Birth Of The Cool

The first of what would be many of Miles' groundbreaking stylistic changes in jazz, leading the genre through some uncertain yet inevitable shifts that would eventually lead to it being the status quo for music. Don't miss out on the Royal Rooster live set from this time period as well, it captures the songs too well in its warm, steady quality.

Cool, but not yet Blue

birth of the drip

impecável

Cool

This album was the first work of jazz that I appreciated. It is so involving and revolutionary. With it, Miles changed history.

Just love the 50s jazz

Indeed

Very good! Can’t go wrong with a bit of Miles Davis.

Enjoyed it - need to hear it more…

It's Miles Davis.

I love this album! I used to own this album! I don’t know what happens to this album, but I feel like John Hillery stole this album from me! If I see you on the streets John Hillery imma ask you if you have my album and if so, lights out son! That being said, this album gives me life. The energy is outstanding while contained. Had my blood flowing and air playing all the horn section. Perfect for a gathering with some friends or some solo nerding out in your living room. I actually have it on in my office now!

Come on. Five stars. I have nothing to add that hasn’t already been said about this album. Come back to me when we get to the harder stuff, like Bitches Brew.

Classic. The wellspring of Cool Jazz which was hugely influential.

Cool.

Cool

Paired well with early Sunday morning coffee and studies.

A CLASSSIC MANNN

Inventions for new music dating 70 years from now. And those are surprising us yet.

Brilliant

Delivers what is promised

Lovely

One of best Jazz album of all time.

Lovely, calming and uplifting, ‘Some like it hot’ vibes

An Absolute Classic

Incredible.

Come on it is Miles Davis, what else would I rate it?

Excellent! Amazing performance

I mean, it's Miles Davis. This is like hitting a first-pitch home run.

A great band is behind this, but Miles(🐐) is here to lead and crack the whip. Consequently there is a sense of perfection to this record.

Exactly what it says on the tin

Loved it. Great relaxing and thinking music.

Miles is the king baby

It is absolutely appropriate for the band to be called The Cool.

Klassiker

love jazz

Cool.

Excelente

Funky as hell. Really drifted off in the bathtub to this one. Inspiration to be had.

Super great work time listening. Will do again

You already know

Hadn’t heard this Davis album but just like his others, I love it. These are shorter songs than his longer, later albums but they are still fantastic to listen to. I’ll have to listen to this album more as time goes on to find my true favs but I love the entire thing. The album cover is very basic but it’s what’s inside that counts. Great way to start off the week!

Miles Davis is a Jazz classic

Greate

Essential

holy fuck, this album made me feel things.....one of the best pieces of musical composition I've ever, and will ever listen to.

Cool Jazz!

miles davis is so damn good

I’m going to give this a review… because, while I was listening to it, I wasn’t having one of my best days! And this is something you really need to listen to in a quiet, relaxed setting—probably with a glass of whiskey or a good red wine! Hey, this might be a huge cliché, but I challenge anyone to listen to this without picturing a very Hollywood-esque scene—like Philip Marlowe, a smoke-filled bar, and a good bourbon thrown in! Come on, I challenge anyone… and I’m not American, nor do I want to be, mind you :-)

🎷🎶🥰

Miles will forever be cool - but he has better groundbreaking albums

the birth of cool is right

12 songs WOO-OOH MAMA!!! Now this, THIS is Club Penguin coffee shop music! Yes, sir, indeed! Nothing else compares! Smooth like butter, a sonic taste most sublime! Top 3 Club Penguin soundtracks right here!

This compilation brings together the groundbreaking 1949–1950 studio sessions alongside rare live radio broadcasts, showcasing the legendary nine-piece band's meticulous, relaxed arrangements that departed from the frantic energy of bebop. Boasting improved remastering that highlights the intricate tonal balances of the ensemble, it stands as an essential, deeply influential masterpiece for any jazz collection.

Very accessible and listenable, early Miles

Miles leads a big band toward bebop..he wasn't ahead of his time, but he was right on time.

Perfect classy background music, an incredibly talented man. Beautiful jazz, felt like I was in a jazz bar or something. It was a really pleasant listen, great relaxing jazz

I'm not a huge jazz fan but this may truly be the birth of the cool. Last song very slow and very 50's vibe, the only song with vocals. Brought it all down a little for me. Oh, lighten up, one song you don't like can't completely ruin an album.

7/1001 Longe de ser o seu melhor trabalho mas é uma ótima porta de entrada para o gênero Move - 80 Jeru - 80 Moon Dreams - 75 Venus De Milo - 80 Budo - 75 Deception - 75 Godchild - 75 Boplicity - 80 Rocker - 75 Israel - 75 Rouge - 75 Media: 76.8

Tasteful

Smooth jazz

All is well when Miles Davis blows through your speakers.

