Wel een album dat je waarschijnlijk heel veel op de achtergrond kan opzetten.
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
I must have heard this before, idk where. It's good though :)
toot
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.
Very good, short, no duds on this one.
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.
Lovely
Decent
Ok
Reminded me of both a transition in a movie like "Catch me if you can" and the music you always here in crime drama bar scenes. Very groovy
Jazz canónico. Un 4.
Cool jazz.Correcto.
Nice
Very enjoyable! I liked this one more than the other two Miles Davis records we've had so far. Both relaxing and stimulating.
Love me some Miles
Background music
A classic through and through. In many ways this defined modern jazz and set the stage for the decades that followed. This is quintessential mood music and a singular achievement. It also is one of the first jazz albums I purchased (a thanks to my Uncle Marty) and has been played consistently since then.
I’m not a jazz lover but I liked this more than I thought I would. Wasn’t as “freeform” as I expected.
Evocative of a specific time and place in American history, this album features great musicians collaborating with each other but for me is not more than music to have in the background. That likely has nothing to do with them and everything to do with me, who did not grow up listening to this kind of music. You can't deny the talent.
It’s Miles changing music for the first time. Landmark. Beyond that, I’m not qualified to comment, but I will keep listening.
Nice short but sweet jazz album.
I mean, what is there to really say? This is some serious jazz for the hep cats! Music like this always makes me think of getting dressed up and working the room at a fancy Christmas party where they serve little tiny cocktail weiners on toothpicks. Tom Hanks would be there, along with Meg Ryan and probably David Letterman. For the record, I do not always get invited to these kinds of Christmas parties, but when I do, I want Miles Davis to be there.
So Miles Davis must have been a marketing genius. Titling a jazz album in 1957 "The Birth of Cool." I have a hard time seeing it. "I don't care what you say pops, I like this relaxing dinner music and you can't make me stop listening to it!" "Hey daddyo, can you dig smooth jazz? This is the coolest!" "Naw man, put away that Elvis and the Beatles, check out the mellow wordless magic of Miles Davis!" And then these songs have these super-cool titles, like "Deception," "Boplicity," "Rogue." Oh wait, it's "Rouge." That might even be cooler. But I don't know, something about feeling my nerves calmed and my stomach craving some pasta and white wine doesn't ring so cool that it this music must be the origin of all coolness. Shame, Miles Davis, SHAME!
2.5
genieten
Miles davis goed
Olive Garden
Ovaj je bas bio upbeat. Mislim da nikad ne mozes pogriješiti sa Milesom. Doktor jazza
Imam veliko poštovanje prema gospodinu Davisu. Najdraži jazz izvođač, bar zasad, uvijek se vraćam njegovim albumima ukoliko želim nešto jazza za smirenje ili prije spavanja. Ovo isto spada u dobre stvari njegove glazbe, kompilacija, ali dobra. Just vibe.
It's pleasant enough for background. I just tend to not really "get" jazz for the most part. I certainly didn't hate it but would never listen for pleasure.
Decent Jazz album that probably revolutionized music at the time. Unfortunately, it now sounds old and done-over. I feel like there are better Miles Davis albums as well. Best Songs: NA Worst Songs: NA
Great Jazz, just not the kind I would listen to in my spare time.
Great. I think
Dat kewl m8
Great ensemble. Miles playing is clear and definitive.
Classic for Jazz Lovers, just pleasant music for me.
Jazz isn't normally something I seek out, but I do enjoy it as background music while attending to other tasks, and I found this album, instrumental save for the last track, really good for that purpose.
Jazz is tough for me to rate because it all starts to meld together. The album ended and I wasn't even sure how many tracks I made it through. Wasn't unpleasant though.
Fine for when I’m doin something to have in the background. Made me feel like gale from breaking bad
Jazz isn't typically my vibe but it was surprisingly good! Felt a bit like I was in a silent film but decent all the same, felt very calm after, would probably listen again. 7/10
Tried. Couldn’t get into it.
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
Incredible. Probably the easiest 5 star album so far for me. And that's despite that weird last song that is worth negative 10 stars.
I don't understand jazz
Blues clues
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.
