Birth Of The Cool

I feel like this is kinda mid for Miles Davis. It was a nice listen through, but nothing really stood out to me. I guess I can appreciate the "major development in post-bebop jazz" these songs were, but considering this came out in 1957 and I'm no where near that age, it's hard for me to be able to understand that well. I'm debating between a 2 and a 3, but when comparing to other 2 star albums I've given, it's better than those so... 3

I FEEL cool

It's amazing to me that this is the first Miles Davis album to show up on this list. Given the other jazz in here, I would have expected to see Kind of Blue and Bitches Brew as well. Also wouldn't complain if In A Silent Way were to pop up as well... Anywho, Birth of The Cool is among the earlier of Davis' work, and plays more along the lines of what one would expect for late 50s jazz. Perhaps at the time it was revolutionary -- I honestly don't know. Move is a delightful and concise song, where everyone gets a bit of spotlight. Very catchy and singable melody. Moon Dreams is a significant drop in tempo and is almost cinematic in its arrangement. By that I mean it is structured as if it is a narrative story, with conflict arising around the 2:20 mark. Interesting departure from the upbeat Move>Jeru. Venus De Milo is another standout for its extremely catchy melody and conversational Trumpet solos. Honestly everything about this album is so very tasty and wonderful. Davis' trumpet work is top notch (obviously) but more importantly, the compositions are well constructed, catchy as hell, and incredibly engaging for instrumental work. Not to mention the support on here is fantastic. Max Roach behind the kit is a notable standout -- his fills on Move Although I'm partial to his more exploratory later work (especially the jazz-fusion periods) this is some fine fodder for the jazz cannon. One of the easiest 5 / 5 reviews I could give; there really just are no misses here.

If peeing your pants is cool then call me Miles Davis. 4 stars

Definitely would take drugs and pee my pants to this album. Nice smooth jazz that operates really well as background music. Not sure if I liked it as much as other jazz, but it lands right around the 3.5 mark with no intention of coming back to this particular album.

Some nice walking bass and smooth horns for about 30 minutes was perfect background music while working.

If peeing your pants is cool, consider me Miles Davis! Some earlyish Miles Davis, and another jazz album with that striking big ol bass in the background. Idk if it was the birth of it, but it was certainly cool.

good? idk how to rate jazz

Great listen.

Absolute classic. Max Roach for the win. Some of Miles' most joyful melodies. Crucial.

So What 4.4 Freddie Freeloader 4.2 Blue in Green 4 All Blues 4.5 Flamenco Sketches 4.2 Score: 4.26

title is apt - jazz is cool, miles davis is cool, this album is cool.

All instrumental. Big band-y upbeat jazz. Each track was really short. A fast and enjoyable listen.

Warm, fuzzy, and oh so jazzy. Great sax & trumpet licks throughout. Gasser made us listen to this one back in the day. Almost perfect or actually perfect.

Had to do a little research on this - found it really good just wasn't quite what I was expecting from Miles Davis. I think it's the "cool jazz" vs modal or jazz fusion that I'm more familiar with (granted I'm not a student of jazz and all it's forms). It's not a 5 star for me not because of Miles but because it still has the big band sound that really doesn't inspire me.

It's Jazz. I feel like this is one of those albums where like, if I were well-studied in jazz, I'd be able to hear the innovations here, but it sounds like normal jazz to me. 7/10.

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

Favorite Track: Rocker

Tough run after Hugh.. too much trumpet this week. I appreciate Miles Davis for who he is, but will not listen to this again

smooth, great tempo

Probably not something I’ll go back to, but very good to have on for studying and chores.

Nice!

Very cool

3 sterne

Obviously brilliantly talented and a very pleasant listen. But I wouldn't choose to listen too a whole album of trumpet normally. But I guess that's kinda the point! Some beautiful tracks that I felt needed to be listened to in a far more focused and appreciative manner than through my phone while in the shower. Probably a 2-2.5

I have difficulty knowing how to respond to jazz albums. They’ve never been something I’ve responded to, I have a hard time differentiating the classics from the elevator music standards. This was cool, though! Maybe I’ll get more into them.

The thing is compared to the majority of jazz albums on here I really see the vibe of this one in full force, like it’s still only been a decade after the war there’s problems with the world but your smiling through and you want something that’s not lyrical and could bog you down, just something nice for the grand old American nuclear family, 4/5

daddy, daddy cool 🎺

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

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

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

Another Miles Davis album. This one was good like the other- very technically proficient and good mix of styles and themes. Still- jazz is really not the music for me. Overall- solid album

cool piece🤝🏼

Very nice jazz, easy to listen to but still interesting, like all the best minimalist styles. I think Davis perfected this style on Kind of Blue, but I have slightly overplayed that album nowadays so it's nice to hear something different from the same talent.

I'm not wildly into Jazz, though some of the albums that have come up on this list have surprised me. This got better as it went on - at one point it was like I was listening to the Monsters Inc soundtrack. Should probably listen to more Jazz

It's Miles, so 5 stars even if he isn't my favorite. More of a Chet Baker guy, but Miles is still undeniable.

Nice

This was good. I mean it's really good. But it's also what it is: Jazz. I like it. But it's not something I want to hear every day.

i dont think i really like jazz. i appreciate it for the beautiful genre it is, but i really cant get into this

One of the most important albums of all time. Genre-defining, epoch-inducing. Importance cannot be overstated.

It must be good but I didn't get it and generally do not understand jazz. And I'm really sad about it

It’s jazz. If you like jazz, you’ll like it. If you don’t, then you won’t. For the rest of us, it lands right square in the middle.

