• Move

Gerry Mulligan & Bill Barber, Junior Collins, Al Haig, Lee Konitz, Max Roach, Joe Shulman, Kai Winding

January 21, 1949

• Israel

Gerry Mulligan & John Barber, Nelson Boyd, Kenny Clark, J.J. Johnson, Lee Konitz, John Lewis, Sandy SiegelsteinApril 22, 1949

• Wallington's Godchild
• Crossing The Channel

April 10, 1949

• Disc Jockey Jump

Ed Badgley,Don Fagerquist, Clay Hervey, Charlie Kennedy, Gene Krupa, Bob Lesher, Emil Mazanec, Mitch Melnick,Buddy Neal, Al Procino, Jack Schwartz, Bob Strahl, Dick Taylor, Harry Terrill, Ray Triscari, Buddy Wise, Jack Zimmerman

January 22, 1947

 LINER NOTES

At the end of 1947, Miles Davis was a member of Charlie Parker's quintet. As Davis himself has explained, working alongside the altoist, who was pouring out a seemingly endless stream of brilliant ideas night after night, was an invaluable experience, but also an almost unsurmountable challenge. On the other hand, Miles must have been looking for ways to expand the relatively simple orchestrations used by the smaller bop groups and became interested in the unconventional and well-balanced arrangements Gil Evans had been writing for pianist Claude Thornhill's dance band ever since the war.

When Evans approached Davis about using his composition "Donna Lee for Thornhill, the trumpet player asked if he could study some of Evans scores in return. That's how Davis also met other members of Evans' coterie, such as Gerry Mulligan, who had written some promising pieces for the Elliot Lawrence and Gene Krupa bands and trumpeter, composer and arranger Johnny Carisi. Miles' sometimes bandmate with Charlie Parker, pianist John Lewis, who had been studying the possibilities of integrating elements of classical music into jazz, was also part of this group of musicians.

Coming from various directions, these musicians, together with some friends and colleagues, almost incidentally formed a temporary community of interests, which became an essential stage of growth for every one of them. They intended to combine certain features of Charlie Parker's idiom with other elements, like a light tone without vibrato and a relaxed beat, which had been somewhat neglected in the bop period.

To achieve this, they used six horns and three rhythm, the smallest number of Instruments capable of expressing all the harmonies and tonal colours they wanted. After some experimental rehearsing at Nola studios in New York impresario Monte Kay managed to get the group a two-week engagement at the Royal Roost in September 1948, as a relief band during a Count Basie season. A few critics and musicians, including Basic himself, were impressed, but the great majority of the audience did not react at all. A short stint at the Clique Club in 1949 took place the following year, all the live exposure that the Miles Davis Monet ever enjoyed.

Fortunately, Miles managed to secure a contract for twelve sides with Capitol. Together they form a quiet but moving declaration of independence by young and ambitious talents, who were to become dominating figures on the jazz scene during the following decade. Those recordings became known as "The birth of the cool", considered one of the most influential jazz albums of all time.

"Move" a composition by drummer Denzil Best, who originally called it "Geneva's Move" when the George Shearing Quintet recorded d, was arranged by John Lewis. The vivid ensemble passages with deft punctuations by the tuba make it one of the most extrovert numbers from "The birth of the cool". The solo order here is Miles. Lee Konitz and Max Roach.

"Israel" is Johnny Caris's highly original treatment of the blues and a masterly example of polyphonic writing. Miles, in particular, adapts himself well to the requirements of this advanced score, Lee Konitz solos as well.

When Benny Goodman started to think about forming a new big band in the fall of 1948. the clarinetists reportedly discussed the possibility of having Tadd Dameron and Gerry Mulligan write arrangements for it. In the end he hired Arturo "Chico'' O'Farrill who wrote the bulk of the modern scores for the new Orchestra.

Trombonist Kai Winding was born on May 18, 1922 in the same Danish (Aarhus) as Hans Christian Anderson, the (sic) [he] first arrived in the United States with his parents in 1934. By 1941 he was a professorial musician, playing in the bands of Alvino Rey and Sonny Dunham. After serving in the U.S. Coast Guard, Winding joined Benny Goodman's band in October 1945, to join Kenton three months later. Kenton gave Winding the responsibility to create and develop a "Kenton sound" for the trombone section. After the 1947 break-up of the Kenton band Winding returned to New York joining Charlie Ventura's sextet for a short time. In 1949 he formed the band that included Gerry Mulligan, Brew Moore, George Wallington, Curley Russell and Max Roach for which Kai himself wrote most of the library. Both "Wallington's Godchild", recorded two months previously by Miles Davis Nonet and Gerry Mulligan's "Crossing The Channel" are bebop gems, for Kai surrounded himself with the best of the rising young modern musicians of the time. The front line of the band has a delightful deep sound to it and the intuitive interplay between the musicians is impressive.