Reactions to Bebop – Cool and Hard Bop

1. Reactions to Bebop – Cool and Hard Bop

2. The Term “Cool" • Apparently originated by Lester Young • Refers to a number of different (albeit related) states. • "a complex system of coping mechanisms, a technique for black survival in America," • Monson equates cool with "hipness; "to be hip . . . is to be 'in the know,' not to be duped by the world around one, and to react with dignity and 'cool' when faced with an assault on one's being." • A state of being in charge or in control, not being surprised or caught off guard, having at least the appearance of confidence. • “Cool's quicksilver nature”

3. Birth of the Cool • Miles Davis’ first important session as a leader • a small group of musicians met regularly with Gil Evans • Davis "took the initiative and put the theories to work. He called the rehearsals, hired the halls, called the players, and generally cracked the whip." • Davis’ nonet first performed at the Royal Roost in September 1948 • Capital agreed to record twelve sides with the group. • Eight of the Nonet’s recordings were eventually collected onto a 10" LP. Three years later all 11 instrumental performances were released on a 12" as The Birth of The Cool.

4. "Cool" Jazz • The "cool" jazz style has been described as a reaction against the frenzied tempos and angular melodies of bebop. • Term used extensively by journalists and record companies in the 1950s. • Many jazz musicians objected to the term • Some of the distinctions seem artificial in retrospect. • Nevertheless, "cool jazz" is a widely used designation for music of the 1950s characterized by a "softer," more overtly melodic style and more complex arrangements.

5. General characteristics of cool jazz: • a less overtly emotional, more "intellectual" approach to composition, arranging, and improvisation. • some use of collective improvisation and contrapuntal writing. • a lighter, less "rough" approach to tone production. • some use of nontraditional tone colors and instruments.

6. West Coast Jazz • Cool jazz often associated with West Coast musicians such as Chet Baker and Dave Brubeck. • A common quartet instrumentation included two horns, bass, and drums.

7. Hard Bop • A jazz style of the 1950s with roots in bebop. • Hard bop is often indistinguishable from bebop (Gridley). • Hard bop characterized by: • somewhat simpler improvised lines than in bop. • drummers play with somewhat more activity. • tone colors are darker, weightier, and rougher (Clifford Brown). • stronger influence of the blues, gospel, and soul music (“funky” or “soul” jazz).

8. Hard Bop (cont’d) • Possible originators of hard bop: • Miles Davis (“Walkin’,” “Blue and Boogie”) • Clifford Brown/Max Roach quintets. • Horace Silver, Art Blakey, Cannonball Adderley. • Soul jazz – a “subset” of hard bop that emphasized chord progressions and style similar to the “sanctified” church or rhythm and blues.

9. Modal Jazz • Modes – in “jazz practice,” diatonic scales other than the major and minor • names based on ancient Greek “church modes” • modal jazz tunes generally not based on complex chord progerssion • Kind of Blue (1959) considered “the culmination of Miles Davis’s experiments with modal improvisation.