80/100. Impressive and smooth. I usually enjoy more modern jazz records, but this one is superb. Created in 1957, the sound still holds up remarkably well—a true achievement.

Proper jazz

I haven’t listened to a straight jazz album in a really long time. Miles Davis was the best way to bring this back into life.

Just some old timey trumpet innit

It’s okay

I want to like jazz, I can see the creativity and the vibe but it just leaves me cold. Background music for me

very fun, brief, but exciting

Gg

A classic for the ages, very jam band

Took a second but I eventually came to appreciate the perfect density of the album. Loved the few moments where the kick drum distorted. After reading about cool jazz, it was easy to notice elements of big band and more traditional compositions.

This album left me feeling that listening to it would be a great way to spend an afternoon in an elevator with Miles Davis

Classic Jazz album- I bought this in university expecting another kind of blue and was initially disappointed but had grown on my over the years. Ahead of it’s time and set a template for many jazz albums after it.

Birth of the cool isn’t as cool as teenage cool. A little too big band. But you can hear the music starting to move. And it is still a damn good album.

Well the album name says it all. Of note is that they recorded it like a decade before they actually released it, when cool had become cool, that's a nifty OG move.

Love you Miles

Nice...not too wild. Big band-y.

Very cool sounding, livelier than kind of blue

More jazz, sounded cool but I don't really get it

such great composition and rhythm

Good enjoyed

The greatness of Miles is over the course of his long career, he had no interest in creating art that was what was expected by his audience. It may be apocryphal, but the story that a fan approached Miles at a hotel to say that they loved his music, but some of it was too "out there" and if he'll be making more music that fans can "get". Miles' response said it all: "What, I'm supposed to wait for you to catch up?" And that's the power of this essentially compilation album. It's fascinating to hear where he was at this time, especially concerning the sound he was chasing. Here we have more traditional bop, but you can hear that his Magnus opus Kind of Blue was on the horizon. This is special for the time it was created, the musicians playing with Miles at the time, and the simple quality of the songs. A mini-classic.

so fucking good

Great album to start the new year

Cool jazz with hints of bebop lingering on the palate. Bon Appetite!

Background music to the character creation screen of a Temu Sims knock-off.

this one is much better than the other album i previously reviewed from him, effortless rhythm.

Normally I’m against compilations, but a lot of Jazz albums from back in the day were collections of the single song releases. This is such a classic album and is super influential in shaping how jazz would sound. Miles Davis was such a genius and this album is a must listen for anyone. It’s kind of sad to see the average score of this one on the challenge site.

I appreciate the artistry and the reputation but not music I would choose to listen to.

12/30/24. Hard hitting Jazz right here, sounds amazing. Each instrumentalist brings it.

solid

Just a nice chill jazz album, you can put on in the background. Would listen again!

swanky and fun. the musical pop definition of "cool" would soon evolve very rapidly huh. This was especially good to practice melee to

ugh, jazz. whatever.

What's cool is this is as much the birth of an idea, an aesthetic, a posture, as it is superb music. Not much to say here - Miles inventing again.

Although a great and very important album in terms of history of jazz, it is and never will be one of my favourites. The pieces are short, the solos therefore not so interesting solos. It kind of flows by in a nice way but does not leave a lot to remember. But that is written in 2025, and the situation was surely a completely different one fifty years ago.

Enjoyed the atmosphere of this album. I listened to it while cleaning up the kitchen the morning after Christmas.

YAYYYY move- 7 jeru- 8 or 9 moon dreams- 7 venus de milo- 7 budo- 7 or 8 deception- 7 godchild- 7 boplicity- 8 or 9 rocker- 7 israel- 7 rouge- 8

Good listen overall, though nothing stood out too much to pick a fave.

A very nice, chill Jazz record. Feels perfect chucking on whilst you're working or having it in the background. Miles Davis is great and this is a solid album!

Enjoyed when I was younger

Smooth free-flowing jazz from Miles Davis. I was surprised to see this was a compilation because the album transitioned from song-to-song so seamlessly.

Non so valutare bene il jazz ma in ogni caso mi è garbato deh.

Questo è un debutto.......................................

Non c’è molta scelta sui voti qui

Definitely know this musician. I do love me some jazz but I can only listened to it for so long. I have heard of this album, not sure if I have listened to it. This is so good. Really wish I was able to catch him alive. Every song is so intriguing.

Third stream classic nonet recording, immensely important in its day, somewhat of a timepiece, as Jazz moved in different directions afterwards, largely due to the influence of a number of these participants

We named our kid after this album. Also made my lovely lady, Constance give birth while listening to it. It was a difficult birth and if I’m honest, it never felt the same between me and Constance since the. Cool Bernard Chutney. Born 30.02.98 weighing 14lb 9oz. 4.7

3/5 - Great listen. Nothing on the album really stands out, however, nothing about the album sounds annoying to me either. This album sounds like it could be part of a classic Disney cartoon, with mickey mouse and plants and boats bopping to the music. However, that being said, due to this it also sounds a bit generic for a jazz album. Darn that Dream is a great conclusion to the album. Love the vocals on it.

einmal mehr ein wirklich tolles album! ja, es ist jazz. und ja, das muss man mögen. aber hey: mehr als 50 jahre alt und trotzdem so lebendig, stilsicher und mitreissend. wahrhaftig ein meilenstein!

Hörbarer Jazz, aber nicht meine Lieblingsmusik. Doch wie die spielen und die Instrumente beherrschen ist bemerkenswert!

Just a lovely soulful relaxing album. Great to have on in the background

Simply amazing

More Miles Davis - as far as jazz goes, I love it!