Track 1: Great fast paced start with the horns section rhythm. Awesome light and quick trumpet solo into the sax solo. Incredible speed of the bass on this; the bassline is absolutely moving. Perfect drum fills and solo break. Track 2: Nice pace on this song with the cool off-beat rhythm. Lil Poly thing going on. Incredibly crisp chord changes in the horns. Smooth trumpet solo. The off-beat melody now with the drums are super crispy. Sax solo is good a lil lackluster at times. Once again really tight changes on the ending and slowing it down a bit. Track 3: Slow and beautiful Start. Silky smooth progressions that feel like a walk through a park on a warm dark night. Bassline relaxes a bit in the background and provides just enough to keep a loose structure. Wow incredible note hold by the trumpet, and then busting right into these minor chords. Nice soft finish at the end. Track 4: Very tight walking bassline. Nice soft horn hits on the main section. Light and playful trumpet solo on top. Very airy sax solo but keeps smooth. The off rhythm hits and fills from the drums are great. Track 5: Fast pace song with light kit drums. The runs in the trumpet solo are nice and together. Lightning quick melodies. Great drum fills right at the end. Track 6: Nice trumpet lead on the melody right off the bat. A bit scattered with these solo sections but drums hold it together. Oh lord a very pretty trombone/euphonium solo super slick. Track 7: Incredible main melody led by the low brass and sax line. The drums accompany the horn hits super well. The trumpet joining that low melody line after the solo is a nice touch. Nice reach for the high note at the end. Track 8: Personal favorite song off the album. Great splashy cymbals. The main melody is just so catchy the way they toy around with the notes. The sax solo is just perfectly placed and light on the top. The trumpet solo brings some beautiful airy runs. Piano solo quickly brings it back to the main melody. Song just feels so laid back and relaxed. Track 9: light and playful with the intro melody. Great rises and falls of the song. Trumpet and sax solos were okay; felt a bit forced. Great dynamic shifts in the high and low parts. Track 10: fluid sax right off the bat. Nice 3 over 4 melody line. Trumpet solo was crispy and then slowly fades back into the backing track. Sax solo is an absolute highlight. Good lord the sax runs are insane in this. Was not a fan of the Forced ending. Track 11: clean and smooth melodic line. Nice percussive cutoffs for effect. Best piano solo on the album for sure; perfectly placed. Piano solo goes right to sax with some beautiful fast paced runs. Solo to solo transitions are incredibly smooth. Drums have some nice fills but I wish there was more. Brings back the main melody line at the end. Album is incredible and pretty much individually kicked off the cool jazz genre. I love Miles Davis, and I'll hold the uncommon opinion that this is my favorite album of his.
Miles Davis is truly the goat of jazz.
While I like this album because Miles Davis is a GOAT, it is a compilation album and lacks the unity of a complete, focused album. All the songs are really good, but it just feels as if it is missing that album feel.
Ya like Jazz???
Obviously it's Miles Davis, but again, I don't remember most of what I heard. I know I liked it, but this one is gonna take a few more listens for me to fully appreciate I think.
Pretty good but not miles Davis' best jazz
Classic, really really enjoyed this look into early davis.
Based
Miles Davis is cool, but it's Jazz, and well...you know.
Good Jazz. Confused the shit out of my cats, so you know it's real. Made me do the Early Disney finger wag, so you know it's catchy.
King of cool jazz baby
Not the best of miles, but still miles
Nice!
Elevator lounge music. Background filler. Next.
Well they got that title correct. V. cool indeed.
loving the Jazz
The bebop jazz crossover to makes it easier to digest when you hear it for the first time. It's just so many notes....
I enjoyed this one. I feel there are more definitive albums to listen to when it comes to jazz (I could be wrong about this). Regardless this was a very enjoyable listen.
I learned from Wikipedia that this is a compilation album of Miles Davis tracks recorded in 1949-50. I also learned that "the music consisted of innovative arrangements influenced by classical music techniques such as polyphony, and marked a major development in post-bebop jazz. As the title suggests, these recordings are considered seminal in the history of cool jazz." So it's important, and I tried really hard to listen for the new things they were doing. But the only jazz I know well is swing so probably I should have listened to some Dizzy Gillespie first or something. As a jazz philistine, I can at least say that there is nothing I dislike about this album. But it didn't move me. It sounded like the type of thing I would have played at a dinner party in my early 20s to make myself appear grownup and sophisticated. If I'm really being honest, I have an unpopular belief that most people only listen to jazz to make themselves appear grownup and sophisticated. This is a great album for that.