This is good but it's almost weird to hear and compare to Kind of Blue. It's earlier which makes sense. I enjoyed deception.

A good listen. It just didn't dig deep into my gut and brain like his other albums on the list.

That was pretty cool. How does he sing snd play the trumpet at the same time?

This was very cool background music to the morning but since I'm not a jazz guy everything kind of bled together at some point and then it ended. Was great though and probably deserves a more serious listen

God Miles is so cool.

Would be 5 if I liked jazz more

I just don't know enough about jazz to talk about it. Like, I know who Miles Davis is, and I know he's GOATed by the community at-large. I did enjoy this, but I could genuinely say the same about any no-name jazz album, really. I'd just put it on and vibe. I will bump this up a little bit because I do love the way old jazz records sound. There's a warmth in the instrument tones and the production, a real working within the limitations of the time that I personally don't feel as much with newer records.

My least favorite Miles era, but still brilliant. Haven’t listened to this in a long time, liked it more than I remembered.

Enjoyed this

This is a tough one. It's a great album and I really want to give it a 5, but I'm not quite sure it's there. Maybe I'll go back and edit it later, but for now 4.5 rounded down

Great!

Not my favorite Miles, but still excellent. At times it sounds like background music from a TV show or a very hip cartoon. And not in a bad way.

Weird to rate an obviously 5 star Miles any less, but there's 6 or more that I get way more excited about, so call it my excitation scale.

4 i like this one a lot

Enjoyable compilation of early Miles Davis, can't go wrong.

Ya like jazz

So influential. How can you not appreciate this?

3/4

Jazz

Not a jazz fan, but you've got to like this...

Jeg kan ikke nok om jazz til å si at dette var grensesprengende i 1949-50, men til mine utrente ører, er det egentlig bare Moon Dreams som høres ut som den kom fra fremtiden. Men enten musikken er grensesprengende eller ikke, så er det fornøyelig knipsejazz. Få med en pakke sigg og en flaske rødvin, så kan det pimpes til langt utpå natta. Sval firer.

Liker alle platene jeg har hørt av Miles Davis så langt. Viber med denne også, men syns den høres ut som mye annen jazz. Kanskje fordi Miles Davis var pasient zero for alt som høres slik ut?

Interesting. I'm knew that he started with Charlie Parker playing Bebop and his style grew to be instrumental in the development of Fusion, but my first knowledge of his music starts with Kind of Blue. This is not there yet and is basically Post-Bop. It is really good and you can hear where he eventually went.

For what it’s worth, my oldest kid is named Miles. He wasn’t named after Miles Davis, but Miles Davis did come up a bunch when we were discussing the name, and we were totally okay with people maybe making that association. Personally, I prefer the directions Miles Davis went on to pursue more than his earlier works, but this is still good. I don’t really have the vocabulary to talk about jazz but I find that with a lot of jazz from this era, it works best for me as background music, but this has the fire in it that is more rewarding as an active listen.

For me just the perfect early morning Saturday listen. Wake up early, get some stretching and cardio, turn this on and do some dishes, slap some laundry in and melt into your couch.

What's cooler than being cool? Other than being kind of blue, of course…

My very first album! I wasn't particularly *moved* by the songs since this isn't the type of music that I can really get into, but I still really enjoyed my time regardless! Talented artist. Lovely music and a relaxing vibrant atmosphere.

Love this. Cool jazz. Good stuff.

I listened to this very famous album a while back because I understood it to be a big deal in the history of jazz, particularly cool jazz, and ... I'm an insufficiently sophisticated listener to really get what's so great about it. To me, it sounds like something that falls somewhere between swing and the radically modernist upstart that pushed swing out of its central position, bebop. Recorded in 1949-50, with nine piece ensembles, that tracks, even if it oversimplifies. To me, it doesn't sound very much like cool jazz as I understand it from the late 50s and 60s. The presence of Gil Evans and Gunther Schuller seems significant to me -- this to my ears has more to do with the more composed forms of jazz that I associate with those two. Soundtrack-style music rather than improvisation-based playing. I've kept the album going on repeat all morning, listening but not closely ... it's enjoyable; the excellent musicians who play on it sound excellent. I like the lyrical, extended lines I hear at points. But I'm just not equipped to appreciate what's so amazing about this album. .