Har haft svårt att uppbringa starka känslor kring det här albumet - nu skriver jag något för att äntligen kunna gå vidare. Det är väl bra och trevlig jazz bara. Sen är den såklart EXTREMT historiskt relevant och formande vilket jag FATTAR, så är väl bra att känna till iallafall. Oklart hur mycket jag kommer fortsätta lyssna på det; det flesta spåren är lite snabba för att "sätta på till middagen", vilket verkar vara kriteriet jag faller tillbaka på när det kommer till jazz. Bästa låt: Moon Dreams. DEN är middagskompatibel!!

The goat

A cool album, nice in the back ground, pretty laid back and enjoyable.

I struggle with Jazz and do not really understand it. This feels like old school MOR Jazz that i can happily listen to in a cocktail bar grooving along. No idea whats going on but in no rush to leave.

This isn’t foreground music. 2.0

Man, it’s just not my thing. I’ll give it two stars because I feel guilty, but it sounds like an episode of Charlie Brown.

Although I enjoyed the music, there were times where I didn't even realize it was playing; it sounded like it blended into everyday life. Upon reflection, it struck me as quite generic, for it to be so unnoticeable.

Miles Davis, always an artist!

I dunno, I think I like jazz a bit maybe.

Not my favorite, but still a great album.

just such a total masterpiece lmao. i feel like at least part of the innovations on typical bebop here is the economy, u dont have 11 songs last only a half hour on a jazz record if ur wasting any time at all. beneath the warmth oozing from every horn and all the gorgeous melody lines and the general disarmingly Casual tone that is cool jazz's main subversion of bebop, theres this incessant pulse of urgent, effortful discipline. maybe its an intentional part of the vibe, maybe its just the result of this recording's innovations not being set in stone yet, either way it gives this collection a unique character that still holds up as noteworthy in the larger more developed history of cool jazz. an inspired compilation too...ud never know this was split across three bands and three sessions, the vision and musical fixations are as cohesive as u could ask for

Stating the obvious, this was fucking cool. 5*

ooh miles davis yeah its cool. he wasn't lying

Timeless music. Very upbeat and uptempo; great mood lifter. Miles Davis plays impeccably! Likewise, all other musicians' performances are top notch.

It was Miles Davis's worst release on the 1001 list, but it's still one of the best albums on it.

There isn’t much I can say about this Jazz classic other than it’s worthy of all the praise it has received over the years. Miles Davis was a trailblazer and a true artist and will forever be studied for his contributions to the music world.

Well, it doesn't get cooler than this. This is one of my favorite pre-1960 Miles albums out of the 1000 he released before 1960.... Budo and Deception are two favorite songs, with Rogue killing it at the end. It's a straightforward jazz album, a great one. A 5 here.

This was certainly jazz. 3.5

Not his best album but yes it is cool

que no me gusta el jazz carajo

I don't know why a compilation album is on the list but I found it to be pretty nice background music although it is a bit samey

Fabulous. The title says. it.

For whatever reason, when I "picture" jazz in my head, I picture this sound, and in many instances this album. It's roughly as different from the bebop that preceded it as 60s Miles is from it. But with all the big-band instruments and the slightly slower tempo, it just sounds classic. I've heard this many times and like it quite a bit. Having just listened to a few others from 60s Miles, I do prefer those though. In particular, this CD has very short solos, and the longer-form solos on e.g. Silent Way give a lot more room to experiment and develop ideas. It's nice though, I'd put it on anytime.

Приятно

Incredibly accurate album title

Is there a single missed note on this whole record? If there is, one can't hear it. Still, to be clear, this is far from peak Miles -- it's not Kind of Blue, In a Silent Way, Milestones or any of the great Quintet records. The influence is undeniable of course, and it's a pleasure to hear, if a little on the dry side and museum piece-y. "Boplicity" was among the first jazz tunes one ever loved so there's that, too. Easy 4.

First Jazz album so far. Move gets you moving. I like Miles Davis but after a strong start, this album felt too loose in a bad way, and overall besides a few stretches, wasn't very impactful and drifted to the background. The overall mood is quite dour and not very exiting to listen to. I could see this one getting better on repeat listens. 3.5/5

It does its thing, I don't care for it.

Beautiful - much more flowing and piano-driven than some of his other work.

Not for me

Compiling Davis’ most progressive efforts into the start of the 1950s, there could be no better title for this than Birth of the Cool. Littered with jazz staples such as Moon Dreams and the first release of Boplicity, if finding the transition from Bop to Cool Jazz, why look further than what this album tells you in its title? So, with nothing over three minutes and the recordings preceding Kind of Blue by ten years, Davis’ playing can easily be seen to be fully-fledged, even in the years prior to his landmark albums. He didn’t just birth the cool, he embodied it.

Not really my thing, i may like jazz but this felt like noice

Again not really my vibe but I can appreciate it.

Fine, but better appreciated by someone else, I’m sure.

interesting the birth of the cool was remastered in 200🧐

Honestly think this might be my favorite Miles Davis record - really unusual and creative choices but still uptempo and not fully into “cool” mode (which is great in its own right). Love the instrumentation

Been listening to this one for years. Great record!

Betyg 4+ (Det svänger ju katten!)

It was awesome, miles davis is awesome.

Credo proprio che mi piaccia il Jazz

Very good.. very.. cool!! Honestly, far from the best thing I’ve heard from MD, but really smooth and a great time nonetheless!

Okay but for real, this is cool

is there such thing as being too cool? hold your horses miles!

CLASSIC. Living for the City especially but the rest of the album holds up better than I remember too.