Meh, lots of brass. OK I guess
Jo jazz
Enjoy more woth text
I know this type of album (jazz, without much of a "hook" in its songs) takes time to grow on you. I've listened to this twice, plan to listen to it more, and very much suspect it will grow on me. That said, for consistency with the other albums, I need to rate it based on my initial impressions alone; this is just the limitation of this 1001-albums format. From that perspective, while the songs are all pleasant, very few sparked my interest. Jazz is great, but I prefer a little more upbeat. I'd prefer anything by Ed Palermo or Gil Scott-Heron over this. Not as bad as Nico's Chelsea Girl (my reference point for a 2), so I'll go 3.
There really is only one word to describe it, and that's "cool". It's just a solid record, and I love the constant use of dissonance throughout. Favorite tracks: "Moon Dream", "Boplicity"
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.
jazz perfection
didnt really listen
Miles Davis prophesizing my birth 31 years prior. Crazy.
One of the albums that shaped the history of jazz. Not one of my absolute favorite jazz albums to listen to, but definitely a great one and incredibly important.
He's no Kenneth G.
Technical master but trumpet might not be my thing
Really solid throughout but I don't think it's the best I've heard from him. Listened to it a few times and want to revisit it again sometime. Favorite: Jeru
One of the most important albums in Jazz history.
I can definitely understand why Miles Davis was so influential to Jazz. I can recognize how he has influenced even some rap artists I listen to. The opening track is stunning with what he can do on the trumpet. I like the fast, snappy pace of most of the tracks. I feel like this is something that should be listened to on vinyl; digital doesn't do it justice. You need to feel it. The trombone solo in Deception makes me miss playing trombone myself. I don't listen to jazz much because there's just so much of it and I don't know where to start, so this was very helpful. I love the genre so much and have been tapping my foot throughout the whole album. It's very noticeable that there is emotion in the songs; Miles Davis portrays it so well.
Slick classic jazz.
Excellent, but not my favorite Miles Davis album
First time listening to a jazz album. I think I like jazz a lot more than I thought I did.
I first listened to the CD version of the album and thought it was pretty good - definitely 'cool'. Then Darn that Dream started and I thought how much that song just didn't fit in with the rest of the album. It's a great old classic from the 1940s - I know it well. It just didn't seem to flow along with the rest of the album. THEN I looked at the Wikipedia page and saw that It wasn't part of the original album. I never know which version of the album is the one that we "must listen to", but in this case, I'll stick with the original version without Darn That Dream. Very cool, smooth and funky jazz. yeah, baby, I dig it... 3/5
Classic album, lots of good stuff. Though not very accessable for non jazz fans.
I love jazz, so that one's is a definite yes for me. -- I really enjoyed listening to it, one of my favourite jazz albums. This kind of music can instantly lift up my mood.
Good jazz
Great ambient sound. One of the classics.
Jazz is an acquired taste, and I have not yet acquired it. I can appreciate the musicianship and I know that everything their doing is amazing, but I feel like listening to this album is like trying to read an advanced theoretical physics textbook. It's real smart and cool, but I don't even know wtf is happening.
Uvodni miles. I odmah jebeni zakon
Jazz not my jam. Having said that, themes presented in this album are easy to digest.
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.
Relaxing, sounds like an old French film soundtrack.
One of the perfect trio of Miles’ records.
It sure was a jazz album! While this is certainly a musically competent record, I was expecting something more “Miles Davis-y”? I didn’t really feel anything outside of “Moon Dreams”. But for 1957 this is good.
I really know nothing about jazz. I know I like it live more than on record, and while I own some notable jazz CDs, it's all about catching some killer riffs and solos here and there as opposed to studying the compositions and having any real understanding of the history or the significance of anything I'm listening to. So with Miles Davis, I know he's a pioneer, legend, visionary, difficult personality, brilliant player, but that's not because I listen to a lot of his music or know anything about how he changed the form over the course of his storied career. I appreciated the short compositions on this album, it made it easy to stay with a tune through it's duration, and I was struck by how every player seemed to be as accomplished as the next — no one instrument stood out as the focus or the virtuoso among the ensemble. I later read that these sessions were actually recorded in 1949-50, though not released until 1957, and are credited with ushering in a new style of jazz, called cool jazz. That all makes sense having listened to the album, and I guess I'm a fan of cool jazz. A three? Four? I'm going with a four-star as I can see me teeing this album up again and getting more familiar with it.
