1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die - #12. Miles Davis - Birth of the Cool (1957)

MILES DAVIS – BIRTH OF COOL

Track Listing

1. Move
2. Jeru
3. Moon Dreams
4. Venus De Milo
5. Budo
6. Deception
7. Godchild
8. Boplicity
9. Rocker
10. Israel
11. Rouge
12. Darn That Dream

Recorded over three sessions in 1949-50 (but not released until 1957) these sessions are what are considered the birth of cool jazz. Hence the title ‘Birth of Cool’.
What a wonderful album. Relaxed, subdued, melodic, just a delight to listen to. The performances are top notch and the tracks flow with a sublime easiness about them. The songs are fairly short and to the point (which I like) and never wander into unfocused jams as jazz tends to do. The last track – ‘Darn The Dream’ is a vocal track which is just awful – so do yourself a favor and skip that one.
I read that upon it’s release that this album was highly panned by critics. Obviously time and hindsight have treated it well. Perhaps this isn’t the best album Miles Davis made (Kind of Blue comes to mind) but the ‘coolness’ of the music makes this highly recommended listening.