Not for me. But hearing jazz every once in a while is all good in my book. And this seems like a great jazz record.

Really surprised how much I enjoyed this. Unbelievable album

A mighty fine jazz album. Both very creative and listenable. 4.65

I do really like Miles Davis and I guess I hadn't heard this album before, being earlier than Kind of Blue. While this was really good, it didn't grab my attention like other recordings of his but overall a 4 for me.

Just Miles inventing a subgenre of Jazz. Not my favorite Miles, it’s still great. 4 stars.

Ya like jazz ? Decent

Not a fan of miles Davis and this didn't change my mind high 2.

Oh, que bueno saber de donde viene la palabra "cool". Miles Davis nunca decepciona, y si me dicen que se trata de una compilación de singles de Jazz, siempre quedaré contento. Una recolección de suaves pistas dirigidas e interpretadas por una de las leyendas más grandes del género. Sin embargo, no está ni cerca de ser su mejor álbum. Un interesate punto de partida para quien después tendría LPs tan intricados como "Bitches Brew". No encuentro que sea para nada un esencial, así que si puede sálteselo. Si le gusta el Jazz no puede perdérselo.

jazz is not mine sorry, but hes one of the best

Cool indeed. First time hearing this album. This seems to be pretty accessible during the first listen, but it’s full of complexities that I’m looking forward to exploring during future spins. Amazing instrumentation and orchestration throughout.

Definitely found myself enjoying this but it was too much Jazz for me. 2.5/5

Really good.

The essence of chill and relaxation. I wasn’t very familiar with the power of Miles Davis. He will certainly be an artist I will return to in the future.

So dry

You cannot deny how revolutionary Miles Davies actually was but this album was only okay for me. I’ve definitely heard better Jazz albums

Lived up to the album title

This is indeed when cool was born

The format was not friendly to this album in my eyes. Individually the songs were fun, low key, and easy to listen to. However, as beginning to end experience it was miserable. Like looking at tv static for 30 minutes, very little change to my ear. I'm sure if I was a fan of the genre I could point out a myriad of subtle and major changes between songs but as a casual nonlistener these just don't stand out. Songs on their own: 3.5 Album experience:2

This shit absolutely slapped, Miles just GOES for it.

3/10

Brilliant trumpeter. Classic album but for afficionados

Perfect name for this album. Miles Davis is the coolest.

Birth of the Cool is undeniably cool, and a very good example of skilled and accessible jazz. Jeru and Venus de Milo are my favourite tracks, it's quality as background music but also as a focused listen. A solid 4, it's not outstanding enough or lasting with me enough to get a 5 but it's really really good.

Didn't chime with me, this, wasn't really memorable in the slightest and I'm not going to go back to it after the couple of listens that it's had this morning. It's technically very good, and it's led on to stuff that I've enjoyed more, but this one is not really for me. 3/5.

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

😴

Det her er alt jeg forventede.

Lidt mindre cool end Kind of Blue, men man kan godt høre at det er en forløber for den lyd. Nogle steder er rytmerne dog stadig lidt for hektiske

The first of 1001AYMHBYD's four Miles Davis albums. Not sure I've heard this before, actually. I might have, but it's the one out of the four not in my collection. And not the one I'd bring with me on a lonely island - THE record to bring on my lonely island - but it's superb. As this (Swedish) person has put so succinctly before: "I reallice that this is god jazz" It is indeed. I wonder, though, if I should leave some room in my rating. [...] Nah.

The Good: Witnessing a birth is magical! The Bad: Sometimes birthing comes with complications… The Ugly: There were no scissors to cut umbilical chord… Jazz. It’s its own thing. It has its own rhythms. It has its own chords. It has its own crowd. I am still scratching my head as to what, exactly, cool jazz is all about. To me, it sounds like the jazz that is used when people like to point out how different jazz is. It is quick, it is syncopated, it is jazz… 3* because Miles deserves respect

Sublime.

Pretty cool.

Far from Davis' best work but still effortlessly cool in a way only he knew.

Maybe I like jazz now

Just quality jazz. Nothing else to say. As someone who only dabbles in jazz, it was interesting all the way through.

Sorry, but I just don't get this sort of jazz at all. It's not unpleasant, and the musicianship is excellent, but I could listen to it all day and not remember a single note.

Enjoyable, but not really my speed. I’ll take “On the Corner” era Miles any day.

Not a big jazz guy, but this was a good listen, know there's more Miles to come on this album journey so looking forward to that

3 out of 5. This would be a fun album to cook to.

I would probably like this more with more listens.

let me just express my gratitude to the curators of this list that the golden era of medium-to-large ensemble jazz, the focus of most of my work as a composer-arranger, is fairly well-represented on it! being a composer-arranger is sort of a (somehow) even dorkier version of being a singer-songwriter, so it's always nice to feel like someone is still in your corner. this is some of the most exemplary bebop of its time, truly making a case for jazz as Black American chamber music. this nonet lineup, owing to its warm brass section from trumpet down to tuba, is very easy on the ears, which allows your ears to hear through the old recording fidelity and straight into the beautiful counterpoint and harmonic motion present in all of these tracks. 75-ish years on, I'm still blown away by the sophistication in these arrangements, the bulk of which are handled by Gerry Mulligan, one of the architects of the "cool jazz" sound. Davis is featured prominently on just about every cut, but there's plenty of space for other soloists, including saxophonists Mulligan and Lee Konitz, trombonist J.J. Johnson, pianist John Lewis and plenty more. Gil Evans also makes two appearances here as an arranger on "Moon Dreams" and "Boplicity", foreshadowing many future successful Davis-Evans collaborations which would take place on a much grander musical scale. this may not go for your jugular like a typical big band record, but what this album lacks in volume and intensity, it brings instead in intrigue. this is music that you can't help but pay close attention to; if you're a writer, you'll listen to this record with equal parts admiration and envy. 10/10.