Damn, we've been on a roll lately! The release date on this album is deceptive. These tunes were recorded in '49 and '50 in three different sessions, and these recordings were considered pretty odd at the time. It's not quite big band, not quite small combo, not quite bebop, not quite cool. It's something else entirely. ("Something else entirely" pretty much describes all of Miles's landmark recordings.) I dig this stuff, but it's definitely not my favorite of Miles's albums. For one thing, it doesn't showcase any of the individual musicians here particularly well. I mean, it's got Max Roach, one of the great drummers of all time, on 2/3 of these tunes, but you'd never know it. (For that, you'd need to check out any of the recordings he did with Clifford Brown and Sonny Rollins.) If you're not particularly knowledgeable about jazz, I don't know that this album is an especially good introduction to the genre. (Then again, there are so many different kinds of jazz, it's hard to know what would be, except maybe Miles's own "Kind of Blue.") Having said all of that, this is quality music and several of these went on to become jazz standards, so it's a good album to listen to if you become a fan of the genre. It also became massively influential with many of these guys becoming giants of the Cool Jazz movement. This is music that rewards intense listening but also works great in the background. 4.5/5
Not the greatest jazz but decent.
Favorite songs: jeru, moon dreams, deception, rocker, Israel
Trompetista de mucho nivel y pionero de su estilo. Para inconformistas del jazz y amantes de este instrumento
I love when I see an album that can be pointed to and say "Right here. That's where it all started." What a cool formative moment in jazz history, and not to mention its fucking BALLER. The head for Budo always slaps, and the ending section of Moon Dreams slays me every time.
Ok, now this was truly Cool. A smooth set of tracks. I can get behind this Miles, and listening to this might be a better entry point than the other 2 I've had on the list so far.
I really do need to sit down with more albums by some of these great jazz musicians. This album was such a fantastic listen. I will definitely circle back to this one someday and really listen deeply. There's so much subtlety in there that there's a lot you can miss.
Just don’t connect with this style of music. Sorry!
Love me some Miles Davis
Always an interesting listen with Davis.
Not going to lie, Boblicity is one of my all-time favorite jazz tunes. This album was a staple when I went through a jazz phase in high school, in part to being in jazz band. I used to love playing Boblicity in my spare time; I even got pretty decent at it on Bass Trombone. Really good album, but Miles Davis isn't for everyone. There are very similar ticks that Miles uses in pretty much every song. You start to notice it, such that now I can pretty much identify a classic-era Miles Davis song from a mile away. Miles got SUPER offbeat and experimental later in life, but this classic compilations is a great introduction to how Miles became the \"cool\". 4.5/5.
Assez incontournable merci. On ne réinvente pas la musique tous les jours. Il y a Darn that dream qui me met sur mes gardes à chaque fois. C’est peut-être la seule pièce qui fitte moins.
Miles Davis est un incontournable. Cet album de sa discographie est quand même assez important. Par contre cette période du jazz n'est pas ma favorite. J'aime comment on entend que le band enregistre le tout ensemble, mais le style encore légèrement orchestral est un peu ennuyant.
Couldn't name a Miles Davis track, but I know several albums and this one doesn't disappoint. Felt more up beat than Kind of Blue, but that makes sense even just from the titles. Great listen
If peeing your pants is cool...
Cool cool jazz
Old-school Miles Davis, it's good. Does raise questions for me about the scope of this list - should straight classical albums have a place on it too?
I wish I had more time to listen to this more than once. What I heard was excellent.
I'm not too crazy about the combination of a larger ensemble and shorter compositions, though the solos are nice. It's hard for me to get a handle on how influential this was. The west coast sound of the late fifties sounded similar, and this is quite different from the sound that Miles and Dizzy and Charlie Parker were putting out in the late forties. It's disappointing that 1001 doesn't pay tribute to either of those two guys who were a huge influence, but that may have something to do with availability of long play releases, etc. It's interesting that Miles would leave them and round up a bunch of white guys for his next recordings. Between a 3 and a 4 for me.
