For those who don't quite get East Coast cool jazz or why it's special, I have two words for you: Half Nelson. The song is by Miles Davis, who created a new melody using most of the chord changes to Tadd Dameron's Lady Bird, first recorded in early 1947. Half Nelson was recorded for Savoy in August '47 by the Miles Davis All Stars, featuring Miles Davis (tp), Charlie Parker (ts), John Lewis (p), Nelson Boyd (b) and Max Roach (d). Originally a bebop tune, the song was later picked up by Lee Konitz and Warne Marsh, two exponents of the cool school. [Photo above of Charlie Parker and Miles Davis in the late 1940s by William P. Gottlieb]
The sound of cool jazz is distinguished by a light, airy sound, a more spacious geometry of notes and dry tones in contrast to bebop, which was more furious, dense and bluesy. Pianist Lennie Tristano's staccato rhythms and snapped off ideas in the late 1940s was an influence on cool but so were modern classical approaches. In the hands of leading cool players, Half Nelson was given a flat feel, allowing the song's beauty to surface without being overly rendered or juiced. Instead, the emphasis is on chord voicings by the horns, and their harmonies and counterpoint. [Photo above of Lennie Tristano by William P. Gottlieb]
Yesterday, I found a perfect example of what I'm talking about. In this video of Half Nelson, the cool jazz approach becomes apparent in the horns. Here's Warne Marsh (ts), Lee Konitz (as), Don Elliot (tp, mellophone), Billy Taylor (p), Mundell Lowe (g), Ed Safranski (b) and Ed Thigpen (d). They open with Lady Bird, with Elliot on trumpet. The second half is Half Nelson, when Elliot switches to mellphone.
Listen carefully to the modern chord voicings created by the horns. The performance was on the 1958 NBC TV show The Subject is Jazz, hosted by Gilbert Seldes with music direction by Billy Taylor. First Billy plays the song in its original bop idiom. Then the septet handles it with a cool approach. It's all in the horns. [Photo above of Lee Konitz from YouTube]
Here's Half Nelson...
A special thanks to Bill Kirchner.