Very good. Great jazz album that wasn’t too long, but had great music.

I love jazz. There's nothing else to say.

Has sehr guet gfunde, finds aber bitz komisch dem die glich note geh wie fatboy slim. Has au nöd sehr aktiv glost glaub

move mega schöni melodie mega geil arrangiert. sehr cool haha. Jeru tönt wieder meh so big band. aber au nice. moon dreams isch huuere dissonant hey, aber s isch so schön schliichend warm. venus de milo au wieder soo schön arrangiert und so fiin gspielt (sehr cool). budo mit geilem miles solo piano comping geil sax solo so uf chiiiillo. drums au uf chillo aber mit groove. deception wieder super geil arrangierti melodie und d drums gönd mit de kick so geil mit. godchild (göttichind) cute. aber ha d idee vom album checkt es lost sich sehr eifach aber s chan au eifach a eim verbizieh. boplicity isch en haaaarde titel. JA BARISAX TÜÜF. ha freud. israel mega cool (nöd ihm de land). rouge au coooooll. sie hend echt nöd gelogen de scheiss isch extreeem cool. afoch smooth understated geschmeidig. i like. VIAAAAAAAAR

geburt derrrr kühle hahaha drummer gaht dumm suscht ischs ener chli "reduziert" und fokus uf blösomat finds huere krass wie alt das isch, die hend sit 4 jahr kei weltchrieg meh gha wos das ufgno hend und für das findi d ufnahmequalität au uuhuere guet, es isch mega warm und passt zude musig au wenn jz s schlagzüg zB nur verhalte ghörsch ja es isch morge und ich bin müed, drum losi nöd mega aktiv, ich finds huere schön au wenns chli vor sich her plätscheret VIA

Look, you simply can’t ignore how vital this album is in the grand scheme of jazz history…but that doesn’t mean it’s great jazz. At the time I’m sure this was cutting edge, and there’s even several fantastic compositions on here (most notably “Godchild,” which is one of my favorite jazz tracks ever), but for the most part, jazz got a lot better

Didn’t like this quite as much as Kind of Blue. 3.5 rounded down to 3.

This wasn’t nearly as good as the other Miles album we listened to, Kind of Blue.

i liked this jazz album, the songs weren’t too long but they were really enjoyable, quality music

“If peeing your pants is cool, consider me Miles Davis” - my mom every time I mention Miles Davis

Super solid and exciting but at the same time grounding. Can’t explain it that well since jazz isn’t my go-to genre. You have to be in the mood to listen to it. This demands attention. Favorite Song(s): Moon Dreams, Budo

Borde gilla det här mer än jag gör. Lite stressigt.

Fina minnen

It was good as background music but it didn't really stand out much

I really feel under-qualified to rate this genre of music. It’s nice, but I don’t appreciate the artistry of it enough. For that reason, I gave to give it 3 stars.

If you like jazz, this is great. Good background music, just nice.

As the title says, it's cool. Miles, the legend, one of my favorite jazz trumpet player. I even like the piano track. Love this album.

A beautiful album, not necessarily what I look for in music but as something to put on when entertaining a relaxing evening, this is great. I liked Silent Way a little more. 3.

Just gorgeous.

3.5 Not as cool as Kinds of Blue

-ah yes delightful. Not my absolute favorite by Miles but still really good. I’ve listened to it a few times already now and appreciate what jt did for cool jazz as a genre though -Definitely best enjoyed as a cohesive album experience rather than as individual tracks imo -Favorites are Move, Rocker, and Israel

It's all that

i'm cool bc i listen to jazz now

Not my thing

Really interesting and propulsive while staying smooth and groovy throughout.

Glemte å følga med som vanlig, men va sikkert greit

It's a good album. It did feel a little repetitive though. I can understand what they were going for, but not as much a fan of the "cool" jazz.

Loved it, definitely a good night time drive album

Nice breakup from the bebop style that Davis was known for at the time. The big band touches make it very interesting

1. "Move" (Denzil Best, arranged by John Lewis) 3,2 2. "Jeru" (Gerry Mulligan) 3 3. "Moon Dreams" (Chummy MacGregor, Johnny Mercer, arranged by Gil Evans) 3 4. "Venus de Milo" (Mulligan) 3 5. "Budo" (Miles Davis, Bud Powell, arranged by Lewis) 3 6. "Deception" (Davis, arranged by Mulligan) 3 7. "Godchild" (George Wallington, arranged by Mulligan) 3 8. "Boplicity" (Cleo Henry (i.e. Davis and Gil Evans), arranged by Evans) 3 9. "Rocker" (Mulligan) 3,5 10. "Israel" (Johnny Carisi) 3 11. "Rouge" (John Lewis) 3 12. "Darn That Dream" (Eddie DeLange, Jimmy Van Heusen, arranged by Mulligan) 1,1 Average 2,9

Jazz is not one of my top favorite genres, but I loved this album. Its smooth for sure.

Amazing. I listened to it while walking around Berlin. It didn't captivate me throughout the record like Kind of Blue the whole time, but it was still fantastic.

objectively good jazz, i mean it’s miles davis, nothing stood out to me though it was just one long jam

Fine album. 3/5

10/10. Charted as 'Iconic' or 9.66/10. Every song was added to my playlist. Finding that if there was one musician I had to listen to forever, Miles Davis may be it.

