Stillbirth of the Cool

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Was West Coast jazz invented purely because some people couldn't keep up with bebop, and did it only get cred becuase it appealed more to Whitey?

dave q, Monday, 12 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Talkin' Loud = 'Abortion of the Cool'! Heh.

dave q, Monday, 12 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Not an original question, I know. I'm just curious as to what y'all think.

dave q, Monday, 12 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

nah, there's a lot of West Coast stuff which is not really 'cool' in the sense of smooth - Birth of the Cool for starters (which is Gerry Mulligan's arrangements etc, not Miles') has plenty of rough edges and crazy sections, and Harold Land - The Fox is proper hard bop. Curtis Counce, Hampton Hawes, Shelly Manne, etc, all made some fantastic albums. the East Coast / West Coast split is rubbish - West Coast jazz was being made at the same time as later bop. in that Ken Burns series Nat Hentoff was rubbishing West Coast jazz, but back in the 50s he writing every other set of liner notes for it.

West Coast jazz is still too weird for most people anyway, but no doubt the greater proportion of white faces among the musicians helped sell it at the time.

m jemmeson, Tuesday, 13 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I thought Cool Jazz was invented only because Miles was sick to death of "Hot" Jazz.

Lord Custos, Wednesday, 14 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)


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