There are a few musical artists that are able to capture the zeitgeist of the moment and chart new territory with their vision, radically changing their style over the decades and also changing music, art and fashion at the same time. I would put Miles in this category, along with Neil Young and David Bowie. Every time they changed their style listeners would be challenged but after other groups follow their lead, time would show that they were bleeding edge and way ahead of their time. Over 5 decades Miles would go from Big Band to Be-bop, to Cool, to Modal to Electric rock fusion. This album is basically a collection of material he did in the late 40s and shows his transition to Cool. Although it's a solid album, my favourite works by him were yet to come in his Modal period.
first miles davis listen! and first listen! not really my kind of thing to listen to on its own but just having it on in the background while coding/having dinner was undeniably cool. again, not really my thing but im a bit more curious about jazz now. just a bit.
Lively jazz, pleasant background listening with enough going on to keep interest!
My least favorite Miles Davis album.
Great jazz album! Very upbeat compared to King of Blue.
Nice but not really my cuppa tea. Binty got it right with “I feel like I’m in a Pixar film”
Really great musicianship. Didn't catch my ear though, probably down to not really understanding or knowing much about the era to fully appreciate it
Average
Sehr gutes Jazz Album
Not really a jazz fan. I’m sure it’s good for others but not as enjoyable for me
8/10. Pretty fun little listen
Solid jazz album, didn’t feel super thematic or anything but it was nice to listen to. 8/10
Short, sharp and punchy as fuck. Listened to it twice through and loved every second.
I really disliked my last Miles Davis album but found this much more mellow and enjoyable. Still not what I’m into but a much smoother ride than Bitches Brew.
Meh. Only listened to a couple songs.
Decent jazz album, enjoyed it, pretty chill no singing
a bit too simplistic
Five stars. Tempted to deduct a quarter of a point for the vocal jazz on track 12, but really can't complain.
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 :-). *
This was blooming lovely
This is really solid and maybe would have been a 4 or 5 with anyone else but I feel that, with the hindsight of what Davis would go on to do, it's a little underwhelming. It's a good listen and clearly very influential but just doesn't have the same emotional impact as his modal jazz period or the intrigue of his more experimental later work
081022 12:19 4
So very good.
Just not the biggest fan of jazz. Miles is a legend but it can’t hold my attention. Faded in to background music almost immediately.
Very early Miles, I like this era.
It really is cool
Отличный джаз для прогулки теплым летним вечером. Высочайшее исполнительское мастерство. Moon Dreams - шедевр. 7 из 10.
Iconic LP cover and great title. My jazz knowledge is not enough to understand the impact or influence of this album over others of its era. It’s pleasant enough, but not special enough. Late 1950s Miles onwards for me.
Smooooth
Für mich besser zu hören als viel anderer Jazz! Toll
Großer Titel und voll eingelöst. Kind of Blue finde ich noch bluer
Ég fílaði þessa plötu mjög vel. Hressilegur jazz, skemmtileg lög.
Budo, Move, Jeru
not my shpeed
JAZZ CRUDO
Will listen again for sure. Stuff like this needs to be familiar for me before I can really rate it.
It was ok, not really that cool. I still don't prefer jazz
Would like to enjoy more jazz.
great, classic jazz as always. great to study to, I'll be listening to it for my exams for sure.
Det är blues.
Classic jazz, mostly instrumental except the vocals on the final track.
Good jazz
Much more rhythmically driven than what I remembered. It's crazy to witness how that guy was ahead of its time at such an early stage of its career. He would release a lot more challenging records in the future but this one's too cool to be ignored.
Now that's my kind of jazz (see what I did there?). Awesome vibes to chill to.
I'm not the biggest Jazz connoisseur, but I'm rarely disapoint when I listen to a classic album, especially when it come to Miles Davis.
A wonderfully flowing jazz album that can be played at any time of the day or the night, it will always be good. For me, it's not a jazz essential, but definitely a must for any Miles Davis fans.
Amazing album. Considering the time it was recorded, it is a ground breaker. Opening the jazz to new sounds and styles. It really transport me to an incredible peace on mind.
