MILES DAVIS: BIRTH OF THE COOL (MONO)

Performer: Miles Davis, trumpet; Gerry Mulligan, Lee Konitz, saxophone; J. J. Johnson, Kai Winding, trombone; Gunther Schuller, French horn and tuba; John Lewis, piano; Max Roach, Kenny Clarke, drums
Author: Miles Davis
Number of discs: 1
Barcode: 0602478957826
Label: Blue Note Records (Tone Poet)
Format: LP
Genre: Jazz
Year: 2026

180-gram LP (mono)

The legendary Birth of the Cool by Miles Davis

Remastered from the original analog master tapes by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio

Pressed at RTI in Camarillo, California

Deluxe gatefold jacket manufactured by Stoughton Printing

With this impeccable audiophile vinyl reissue, the youthful masterpiece Birth of the Cool by Miles Davis receives a tremendous tribute as part of the celebrations marking the centenary of the birth of the legendary trumpeter from Alton. Following his demanding debut in Charlie Parker’s quintet in the mid-1940s, Davis quickly gained attention on the jazz scene thanks to his remarkable confidence and insatiable desire to explore new musical styles. Regular gatherings of like-minded musicians at the Manhattan apartment of the renowned arranger Gil Evans laid the foundations for the formation of the Miles Davis Nonet, and between 1949 and 1950 Davis recorded three landmark sessions for Capitol Records that introduced audiences and critics alike to this thrilling new music. Alongside Davis were outstanding musicians such as Gerry Mulligan, Lee Konitz, J. J. Johnson, Kai Winding, John Lewis, Max Roach, Kenny Clarke and others.

The nonet featured an unusually innovative instrumentation for the time, thanks to the inclusion of French horn and tuba, which helped create unprecedented tonal blends inspired by the classical masterpieces of the Impressionist composers, while also giving ample space to the lyrical improvisations of the band’s soloists in arrangements of original compositions by Davis, Evans, Mulligan, Lewis, Denzil Best, Bud Powell, Johnny Mercer and many others.

It is worth emphasizing that this is the first audiophile reissue to appear many years after the now out-of-print Classic Records edition released in 2003. If you missed the Classic Records version, do not let this one slip away — highly recommended!

Joe Harley, co-founder and co-producer of the hugely successful audiophile vinyl reissue series “Tone Poet,” was selected as curator for this new collection of fully analog remasters sourced from the original master tapes, pressed on 180-gram audiophile LPs, and housed in luxurious gatefold jackets. The remastering was carried out by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio, while the vinyl pressing was entrusted to the renowned American company Record Technology Incorporated (RTI). The titles included in this series were individually selected with the utmost care by Harley himself and include lesser-known Blue Note Records classics, major modern successes, and several albums originally released on labels associated with the Blue Note catalog. Every aspect of these reissues has received extraordinary attention to detail, from the cover artwork to the exceptional sound quality achieved through Kevin Gray’s remastering from the original analog tapes, and the flawless vinyl pressing handled by RTI. Every element of these Blue Note Tone Poet editions has been crafted to achieve the highest possible quality standards. This means that — no matter how hard you search — you will never find a better version. These records are simply unsurpassed.

Nicknamed “Tone Poet,” Joe Harley set himself the ambitious goal of creating a series of audiophile reissues capable of allowing 21st-century listeners to hear the music exactly as the musicians heard it from the original analog tapes and the monitors in Rudy Van Gelder’s studio fifty or sixty years ago. Harley firmly believes that, in terms of quality, Blue Note Records albums have never before reached the standards achieved by this series. As he stated in a recent interview: “Every aspect of these Blue Note reissues has been handled down to the smallest detail. This means that you simply will not find an edition of comparable quality.”

Miles Davis, trumpet; Gerry Mulligan, saxophone; Lee Konitz, saxophone; J. J. Johnson, trombone; Kai Winding, trombone; Gunther Schuller, French horn and tuba; John Lewis, piano; Max Roach, drums; Kenny Clarke, drums

Side A

• Move
• Jeru
• Moon Dreams
• Venus De Milo
• Budo
• Deception

Side B

• Godchild
• Boplicity
• Rocker
• Israel
• Rouge