He really is a cool guy

Great Album. I haven’t listened a Jazz album until today, but i always wanted because i love whiplash, the movie from jk simmons and milles teller, and i didn’t know how to start listening to jazz, and this election from the page came to me at a perfect time. In general, its pretty solid with the jazz sound, i like the vibe that transmits, but the song that i loved its the last one, Darn That Dream, specially because its the only one with voice.

Really enjoyed listening to it!!

I thought I wasn't a fan of Miles Davis, I listened to a couple of his other albums and they were too high energy and stressful for me, but this is right down my Alley of upbeat but steady jazz

I like jazz

8/10

I know the historical significance of this album. It's a great listen, but I would like it in a dimly lit bar if I was going to revisit

Super enjoyable & easy to like, even if you aren't into jazz

Made me say oouuu, so many times. Feel like a detective in a bar at night.

Cool.

Feel like the album is a conversation in itself. just not in the mood for jazz atm but nonetheless magnifique

The title says it all.

Great album.

Cool

Great background jazz. Isn't leaving a holy-cow impact, but it sounds excellent.

goede vitaminen

EXCELLENT Jazz album

4 stars

Like jazzy

Embarrassingly I went to jazz school and haven’t listened to this album!

Nomen est omen

C'est un peu comme Picasso avant qu'il se mette à peindre des affaires bizarres.

4/5

Man, 1001 albums really want you to embrace the jazz again good background music you really kept the day moving while I was working at the bar, but there’s nothing really to it. I enjoyed it for what it was background music keep it pushing I don’t know how often I will return to this album, but it was pretty good. Probably the best jazz album I’ve gotten so far.

Unrelated to this particular album, I want to say the following: I’m not sure jazz and country should be included in the 1001 albums list. Not because they are unimportant; I like both, and feel both should be well represented in any collection that claims to be a comprehensive music overview. The problem in my view is that there are so few jazz albums on the list. There are around 25 by my count (actual real jazz albums, not Steely Dan or Keith Jarrett which somehow this list includes in the jazz genre). That number is large enough to be an irritant to the jazz haters of the world (pretty easy to spot by their reviews) but not nearly enough to pretend to be remotely comprehensive in terms of giving an overview of important jazz albums and artists. I understand the omission of many important early jazz artists (Louis Armstrong and Charlie Parker come immediately to mind) since most of their seminal works were issued pre-vinyl LP. But no Sonny Rollins, Dexter Gordon, Chick Corea — in fact, very little that could be considered modern jazz, as well more than half of the jazz albums on the list were issued pre-1965. I would advocate either beefing up the number of jazz and country albums the list, presumably at the expense of some of the (IMO) overrepresented electronica (I know, the Gen Z’ers and millennials are going to howl at that suggestion), or else do away with them entirely.

Inte helt min typ av jazz, men Miles är var ändå ett världsproffs på den genre jag kanske lyssnar mest på, så det går väl inte att hamna under en fyra.

Omlyssningsvärde = högt. Når inte upp till samma höjder som Kind of Blue

Jazz albums are always hard to rate. For me it needs to do something that stands out. This one really didn’t in a meaningful way

Fluide et mouvementé, on suit le cheminement parfaitement du début à la fin. enchainement 10/10

Cool. Liked the variety, sounded really good, don't really have any complaints. Wish I understood jazz better so I could give a better critique but alas.

8 days too early...

I'm totally new to jazz but open to exploring it. Honestly, I don't mind listening to the tracks, but none of them have really blown me away yet.

Reason this one is a standard.

Explored a lot of jazz in my college years and listened to Miles Davis. I know a few of his other albums with more familiarity such as Kind of Blue and In a Silent Way, but this will be a fun relisten, I think. Yeah definitely that more relaxed style on some of it, all very jazzy. Fun and easy to listen to. Sure is cool. Jazz for me is sometimes a challenge to tell different genres as someone who doesn’t play music, but I know I end up liking a lot of the this era of jazz. Like some of the later songs on the first half like Budo and Deception. There’s some fun soloing here. Album kind of grows. The songs seem to get more interesting. Second half starts with a great track. I definitely enjoy listening to this music. I’m not sure how to rate it as it didn’t wow me the way some other jazz records have. I think I’m leaning 4.

My rating 4.2

I’m a big jazz fam but this was a great album! Miles Davis is super talented.