**5/18/2022 - ALBUM #111** https://open.spotify.com/album/3wG8DcAJVgr7sbWNvKanzS?si=VUbVk0vsSq-0NBq-Brktcg Today's Album: "Birth Of The Cool" by Miles Davis - Miles Davis is just one of those names you hear all the time if you've ever been part of a jazz band, and it's for damn good reason. His jazz arrangements are some of the cleanest, most stylish, and smoothest sounding in my opinion. Plus, his trumpet playing; what could I possibly say about his trumpet playing other than he will probably always sit as one of the top 10 best trumpet players of all time. The production on this album is absolutely stellar for being from the late 50s and it really gives me a perspective of just what was possible back then sonically. The band are really all in tune with each other while still maintaining this very loose feel to each track. There are some minor biffs and cracks from both the saxophones and trumpets, but I actually think it adds a really live feel to it and the mistakes feel simply human. Not every track stands out as an absolute banger or anything, but every good Jazz album will have downtime to add to the flow of the project and this record does it very well. Overall, this is a really great album and it deserves to be in anyone's background-music rotation. There's a reason Miles Davis's music is so celebrated and this album displays exactly what that is. Listen to this one if you like some nice Jazz to have on in the background and don't care too much about, "perfection" in the performances. Highlights: Move, Jeru, Venus De Milo, Budo, Boplicity, Rocker, Isreal, Score: 7.5/10 Great trumpet-focused jazz
I am by no means qualified nor worthy to do justice to any sort of review of this album (as if I am of any of the other albums). But here it goes. This is a compilation of 11 tracks recorded by Davis' nonet (nine musicians) over three sessions between 1949 and 1950. The music was a major development in post-bebop jazz. Bebop is 1940's jazz with a fast tempo, complex chord progressions and changes of key. There are several songs that fit maybe more into the bebop fast tempo area. On the flipside is cool jazz which is a more relaxed tempo and this album is credited with starting this cool jazz movement. A number of songs fall in this category. One of the innovative arrangements used on this album is polyphony which is two or more independent melody lines. Again, multiple examples of this throughout the album. There is a lot more history and in-depth breakdown to this album and music but the above-mentioned musical techniques are the ones I found to standout while listening. This is another album with really not a bad song to choose. The first song is "Move" and it does just that rolling along fitting maybe more in the bebop category. A good example of the polyphony with multiple melodies. "Jeru" and "Venus De Milo" are slower tempo, definitely cool jazz. "Jeru" also has a couple outstanding horn solos. I learned a lot from this album. Definitely a good album to chill to. I'm sure to get more jazz and Miles in this challenge and it'll be interesting to see the differences. I'm sure to learn more.
Perfect Sunday evening vibe ahead of a busy week.
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.
i think the album's title defines it, no? it's beautiful, and so smooth. the trumpet, the drums... it's magnificent! this is good to listen to at the end of the day, or during the work day! i quite enjoyed it. perhaps the only draw back of the album is "darn that dream"! when the vocals begin, it's quite shocking for an otherwise entirely instrumental album.
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.
Good album, still need more listens to fully appreciate the compositions
Trumpet Jazz that's less vomit inducing than John Zorn but still it's a NO from me
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.
Who knew Miles Davis released music in 1957? Looking at discography, his 1st album was in 1951. Just did not know it was that old. Great background jazz. Nothing like what is cut nowadays, but found to be soothing and top notch. B
5/03/22
Great miles album.
Not often a claim like this can be actually backed up, but this seems to do so. A really solid album from someone who seems to have defined and redefined jazz over and over for others to follow behind him.
Historic, groundbreaking, and... kind of boring.
If peeing your pants is cool, then I'm Miles Davis.
I could listen to this all day.
A dense and energetic album, that has added to my snowballing desire to delve more deeply into the world of Jazz. Two things stand out to my extremely untrained jazz-listening ears. The musical agility of each performer is incredible. My hands and lungs ache just thinking about the endurance and precision of movement and breath involved to play these parts. This stands out clearly in the tracks 'Move', 'Budo' and more subtly in 'Israel'. The band is cohesive and perfectly aligned with one another. Their level of collective coordination, even amongst the most frenetic parts of the songs, reveals their dedication to the craft. I can't really point to anyone track as showcasing this more than any other, as I feel like it's evident at all points, in all tracks.
I need more Miles Davis in my life.
I listened to it while working and totally enjoyed it. Honestly, hearing Anita talk and rave about it and how unique it is among jazz albums elevated it in my mind.
