Cool Jazz: A Guide to the History and Sound of Cool Jazz

Cool jazz is a style of modern jazz that rose to prominence in the United States—particularly the West Coast—in the late 1940s. Cool jazz originated from the bebop style of jazz that was popular in New York, but it was reflective of the laid-back attitude of California. Characteristics of cool jazz music include a soft and restrained sound, formal arrangements, classical music influences, varied band sizes, and multiple melodic lines played simultaneously. Cool jazz influenced later music styles like modal jazz and bossa nova.

In the timeline of jazz history, cool jazz falls between the bebop and hard bop eras of jazz.

• The beginnings: In the late 1940s and early ’50s, swing-era tenor sax player Lester Young began inspiring jazz musicians with his relaxed, light style of playing. While Young provided the inspiration, it was trumpeter Miles Davis who developed the style and is credited with creating the genre of cool jazz. Earlier in Davis's bebop days, he played softer and with more restraint than other notable bebop artists, such as Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker, so it was no surprise that Davis was drawn to this less intense style. Between 1949 and 1950, Davis and his nonet (nine-member band) recorded the innovative cool jazz album Birth of the Cool.
• The main players: In addition to Davis, noteworthy instrumentalists of the cool jazz era include trumpeter Chet Baker; pianists Dave Brubeck, John Lewis, and Lennie Tristano; saxophonists Gerry Mulligan, Stan Getz, Lee Konitz, John Coltrane, and Paul Desmond; vibraphonist Milt Jackson; and the jazz combo The Modern Jazz Quartet. Notable cool jazz arrangers included Gil Evans, Gerry Mulligan, Claude Thornhill, and Tadd Dameron.
• West Coast jazz: Mainly inspired by The Miles Davis Nonet in New York, many Los Angeles-based jazz musicians adopted the cool jazz genre and created the West Coast jazz style in the 1950s. West Coast jazz shares the same characteristics of cool jazz and is essentially a regional offshoot of the genre. Like cool jazz, West Coast jazz is less frantic than traditional bebop, and it relies more on formal arrangements than individual improvisation. Some of the pioneers of West Coast jazz include clarinetist Jimmy Giuffre, saxophonists Bud Shank and Art Pepper, trumpeter Shorty Rogers, drummer Shelly Manne, and pianist André Previn.

While cool jazz's origins are in the bebop style, it contains numerous attributes that set it apart as its own genre.

1. 1. Smooth and reserved sound: Bebop and hard bop are frantic and loud while cool jazz has a smoother, softer, and more restrained sound.
2. 2. Formal arrangements: Improvised solos are a key characteristic of bebop, while cool jazz composers largely arrange their music in advance. Improvised solos have a less significant role in cool jazz.
3. 3. Classical influence: Cool jazz blends elements of jazz and classical music, often incorporating classical instruments not traditionally heard in jazz—like the flute, tuba, French horn, and vibraphone.
4. 4. Varied band sizes and instrumentation: Bebop bands are typically small quartets or quintets with a trumpet and/or saxophone in their rhythm sections. Cool jazz bands, on the other hand, don't have a standard size and range from trios to nonets (nine-member bands). Cool jazz groups also have a larger variety of instrumentation.
5. 5. Counterpoint: Cool jazz compositions frequently contain counterpoint, which is a combination of two or more melodic lines played simultaneously.

Classic cool jazz songs that exemplify the above characteristics include “Boplicity” by The Miles Davis Nonet, “Take Five” by The Dave Brubeck Quartet, and “Bernie's Tune” by The Gerry Mulligan Quartet.

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