West Coast Lovin'

MP3: Gerry Mulligan - Walking Shoes
MP3: Miles Davis - Israel
(MP3's will be back online soon)


One of my secret musical loves is Jazz, something I haven't really discussed here at all. However, I must confess i'm not what you would call a jazz aficionado, so hopefully I can document my discoveries and favourites here.

One of my favourite jazz styles is probabably the 'Cool' sound, pioneered by the likes of Miles Davis, Dave Brubeck, Chet Baker and Gerry Mulligan. Cool Jazz was derived from a fusion of the intesity and melodic sensibilities of swing and the and spontaneous nature of Be-bop. The sound created was less abrasisive and more laid back than its forebearers. The first noted Cool album was 'Birth Of Cool', an LP recorded by the Miles Davis Nonet featuring composer Gil Evans and legendary baritone saxophonist Gerry Mulligan. Despite criticisms that the West Coast sound was the domain of white musicians, many Afro-American musicians were exponents of cool Miles of one (Duh).

I'll probabaly feature crazier and more experimental jazz musicians in the future, hopefully Miles' crazy electric phase in the early 70's (Bitches Brew, In a Silent Way etc), but I think cool is a good start.