A Different Direction

The cool style of playing is different from the complexities of bop. In cool, the tempos are relaxed and virtuosity gives way to instrument colors and a reserved tonal style. The size of the performance group also expanded. Players took on an attitude of emotional detachment that helped define what is meant to be “cool.” Cool bands performed in more intimate settings. In the cool style, jazz found its own chamber ensembles.

In cool, instruments not common in jazz such as the cello and French horn came into prominence. Cool players were often conservatory-trained. The tonal sonorities of the cool style could be compared to pastel colors unlike bop, which could be compared to fiery red colors. Cool music contained a delicate attack, little or no vibrato, use of the middle register of the instrument rather than the extremes, and a generally relaxed sound.

The Performers

The cool band usually consisted of three to eight players. The flute, French horn, oboe, flugelhorn, and cello became jazz instruments. Cool players were not confined to 4/4 or 2/4 meters. New meters were added like 3/4, 5/4, 9/4 as were the use of polymeters (simultaneous use of several meters). Cool moved closer to classical music by adopting such forms as rondos and fugues (thus categorizing it as Third Stream music). Some listeners felt that cool musicians were bored, arrogant, or cold. Others recognized the creative aspirations of cool players.

Saxophonist and bandleader Woody Herman (1913–1987) hired the best musicians and kept changing musicians to keep the band up-to-date. Pianist and orchestra leader Claude Thornhill (1909–1965) is credited with being the progenitor of cool jazz. Thornhill studied at the Cincinnati Conservatory and the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia. He formed his own nine-man orchestra consisting of such great names as Miles Davis, Gerry Mulligan, and Gil Evans.

Trumpet player, composer, and arranger Miles Davis (1926–1991) was an innovative bandleader. He championed the development of improvisational techniques incorporating modes rather than the standard chord changes. His tone is straight with very little vibrato. Davis epitomized the cool attitude. The arrangements of Gil Evans (1912–1988), arranger, composer, pianist, and bandleader, made use of string instruments and other instruments not commonly used in jazz.

Chicago-born pianist Lennie Tristano (1919–1978) was blind from birth. Tristano’s music stressed the importance of melodic structure over emotional expression. He experimented with multi-track recordings and with jazz rock fusion. Tenor saxophonist Stan Getz (1927–1991) was influenced by Lester Young. His sound had a rich and pure tone and he played with much self-control and subtlety. During the 1950s, he was one of the most popular jazz musicians and helped popularize bossa nova, a mixture of jazz and samba.

West Coast Jazz

West Coast jazz, developed during the late 1940s, was cool jazz played on the West Coast. The style employs light tone color and softer instrumental texture and did not have the same intensity as bop. The music involved less improvisation and sounded more reserved through its written-out melodies. West coast jazz musicians often made their living by working in Hollywood studio orchestras. The writing style of west coast jazz showed Western European influences.

Third Stream

Third Stream music, from around 1959 to the present, is seen as an extension of the cool compositional style. Scholar, composer, conductor, teacher author, and music publisher Gunther Schuller (1925– ) is a major figure in Third Stream, a term he coined during a lecture to describe a style that is a synthesis of classical music and jazz. From classical music, Third Stream derives its instrumentation, forms, and compositional techniques. Jazz contributes a language, gestures, improvisation, and rhythmic drive. Most of the pieces in this style fall into one of four categories:

1. Concerto Grosso combine classical groups (playing composed sections) alternating with jazz groups (playing improvised sections).
2. Pieces written for classical groups but which borrow heavily from jazz
3. Pieces written for jazz groups that use formal composition techniques, and other elements from classical music
4. Integrated works in which the two idioms merge in instrumentation, performance practice, and techniques

The blend between jazz and classical is not new. In fact, the existence of jazz depends on it.