Influential and ahead of it’s time, being recorded all the way back in 1949 and 1950, this early work from a loved legend possesses an obvious importance. It didn’t necessarily come off as any of sort of spectacular listen today, but it was still a consistent, enjoyable experience all the same. Davis is both an important figure and true craftsman whom I’ll have mentally earmarked with anticipation for when later works of his appear on this list. 1 listen Favorite Track: Jeru

Expectation: -> Famous Miles Davis. After listening: -> Really good jazz is probably a 3-4 for me. Little hope of reaching a 5. Considering this is the famous Miles Davis from 1957(!), this gets a 4. I will likely use this as a benchmark for evauating any future jazz albums during this project. Track ranking: Jeru Move Godchild Budo Boplicity Venus Rocker Israel Deception Rouge Moon

Yea snap

Music to do things to. It’s a bit uninvolved for me to fully get on board with it, but it’s good to have on whilst doing something overtly middle class. In fact, I’m going to get my tagine out the garage. See you later.

chill maxxing with the prince of jazz

Man I love jazz so much it's unreal. Incredible music for when I'm studying, but also just actively listening to it. Fantastic.

Miles is a genius, of course. This is a compilation of songs that ride the line between bebop and cool jazz, showing off tight arrangements and high-speed virtuosic solos from Davis and his horn-heavy nine-piece combo. The only problem I have with these songs is that the arrangements are very short, not letting any of the soloists stretch out to any extent. Still, if you like fast-paced jazz, this is a killer.

Old classic times, love the drums. If I had a restaurant on a cruise ship, then this would surely play. Avoided a great mistake of being repeatable, each song has something. Not a daily basis listen, but it is really good.

Ha sido toda una experiencia

A-side was a little hit or miss (really disliked Budo) but Moon Dreams and Deception were revelations

Had listened to individual songs. It was cool to spend the time to listen to the whole album.

It's Miles Davis, the man is incapable of making bad music.

Jazzy. Less experimental than some other Miles Davis albums I’ve heard

good

Cooooool, excelente para poner de fondo mientras cocinas

yeah it's good. its miles davis of course it's good

It’s not Kind of Blue, I suppose, but it’s not far behind in terms of quality and influence. 4.5?

Eba

Se eu lembrasse metade das músicas seria 5

o quintessencial álbum de jazz dos anos 50. Eu ainda acho que o miles Davis tem pelo menos 4 álbuns melhores do que esse, excelente mesmo assim

Absolute banger, but not quite a 5 as it lacks consistency. 'Moon Dreams' is a genuine masterpiece of composing and arranging, however.

Good album! This is great music for walking around the city. My problem with the album is that the tracks are too short and structured. I’m more of a fan of albums like “Bitches’ Brew” where tracks were given time to build and expand.

Really feels like being on the cusp of something—one foot in the old and one foot in the new.

Go on miles lad

Great jazz album.

Even better Jazz Fave track: Jeru

Can’t go wrong with some Miles Davis. 3.5/5

Jazz para comer

the most jazz jazz has ever been

3.5/5

Nice

Trop bien trop bien trop bien

4/5. Originally just a series of singles from the late 40’s and early 50’s, they would be compiled into this album in 1957, ushering in the era of cool jazz and shining a spotlight on Miles Davis as a major figure/bandleader in the genre. Due to the time it was recorded, the production is a bit dated, but the playing here is still strong. The rhythm section keeps everything moving nicely with some driving baselines and drum work, and the lower-register horn section does some solid solo-work. The biggest thing holding Birth of the Cool back is honestly just seeing it in retrospect and knowing that Miles Davis would go on to do many even better albums (I’m personally partial to his fusion era.)

Lives up to its name I guess. This was pleasant to listen to during my planning period and helped me focus at the very least.

El mejor título

Miles Davis is one of my favourite musicians. I like most of his output, but obviously I favour some of his periods over others. Whilst I enjoy Birth Of The Cool, I very much have to be in the mood for it - same for any really early, bigger band jazz. This is great, and Miles is great, but doesn’t quite warrant a 5 for me. Happy to provide my list of favourite Miles albums, but I’m not sure this would make the top twenty!

Very cool jazz. I'm generally more into east coast jazz but this is nice too.

70s miles > 50s miles

Baller

Mi tipo de musica ideal para trabajar/estudiar con demasiado flow. La primer canción "Move", me transporta a la escena de Lala land donde el toca el piano y ella baila y el plano secuencia va de uno al otro. Me encanta

Caveat that I’m not a jazz listener; however, this album is quite good to my ears. I had no itching desire to stop listening to it.

No complaints here

Cool indeed

Jazz band moment

Would buy

I love jazz

Miles is the definition of cool

Holiday dinners, cocktails and cigars

Quintessential jazz. Formative. And 70 years old!

Perhaps not my favourite by Miles Davis but still clearly an important album. The pieces are all relatively short on this record and more traditional but even saying this there is a very distinctive quality to his playing

Standard, enjoyable Miles. Not much of the experimental hard to listen to stuff. Great work/background music.