Not into jazz so idk about this one

5 estrelas

The literal birth of the post-Bebop movement happens on this record which also kicks off the first of many collaborations between Davis and Gil Evans. This is not my favorite Davis album, but such a key moment in Jazz that it can't be anything less than 5/5.

I think it’s good/classic in some contexts, but I just don’t feel like jazz holds up well in recordings.

Cool but somewhat unremarkable on the first listen.

I prefer a bit more room for exploration in jazz, and additionally, I generally prefer a more stripped back group. The stylings of and arrangements for the nonet lend this to sound like it still has one foot in the big band era of old, which I like fine enough but is rarely something I want to listen to in larger doses. That said, it’s awesome to pick out the aspects of it that are clearly pushing the envelope for the time. I love the unexpected dissonance in the harmonization of “Moon Dreams” in particular, and although Miles doesn’t sound totally like himself as a player yet (still great, of course), “Deception” sounds distinctly like a Miles composition. “Move”, “Godchild”, and “Boplicity” are additional highlights for me. I think Konitz, Mulligan, and Roach shine in particular, and I loved discovering that both J.J. Johnson and Kai Winding were featured in separate sessions years before recording their duet albums. A light 4 stars for me. 4/5

When I review jazz albums like this I feel like it’s the equivalent of me writing a review of a foreign language film that I’ve watched without subtitles. I’ve got some idea of the main plot but will miss out on most of the nuances and then someone who speaks the language will tell me that I’ve misunderstood the main plot anyway. So did I enjoy this album? Yes. Can I explain why it’s in the top 1001 and what sets it apart from other jazz albums? No.

Really nice textures with the french horn and tuba, but this has never been a go-to Miles Davis album for me.

My favourite jazz album, probably spun in its entirety once a quarter. There isn't a track I dislike - the arrangements are still fresh and interesting today, with nothing overly long or short. Rouge is a particular standout, penned by John Lewis; it never bores me. I've got Louis to thank for introducing me to this album - it is indispensable in the world of jazz!

I enjoyed this album. I wouldn’t normally listen to jazz by such a big ensemble but I do like a bit of cool jazz this was really nice.

Pretty good. I’ve probably heard these songs before as background music in a coffee shop or Borders (RIP).

This is solid early jazz from a master, but much like The Beatles, the later period music is way more interesting to me. Still, this is good, can’t deny.

This was a nice enough listen, but different than the other stuff of his I’ve enjoyed more. I know he had different phases of his career and his musicianship evolved. I didn’t hear anything special in this that would give it above a three, but I didn’t not like it.

More upbeat jazz than I’d prefer. Lots of instruments all at once. Would be cool to hear live in a cocktail bar, but not as much at home

Vibe is wel goed na eerste nummer. Beetje monsters inc. swing. Wel mindere vibe dan Louis Armstrong, mis die stem wel. Muziek zonder stem is even leuk, maar na een paar nummers wel repetitive.

Love the more intense songs, but that is more a personal taste. all-in-all great

Wel chille jazz maar niks echt opvallends

Good jazz album

I liked this way better than kind of blue. Not sure why.

My memories of Miles in 1957 are non-existent. I can’t (or don’t want to) imagine a world where big band, jazz, and country are the main music genres. This album with all that trumpet seemed too much like big band to be Birth of the Cool, I did hear some cool tuba though. Actually, good musicianship throughout (2.9*s)

I can't believe an era existed where this was considered the birth of "cool." It sounded like all jazz to me, I couldn't find anything that stood out to differentiate it. I know Davis is a big name but this felt like all the rest. The same backing bass line, the little cymbal tapping, some horns, great. Not really for me. 1.75

For a jazz album I guess it's pretty cool. Better than the slow stuff. Some good back up drums and piano. Miles is an icon that I never listened too...jazz not being my fave and way before my time. I can't really appreciate it for these reasons so I would not be able to argue his place on history. Better than some of the newer stink bomb albums recently on the list...2.13.

Birth Of The Cool is a fine look at a some classic jazz from a bygone era. I can respect Miles Davis and recognize his part in music history, so this album deserves to be on the list, it's just not something that I want to spend any extended time with. There's unquestionably some great trumpet playing on this album, but after a couple songs I don't want to hear any more. This is best served as background music at theme park or elsewhere in small doses. 1.69

Nice easy listening jazz album, miles Davis always slaps

The birth of peak, miles davis tkm

Groundbreaking sound from Miles and a host of talented jazz musicians, including Max Roach, Lee Konitz, JJ Jonsin and Kai Winding. The nonet shines in tunes such as "Move" and "Venus de Milo".

Jazz

Dig the old school vibes

David always delivers. Great chilling out and drinking a beverage music

This is delightful. Smooth and easy to listen to. Doesn’t amble pointlessly. Jazz-tastic.

Cool background jazz, 3.5.

This was great. Absolutely loved it.

Amazing, I need to listen to more jazz, loved every song.

I enjoyed it while it was playing in the background, relaxing coffee shop vibes.

Very relaxing to listen to while working

Nice jazz

I know this is a "classic", but it was a bit uneven for me to give it a 5. Some stuff I really liked and others: "meh"...

Jazz is a minimum effective dose. Like other jazz albums, this has lots of groove, lots of chaotic jazz, thankful it was a short album because if it were any longer, the rating would just keep going down.

Yes

There is a lot to like, but I found it a bit boring after a while, perhaps because the trumpet as the lead instrument has a limited octave range.

It's Miles Davis what more can I say

Seminal album. Great playing but not my cup of tea for jazz.

