The Birth of the Cool remains one of the defining, pivotal moments in jazz, a landmark series of recordings that established the "cool" style for modern jazz in 1949. This is where the elasticity of bop was married with skillful, big-band arrangements and a relaxed, subdued mood that made it all seem easy, even at its most intricate. After all, there's a reason why this music was called cool; it has a hip, detached elegance, never getting too hot, even as the rhythms skip and jump. The word cool denotes a detachment, a less emotional approach to the music. In short, cool jazz is something of a college-educated form of jazz, often influenced by other musical forms such as classical music. Cool jazz features arrangements that are generally more complex than those found in bop, where the head is played, followed by solos, then played again. Often complex harmonies were played behind the solos in cool jazz--it was much more a style that emphasized the composer and arranger.
The unusual Miles Davis ensemble responsible for the Birth of the Cool sessions was more influential than its short life might indicate. The group had a three-week engagement at the Royal Roost in Sept. 1948 and had three recordings sessions in 1949 and 1950. So dubbed because three recording sessions -- two from early 1949, one from March 1950 -- are where the sound known as cool jazz essentially formed, this famous nonet's distinctive sound is achieved with unusual ensemble patterns and a fresh instrumentation for the time: French horn, trumpet, trombone, tuba, alto and baritone saxes, piano, bass and drums. This creates a full orchestral sound from a minimum number of instruments.
Brad Curran’s ensemble recreates these classic recordings. The most remarkable thing about this ensemble is that they sound intimate, as the nonet never pushes too hard, never sounds like the work of nine musicians. Furthermore, the group keeps things short and concise, which keeps the focus on the tones and tunes. The end result is a relaxing, stylish mood music-- the very thing that came to define West Coast or "cool" jazz. But this music is so inventive, it remains alluring even after its influence has been thoroughly absorbed into the mainstream.
Formed from area musicians, the group consists of Curran on trumpet, Father Joe Mattern on alto sax, Simon Weller on baritone sax, Julie Feldner on French horn, Craig Gall on trombone, Jim Dorschner on tuba, Marc Martin on piano, Andy Mertens on acoustic bass and James LeFevre on drums.