Je trouve que c'est pas son meilleur album by far, mais c'est pionnier et agréable tout de même 3.5+/5

smart fella

La verdad es que no voy a ir tema por tema porque lo escuche y me pareció bastante monótono y parecido. El albúm en si me gustó mucho. Todo un jazzito instrumental menos el último tema que se tira unos canticos. Me gusta, super tranka el Jazz, y super misma línea, muy agradable al oído. Siento que es de los discos ideales de esa época, que lo pones en el tocadiscos y suena un buen rato una música parecida y que pone ambiente. 7/10

Had this on CD in college. Among the earliest recordings of Davis as bandleader after cutting his teeth with Charlie Parker. Comparatively traditional to what he became known for later, it's nonetheless a very seminal and enjoyable collection of recordings.

Could an album like this ever really become boring to anyone? Though it’s not suitable for every day either. Miles Davis doesn’t deserve anything lower than a 4. 7/10

Love a good jazz album and Miles Davis is an icon.

Wonderful jazz. Miles Davis' life was frantic and aggro but his music was effortlessly calm and relaxed. What a world. This is a fantastic intro to the man. An easily digestible collection of short songs that can either demand your attention or serve as some delightful background music if you're doing something else. Miles Davis has FAR more to offer but if you dig this, you'll dig his other work.

Dinner party/cooking music. Jovial ambience. Cold weather in nyc

another album about me!!! HEHE. i like jazzand this was great!

Really appropriate name it IS quite cool

Just cool

This is an interesting addition to the catalog of Miles Davis. The nonet sound is definitely quite different to what I usually think of with Miles Davis. I think maybe this music was a bit more accessible and radio friendly than some of his other releases. It's still super impressive and interesting recording techniques and styles with tons of obvious talent, it just doesn't evoke the same kind of intensity that I know Miles Davis can produce.

Smooth, cool jazz. I haven't revisited this album since I originally had it generated before joining a group, but I enjoyed it just as much today as I did on day 1.

Me gusto, relajante

I’ve never done a deep dive into the Miles Davis catalog, so this one was a new one for me. Also, this one prompted me to read up on Miles early career in the 1940s and 1950s, so I’m grateful for all that new knowledge. Not really an album in the traditional sense — most of these were released as 78s in the era before albums — it’s still an excellent assemblage of what Miles was exploring as a band leader for the first time. 4 stars

I have been a fan of Miles Davis music for some time. Kind of Blue is one of my cozy up for the evening go to albums. First time listening to Birth of Cool. Album aptly named. It’s the difference between being alone with your thoughts and moving through the world with style.

This isn’t my flavor of Miles Davis, but it is pretty great. One of the first jazz records I got turned on to as a kid.

jazz wenon

I think cool is a fair descriptor. This album does such a great job of straddling that line between relaxing and energetic. It’s applicable pretty much everywhere and anywhere, and sounds good to boot. Whether this is a complement or a detraction is very much a personal thing, but this album really needs to be an album, huh? As a long span of frigidly cool jazz, it doesn’t really do anything different from song to song. This is not a great loss when every song feels like it’s wearing sunglasses indoors, but if you put a song name in front of me, put a gun to my head, and told me to give you any motif, bass line, or riff, I would have to tell you to pull the trigger. Birth Of The Cool is a feeling more than an album, put any one of these songs in isolation or a shifted playlist and it would fail to stand out. As somebody used to listening to and taking a song on its own standing, this is conflicting for me. But we’re ranking albums here, and this album was smooth to its core. Perhaps unlikely to revisit, or have an urge to pop a song from it in my queue, but I think this album performs the rare feat of living up to the lofty goal of being worth listening to before I die.

Birth of Cool gets a solid 4 from me, clearly broke ground and laid foundations for the type of jazz I really love from the decade following it

Loved it.

Good album, has a very retro 60-70s feel as if it were a sunny day and you're sitting on the porch. Relaxing to listen to and easy to get lost in, although tracks dont stand out from one another too much they are still fresh enough to want to hear another. Would listen to again and even search for specific songs, great introduction to jazz and that style of instrumental music with no lyrics.

This was very fun. I wasn't familiar with these tracks, but it was an easy listen. I'd like to listen to it again.

fun and enjoyable. after watching the miles davis movie i don't like him and ya ya musical genius or whatever but evil towards women and idfwt

Very classy. Definitely a fitting title. Like those romantic classic Hollywood films that don’t exist anymore in terms of jazzy sound.

Album name checks out.

I honestly prefer modal, jazz fusion and most other jazz styles over cool jazz but this is undeniably a great record.