Listened the first 3 or 4 songs until Salem had enough and got upset. I was cooking dinner at the time and nothing really stood out for me, maybe if I listened to the entire album there might have been stand out tracks. Probably not my kind of jazz but I can appreciate it. 3 stars.

I actually wanted to give it 3½, but it doesn’t let you do half stars so I'm rounding down in honour of Betty Davis (who sadly remains one of the most underrated musicians of all time). I always think Miles Davis’ earlier work would have been wonderful live and I quite enjoy it as background music for cooking dinner. Compared to his later work though, where Betty Davis’ influence really shines through, it’s just a bit dull. Heck, even he eventually refused to play his earlier work because he felt it was ‘over’ and he’d moved on.

have listened to lots of Miles before but haven’t listened to him this early (pre Kind of Blue) as a bandleader. really lyrical playing. i guess miles was sick of bebop and was slowing things down compared to the bebop standard of playing 1000km/h over super fast chord changes and he wanted to make it less of a “jam” and more like a composition. really interesting and a good listen. shows how much he was experimenting and changing the game in jazz even before he dropped Kind of Blue later on which was a real shift. hard not to give it a 10/10 on the historical importance basis but assuming we’re going off of personal enjoyment i’ll say like a 7/10. enjoyable but i think i just enjoy the whackier side of miles’ discography (and jazz in general) more than earlier more traditional jazz stuff.

Very smooth and cool, but don't ask me to pick any of the tracks out of a line up. None really stood out or stayed with me. Probably a testament to how unsophisticated I am or how much he was imitated by others who came after.

It was OK. Nostalgic and evocative of an era. Good to have playing quietly in the background or a late night jazz bar.

This kind of jazz always sounds so mischievous

Inoffensive big band jazz

A very important jazz album. Not one of my go tos but I'll throw it on occasionally and be happy

Not his best but still good 50s jazz.

Amazing album. Miles Davis has a distinctive musical genius.

Was aight. Jazz isn't my thing tbh, unless it's played live

Todavia no innova. Buen jazz pero clásico.

I mean it’s ok as background music and somewhat soothing but not my idea of good music…can appreciate the horns

Miles Davis has always been a strange one. This album in particular is a much more traditional style jazz then some of his more trippy acid jazz from the later 60s and 70s. Therefore, respect. Adulation and all at the skills of miles in the band, absolutely would I take Kind Of Blue or Bitches Brew Over this one? Any day, anytime. I am rounding up a half a star just because it’s Miles and that motherfucker helped music explode in so many ways that alone deserves some props

Good. Very nice

Certainly not bad but..!

It sounds like jazz from the 50s. Still engaging, but more a foundation the further work to re-define jazz for the rest of the century.

für mich auf Dauer antrengend, für viel andere vermutlich (fast) höchster Musikgenuss

Truly great. I’m just not a jazz lover.

It is fine. If you like jazz you probably jizz your pants over it. It is just fine

Fuck yea JAZZZ

I don’t love jazz, but this was quite enjoyable and calming. You really can’t get better than Miles Davis.

As a non-jazz listener, I’m not gonna even try to talk at length about this album. But it was good - engaging at times, not at others. Favorite song: all of them? Least favorite: all of them? Knew before: No

Music playing in a fancy restaurant where two important people meet for a business deal but in the end someone is getting shot. Stand-out: Rouge

Good jazz. Another one for me that is best for a specific time and place though.

Miles Davis invented Cool Jazz, a Jazz genre that tried to be relaxed and "cool" and the way he did it, it was really cool. This album here is a compilation of many songs recorded between 1949 and 1959 and released back then on singles or EPs. But it still was an important release, 7 years later as this not only gave a whole other light on Miles Davis and his artistry but also on Cool Jazz at its rise to stardom. The songs are a mix of Cool Jazz improvs with Bebop as the pillar for these songs. And while it isn't his best album, many still see it as a classic Jazz record to this very day. The album is opened with 'Move' which isn't much Cool Jazz at all but mainly just a really groovy Bebop tune that really goes out with the energetic mood while still being nice, warm and full of mellow tones. It's a lovely first song with many great moments and improvisations and although I much prefer longer Jazz recordings, these short tunes here are still really good. This is an absolutely incredible track right off the bat. To me, 'Jeru' starts off by sounding a lot like a christmas song but I don't know why I think that. It's a pretty nice Cool Jazz song that does tune down the very energetic performance of the first track and adds a nice Hard Bop groove to it instead. It's a beautiful track and while it isn't as good as 'Move', it still has some great improvs throughout which makes it a great song in my book. 'Moon Dreams' sounds pretty similar to something you'd might hear Mingus do somewhere in "The Black Saint a.t.S.L.". Mainly because both are very influenced by the Third Stream genre which combines Jazz and elements of Classical music. And this Cool Jazz approach to it is something really relaxing and moving. Miles Davis really puts all of his soul into this song and while a couple parts do feel a little off, others really take the spotlight. It's a great song through and through. The groovy Bebop returns with 'Venus de Milo' and this time it's mixed with Miles very well performed Cool Jazz improvs. It's a lovely track and actually one of the most consistent and best working moments on the entire record. It's not perfect but really close with the only thing holding it back being a couple of other improvs from other players that aren't quite on the same level. 'Budo' is just plain Bebop and one of the three songs composed by Miles himself. This was still pretty early in his career so he obviously didn't compose one of his greatest pieces but it's still pretty solid. It is one of the weaker tracks on the album but it's still far from bad. It mainly feels unfocused and out of touch with itself and like it moves around aimlessly. But that doesn't mean that it doesn't have some really nice moments on it. The albums first half is closed with 'Deception' which is another mix of different genres but this time it doesn't really work. It is again composed by Miles himself and again, it moves around without going anywhere. This time it's actually quite "annoying" because it builds up to nothing, it is unstructured and not the "Avant-Garde" good way. It's just not that great overall. It's good but much closer to being average than great. 'Godchild' opens the albums second side and while some moments like the start do also feel pretty unstructured, it does find itself after a couple of movements and turns actually pretty solid and consistent after that. It's got some really nice moments throughout and I really like the way some parts are performed. It's an absolutely incredible track. The last song composed by Miles is 'Boplicity' which in comparison feels weak and basic. It is structured much better and it goes somewhere at least but the performances are really weak and standard. It's not bad but I think that it's not much more than a good piece with a couple of really well made moments namely the Miles solo halfway through. The more up-beat performance of 'Rocker' isn't really Rocker because it's Jazz but it's still nice to listen to. It's structured really well but some performances lack the interesting parts that would make them stick out. It's pretty standard and basic but it doesn't feel like you could pull out much more, so it's okay. A couple of Big Band influences are present on 'Israel' which again isn't that special. It has some nice moments and some good performances but as a whole it feels a little bit dull and unfinished and more like a quick session than a finished work. 'Rouge' finishes the album with another high quality song that really works within the album especially as it is the closing track. It's nice that he ended the album with a great song like this, full of beautiful moments and performances. An incredible song to finish a diverse but well made compilation with. favourites: Move, Rouge, Godchild, Venus de Milo, Moon Dreams least favourites: Deception, Rocker, Israel Rating: strong 7 to light 8 https://rateyourmusic.com/~Emil_ph for more ratings, reviews and takes

