Cool
Time Period: 1950 - 1955
- Cool jazz popularized jazz and pulled it back into the mainstream
- Geographic locations: East Coast and West Coast
| East Coast |
West Coast |
| Miles Davis |
Gerry Mulligan |
| Gerry Mulligan |
Chet Baker |
| John Lewis |
Bobby Brookmeyer |
| Gil Evans |
Dave Brubeck |
| Lennie Tristano |
Paul Desmond |
| Lee Konitz |
Jimmy Giuffre |
| MJQ |
Chico Hamilton |
| |
Shorty Rogers |
| |
George Shearing |
- Size of group was more varied than bebop, ranging from trios to tentets
- Instrumentation was varied, including classical instruments (more often than not: softer instruments, i.e., flutes, oboes, clarinets, french horns, flugelhorns, tubas, guitars, etc.)
- Racial make-up: mainly young white players from big bands such as those of Claude Thornhill, Boyd Raeburn, Woody Herman, Stan Kenton, Elliott Lawrence
- Influences: broad and varied, including swing, bebop, pop, and classical
- Performance practice:
- arrangements important
- polyphony
- integration of arrangement and improvisation
- rhythm section basically passive
- instrumentation often forced a narrow dynamic and expressive range
- basic language of bebop, but simplified
- tune oriented, vocal as in swing; easy singable lines; narrow range; diatonic lines; simple rhythms
- blues minimized
| Important Groups |
Lesser Groups |
| Miles Davis Nonet |
Marty Paiche Octet |
| Lennie Tristano groups |
Dave Pell Octet |
| Modern Jazz Quintet (MJQ) |
Chico Hamilton |
| Gerry Mulligan Quartet |
Bud Shank |
| George Shearing Quintet |
|
| Shorty Rogers |
|
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