Cool vibe

Not Miles at his most profound, but Miles at one of his most historically decisive moments. Artistically elegant, smart, beautifully constructed. Inspiring, especially once you stop demanding drama from it and let it work on its own terms.

jazz epicardovich

me encanto. lo escuche mientras limpiaba mi casa y me parecio super para acompañar el momento. me gusto tambien que la ultima cancion tenga voces, buen corte.

actually pretty based and miles davis shares my birthday (smiling fondly)

Definitely very cool, especially when listening at night on the streets. Hits different.

Great jazz album. I need to be in a specific mood to listen to jazz, and it’s not all that often, but his skills are top notch.

4.1 Buen album de jazz, relajante pero no aburrido aunque en algún punto las canciones llegan a sonar muy similares. Tiene varios ritmos cambiantes, me gusta

Pretty cool! One day I will understand Jazz as much as I enjoy it (and I enjoy it a lot), but it really just overcame me. We're still not on Miles Davis' level.

"If it sounds good, it is good" is a quote attributed to Charles Mingus, that me and Harry's freshman jazz teacher would often say to us. Although I believe in this quote, context is extremely important here. This is a compilation detailing Miles' recordings from 49 to 50. It's called "The Birth of Cool" because it's documenting the path that Miles took to becoming quite literally the coolest man on early. In 1949 he's playing this type of stuff. By the 60s, he's hanging out with Iggy Pop and Bob Dylan in the village. In hearing this record, Kind of Blue sounds so much more abstract and out of the box. The tracks there don't sound like jazz standards anymore. They sound like experiments. This is not a record that is in heavy rotation for me. It is however, a cool chapter in the history of the coolest mf ever.

It’s interesting to see where the departure of Kind of Blue is coming from in context of these shorter, much tighter songs. Each one has an identifiable hook and taut solos. I especially liked “Jeru,” “Venus de Milo,” “Boplicity,” and “Israel.”

miles released numerous 5 star records, and this is almost one of them. it's in the top 10 of his releases to my ears, but plenty ahead of it. this is still essential listening as a defining sound of miles's early years. he hasn't moved yet into his own sound, but he makes some excellent songs here

Great jazz, not much to say. Made me miss jazz band.

Though I'm not a big jazz fan, I could appreciate his iconic talent in "Birth of the Cool."

Good album. This is the type of music I first think of when someone says Jazz. Considered one of the first pioneering Cool Jazz albums.

Birth of the Cool sounds calm and smooth, easy to enjoy, though not always exciting or surprising for casual listeners.

Love it.

A very consistent walking bass line in the background. I think I prefer Miles Davis pieces without the singing

"Birth of the Cool" helped kickstart one of my favourite genres of jazz, and music in general: the titular "Cool" jazz. Here, Davis' nonet meshes together well to create a short, snappy album with a high tempo feel. However, while this is a solid album, in terms of Davis' wider catalogue I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would.

Who could have guessed that cool jazz is cool? Very pleasant album.

Jazz ain’t my thing but I still like it

Hypnotically cool, but not boring.

I kind of understand a bit more why people like jazz

Appropriately named album. It is a very enjoyable listen.

Miles Davis has such an interesting career, he has done everything from Hard Bop, Free Jazz, Bebop, Cool Jazz, and even some occasional covers. What impresses me more is that not even 6 years into his career he was already making some top notch Jazz music on a level not many other people at the time could reach. This compilation is pretty light hearted and easy to digest for a lot of fans of Miles' discography and music as a whole. It won't blow your mind by any means but it is something nice to chew on in the meantime while you search for something more structurally rich and thought provoking. Sometimes less is more and Birth of the Cool definitely fits the bill for that.

It was good but once again, I'm a jazz ignoramus. Would make for a good soundtrack for Pixar shorts.

Fantstic album

Lush and elegant jazz. Very "Cool" indeed by Miles. Appreciate the melodies too, colorful and creative. Probably a landmark in Jazz music? Not really big in Jazz, but this is probably one of the greats.

I really liked this one! Great tempo and vibes for me!

Jazz isn’t my thing but def can appreciate the mastery

To be fair I can't imagine that there was anyone cool before Miles Davis

This is, I believe, the earliest recorded music in the entire challenge. While the album came out in 1957, some of the songs date as far back as 1949. In this era, jazz really was the coolest genre. Miles Davis would remain in the shadows of rock n roll, influencing other musicians for decades to come. Here is the early first steps of Davis, stepping out of the shadows of Charlie Parker's band. It's not quite true to say that his innovations led to rock music, but he certainly was an important voice in story. So this album seems like as good a place as any to have started the journey. The birth of the cool indeed. I couldn't have done without the vocal track at the end though, which felt like an odd add-on and didn't really fit with the other songs in my opinion.