I would definitely say this is the best representative for this period of jazz. Fire all over. 8/10 Cool

Probably would have enjoyed this more if I was sitting in a nightclub where this was being performed live - but I know it is Miles Davis the jazz genius but it all just starts to blur together and I can't recall what I just listened to...

Album starts with an absolute banger, probably my favorite song on the track. Beautiful solos throughout, loved Boplicity, but wasn’t wowed by anything specific. A lot of the solos felt a bit similar, while they were obviously spectacular.

Birth Of The Cool really shows that its a really early album on this list. The recording quality isn't really the greatest and the album really does give off the vibes of the 50s. I still somewhat enjoyed this album (it mostly helped that i was doing college homework while listening to this). The album was just generally very relaxing even when it had a faster tempo. The songs are a bit samey but this is probably expected of an album like this. I will admit that the vocals in track 12 were a pretty nice touch and definitely added something. There are better jazz albums that i have listened to but this is still an alright listen. Best Song: Godchild Worst Song: Rouge

amazing album. 9/10

This jazz sounds like nice jazz to me.

Never really took the time to listen to a full Jazz album before but I do have the odd soft spot for jazz. I listened to this in Cornwall making dinner and I've got to admit, I was so focused on dinner and also relaxed, I enjoyed listening despite not being my go to genre.

Second instrumental Jazz album in a row. Nothing insightful to say, doesn't do anything for me I'm afraid.

Birth of the Cool is right

Jazz. Seems cool. Easy to listen to, I guess.

In de alternative rock scene heb je The Velvet Underground dat pionierde in allerlei genres, in de punkwereld had je Ian MacKaye die een hele rits aan nieuwe punkstijlen op zijn conto schreef, en in de jazz heb je Miles Davis. In de ontwikkeling van welke post-bebop stijl heeft hij geen dominante hand gehad? We hebben al een album gehad waarin hij early modal jazz vormgeeft, en een plaat waarin hij de grenzen van de jazz/rock fusie opzoekt. Nu is het tijd voor - zoals de titel van dit compilatiealbum al weggeeft - cool jazz. Dit is toch wel de jazzstijl die ik erg associeer met film noir, die met zijn relaxte stijl echt een goede mood-setter is in films waarin het hoofdpersonage vooral heel cool moet ogen. Die rol vertolkt dit genre uitstekend, maar ik mis toch wel een beetje instrumentele variatie en extatische uitspattingen als ik een cool jazz album als deze in z'n geheel luister. Waar het Bill Evans Trio van laatst sterk overeind bleef zonder blazers, mist dit album eigenlijk wel wat andere smaken. 'Jeru' en 'Venus De Milo' zijn m'n favoriete stukken, maar de rest kan zich moeilijk onderscheiden van elkaar. Laten we zo zeggen, ik ben blij dat Miles' rijke discografie een plethora aan smaken bevat, zodat de uiteenlopende jazzliefhebbers allemaal wel aan hun trekken komen. Het was uiteraard aangenaam en 'effortlessly cool', maar ook een beetje saai. 6,5/10 Highlights: Jeru Venus De Milo

Echt bizar hoe lang Miles Davis relevant is geweest en grensverleggende muziek heeft gemaakt. De opnames van deze plaat komen uit 1949/1950. En klinken tot de dag van vandaag fijn en toegankelijk. De trompet en de jazz blijven zo'n fijne match en cool-jazz is heerlijk cool en rustig. Daarmee wel fijner voor de achter- dan de voorgrond. Dus ook gewoon een beetje saai. 6,5/10

Good jazz hits. Instrumentals.

Much more accessible than I anticipated

3/5

Cool.

I know this is an important document in the history of Jazz, but today it's just another jazz record that I appreciate every once and again. It's not my favorite Miles album, I don't reach for it like I do Kind of Blue or Bitches Brew. It's not even in my top 5, if I'm being honest.