I'm a huge Miles Davis fan, and jazz of this era in general. This album came two years before Kind of Blue, and it has such a different vibe. The songs are short, and the album is short too. It doesn't have the long solos I'm used to in a Davis album. It's all about the band playing together, and not about Davis in particular. It's a very sweet and complicated at the same time. This is such a good recording too. I really loved this album, but I'm likely to give all Davis albums of this era a 5.
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.
Ömmm… yeah de va
Cool album… ehehehehe
Får mig att villa dansa !
icy 🥶
Can’t get into it 🤷♂️. Give it 3 stars though so as not to seem racist.
Pretty standard jazz. Didn't annoy me.
😎 🎺
Fahrstuhlmusik 2
Miles Davis is probably the single most talented musician to have lived in the 20th century, well known for occasionally blowing open the entire genre he worked in and inspiring dozens if not hundreds of imitators. For any other musician, this would be their masterpiece - for Davis, it barely cracks the top ten.
I mean. This is a turning point album, hugely influential- the ‘birth’ of something new. It’s not perfect, it feels a little out together. But it’s bloody cool.
ew.
It's interesting to understand that "Birth of the Cool" is a compilation and not an album per se. Comprised of songs recorded in three sessions during 1949 and early 1950, it's a record that shows the evolution of cool jazz, a style being molded on the go with different session bands full of musicians that would make history or were already doing so. Max Roach, Gerry Mulligan, Kenny Clarke, Lee Konitz and John Lewis all have great contributions on this release, showing that Miles Davis was not only a great musician, but also great at chosing his band. It's an 11 track compilation with 11 pieces of jazz history put together.
very quality!! Jazz is very impressive, both in the skill needed to play it, and in the imagination required to compose it
first listen i originally missed this complication of his early work, killer stuff
Birth of the Cool by Miles Davis (1957) This is a fine album by Miles Davis. But it isn’t the familiar Miles Davis of Kind of Blue (1959) or Bitches Brew (1970). This is the early Miles Davis of 1949-1950 (although it wasn’t released until 1957, by which time Davis was already developing way beyond). On this album, instead of hearing Davis’ familiar trumpet leading small and sparingly arranged jazz combo, we get jazz arrangements for nonet (nine-piece band), including the standard instruments of trumpet, drums, bass, piano, two saxophones (alto & baritone), and trombone, but also the rather unexpected tuba and French horn. Nasty critics would have you think this was due to Davis’ inability to keep up with Dizzy Gillespie. Poo. Please note that the title of this album is not “The Birth of Cool”. It is “Birth of the Cool”. And there’s a big difference. Davis would not be so pretentious as to claim that his distinct and original compositional style was the first to be described as “cool” (in our conventional sense). Rather, the album title describes jazz that stays in the ‘cool’ range of the ‘musical color’ spectrum—violets, blues and greens—avoiding the fiery and bombastic reds, oranges, and yellows of ‘hot’ jazz like big band, swing, and bebop. This ‘birth of the cool’ had a long period of living gestation in the mode of unresolved chords and tensionless harmonies from Impressionist composers like Fanelli, Sibelius, Respighi, Ravel, and Debussy (although this last one would deny it). Also, this music sounds more like soft pastels and less like bold and vivid primary colors. More like Claude Monet and less like Joan Miró (Do an internet search of images for these two painters to see what I mean—it can’t adequately be described in words). That said, this music is highly intelligent and extraordinarily well done, even if the idiosyncratic tuba and French horn sound out of place to twenty-first century ears. It is compositionally complex, of course, but it avoids the extremes in range and dynamics, staying within the ‘comfort zone’ of each performer, even to point of having horn players ‘underblow’ to achieve mood and orchestral blend. The overall effect is casual and comfortable. Steady tempos here are best followed by tapping forefinger to thumb rather than trying to use your feet. Keep focused on the melodic lines, leaving chord changes to the experts (not me, anyway). If you’re curious to follow the chord progressions, listen to the piano on this record. That’s its basic function. Flaws are evident, of course, including flubbed notes and some intonation struggles within such a disparate ensemble. And overall, there seems to be a lack of variety, but that shouldn’t prevent an honestly enjoyable experience. Please listen to this one! 4/5
A classic!
Made me feel uneasy, but I'm not sure if it was because I was feeling uneasy anyway.
Awesome album
Great late 50s era jazz sound
Not really getting it
Not my cup of jazz tea