This is very good, but I'm not sure I prefer this to smaller band Miles. He has so many good albums, I'm not sure I'll listen to this one as much. 4/5

Not my shit... but cool 7/10

8/10 Favorite: Moon Dreams

jazz sax

The title of this album pretty much sums up what it is that you're listening to, which is the confirmation of cool jazz as one of the premier forms of the genre. This isn't my favorite era of Miles Davis, but it's interesting to hear him so early into his career before he started branching out into more experimental areas and trying to redefine what jazz is.

I just love cooking to Miles Davis, always have. Beef Bourguignon this go round :)

This is my kind of jazz music. Laid back yet intricate.

No es mi estilo pero realmente se hace muy disfrutable al tipo. Tiene ESO que, aun sin ser conocedor del género o querer meterme tanto, se nota que es un distinto. Lindo álbum 7/10

Jazz, upbeat, good vibes. Would listen again.

I think I like this more than Kind of Blue. The highs may not be as high but it’s just easy listening the whole way through

There is no question that Miles Davis is the coolest man ever to live. This record is sweet, its kind of all over the place with genre fusing. He takes you places high and low, deep and dark, energetic and chill. I'm not sure I was in the headspace this week for music, so I can't say this blew my mind like other ones, but I did enjoy it and listened to back to back 3 times.

Wonder if Miles Davis knew his music would be using as background for setting up personal injury claims 🤔

Classic fucking album. Amazing

Miles Davis is exactly the kind of jazz that I like best. Smooth ensemble sounds and virtuosity without attacking the ears. Love it, can't wait for the next album in this sub genre.

I think I may have heard this one in full before, but Miles Davis is always a good listen. I think Kind of Blue is the seminal work but this is close.

I cannot say that I am jazz person, that would be a lie. It's not a genre I generally seek out. This may be my way in, I really liked it. I found it was floating nicely in the background of my life, but kept me vibing along. Nice grooves and beautiful trumpet work. I will likely come back to this.

Dope

Literally the birth of cool jazz as an alternative to bebop. Slower, more melodic and harmonic. Pitchfork: n/a Rolling Stone: n/a Best Songs Jeru Venus De Milo Israel

Very cool!

Cool and Competent. It did fade into the background while I was listening to it but I liked it. The trumpet led the whole album. Highlights: hard to say because I stopped paying close attention to individual tracks but the sound was good From Musicboard (OG 1/14/26 [#24] Imported 2/26/26)

Nice

It's some lovely jazz that I quite enjoyed. Not much more to say, sadly, as I'm still not the biggest jazz person.

The pun is right there: it’s so … good

+Move +Jeru +Moon Dreams +Boplicity

⭐⭐⭐⭐ Var en angenäm lyssning, det är ett angenämt och coolt album. Mer laid back än vad jag minns av andra Miles album. Inslag av storband men kryddat med modernare jazz. Ingen expert men soundet känns modernt för att vara från 1957. Hantverksmässigt är det fantastiskt. Jag är inte normalt en jazzlyssnare men jag skulle kunna tänka mig att sätta på detta dagar hemma och bara softa. Tvekar mellan en stark 3a eller 4a. Gillar framförallt Moon Dreams.

Exceptional innovative. Favorite track: Rocker

I believe this may have been the first straight ahead jazz record I ever owned. I knew absolutely nothing at the time except that this was an important artist. *Cool* was definitely not what I was looking for at the time, but as I gained my footing and got a sense of the different styles & subgenres I came back around to appreciate (& relish!) this album & many of its direct offspring. Miles is on my Rushmore. I’ve got to go *at least* a 4.5, but even with all my appreciation this is not my favorite Miles so we’re gonna round that back down to a flat 4

Peed my pants to this and i would do it again!

el primer álbum que reseño por escrito (y en esta página), me tomó un tiempo escucharlo ya que sin mentir lo procrastiné tanto Y ME ARREPIENTO,,, un álbum exquisito en sonidos, melodías y ritmos, tiene la mejor canción de inicio y te imaginas todo tipo de historias interesantes con el pasar de las canciones... igual diría que por momento se vuelve un poco repetitivo -si esa es la palabra que puedo ocupar-

I enjoy jazz a lot, but this is not as amazing at other jazz albums.

Pretty good some of it felt like the music in family guy when they transition scenes

We’re getting the real oldhead music now Pretty hard to dislike Miles Davis, as a trumpet player I listened to a decent amount of his stuff back in the day and we played some of his music for jazz band. Not particularly emotionally attached but it’s definitely nostalgic. You could argue some of this albums on the same-y side, but damn there’s some cool trumpet solos in there; he really pushes what that instruments capable of. Instrumental albums are always appreciated in my view, really lets you focus and lock in on whatever you need. I don’t think I could quite go 5 for something like this, but it’s a pretty easy 4

Without checking, I would say that this is one of the greatest album titles of all time. Easily Top Ten. Good arrangements, tight. Definitely the 1950s jazz club vibe, but Miles in a way defined that sound. Through the decade of the 1950s, he made some of the greatest jazz albums of all time (one man's opinion). Move is a great opening track, Venus de Milo a classic. All the other tracks solid at worst. So familiar with Kind of Blue that I forget the other albums he made in this era. Recorded in 1949 and 1950, this compilation album was released in 1957. Way beyond listenable and moving into the rotation. 4 stars.

The only way I can describe this album is cool. It has a cool title, cool sounds, the whole thing is cool. This album is really nice to listen to in the background and I can’t find any reason to hate it.

This apparently is "cool jazz" which means that all other jazz must be "square jazz"? Whatever you call it, I like it better than more freeform jazz. This is pretty good. I would definitely listen to this again. Move and Moon Dreams are particularly good.

big fan of this. jazzy

It's good. Short tracks, obviously played well. A great jazz album to pass the time. However, maybe because I've listened to many Miles Davis albums that are some of the greatest I've heard, that I would say this is a 4/5, instead of a perfect score.

Yeah, that's some good Jazz.

Running late to work and I don’t even mind because these dulcet tones are keeping me calm.

Not Miles’ best work but still incredible

Cool

10# Besides kinds of blue (which i really like but i tend not to return to too often), i didn't heard much more from Miles Davis. The vibe: Cozy winter night at home reading some romance book with 112 pages.

Cooler than the other side of the pillow

We started analyzing jazz in Adv. Music Theory recently, particularly with these icons' genius usage of extended dominants. I don't feel up to par with jazz ball knowledge... this is a great place to start!

Took me a minute to get into Miles, because I started with the more avant garde stuff. But once I got it, I got it.

Quick tempo jazz. Most tracks enjoyable.

Love this. I will revisit

081022 12:19 4

I am not cool enough to rate this a 5. It is great as background. You can throw it on to add smooth sophistication to many a situation. But do I care to pay a very close listen? Not so much.

I discovered 2026 will be the 100th year of Miles Davis's birth what perfect timing. I first knew him from My Funny Valentine. Hearing a full jazz album like Birth of the Cool is a moment where your thoughts can flow with the rhythm. It's the perfect music to simply enjoy. It leaves space for appreciation without overwhelming you. Pure emotion! I can't describe it technically, but the slow sound from Moon Dreams into Venus de Milo was so good… and the vocals in the last song… an incredible way to close.

This record is one of my favorite jazz records, but I'm certainly ton connoisseur -- it will always remind me of my first winter working in NYC.

I didn’t think I liked jazz, but maybe I’ve only heard bad jazz music. I’ve heard of Miles Davis obviously, but never listened assuming it wasn’t my thing. But I really liked this, cool indeed.

I love accurate album titles.

Okay so. This is fun to listen to. I'm having a strange issue where I'm sort of hearing things backwards through time where having heard *Bitches Brew* and some of Miles' later stuff these feels so tame and like I keep waiting for it to explode open and do something else. I keep having to remind myself this is from 1957. Very cool, as advertised. Could easily see myself putting this on when I want to write or just need to have something in my ears. Cannot stress enough how strong of an opener "Move" is. From the first thirty seconds Miles tells us exactly what he's going to give us; 32 minutes of swanky and technically impressive playing. Other highlights include "Venus de Milo," "Godchild," and "Rouge," which feels like a nice closing credits number for the whole thing.

Solid jazz album. Not the biggest fan of the genre, but it was a pleasant listen.

Cool

Huippulevy! Nimenomaan coolin kauden alku! Tykkään pirusti! 4/5

Onhan se mestari. 4/5 koska cool jazz ei oo lempparialagenre.

Another "cool" jazz album by Miles Davis. Not quite up there with my favourites of his. The tracks don't stick in my head as much as anything from Kind of Blue, but would listen again

Pissin my pants he's so cool

A classic. Fantastic jazz album. Very enjoyable to listen to.

4 out of 5 Very cool, loved most of this. Some songs made you want to dance and others were much more serious.

Calming music, very nice background music.