Favorite later versions of Birth of the Cool tunes

[Rooster_Ties]

I've always been struck immediately when I hear a non-"Birth of the Cool" version of a tune originally from "Birth of the Cool" (or at least that's were I personally associate all those tunes -- cuz that's where I heard all of them for the first time).

Two of my favorites happen to be from Blue Note titles, and are of the same tune, Denzil Best's Move.

1. The version from Art Taylor's "A.T.'s Delight", with Dave Burns (tp), Stanley Turrentine, Wynton Kelly, Paul Chambers, Taylor, and "Potato" Valdez on conga. The conga part, in particular, in duet with trumpet (and nothing else), really works well for me --- in spicing up this tune in a pretty darn exciting way (especially for 1960).

2. And Lou Donandson's version from "Blues Walk" (in 1958), also with congas (oddly enough).

Just for reference (for this thread), the tunes from Birth of the Cool are...

1 Move 2:32 (Denzil Best)

2 Jeru 3:10 (Gerry Mulligan)

3 Moon Dreams 3:18 (C. MacGregor-J. Mercer)

4 Venus De Milo 3:10 (Gerry Mulligan)

5 Budo 2:31 (B. Powell-M. Davis)

6 Deception 2:46 (Miles Davis)

7 Godchild 3:08 (George Wallington)

8 Boplicity 2:58 ("Cleo Henry")

9 Rocker 3:04 (Gerry Mulligan)

10 Israel 2:15 (John Carisi)

11 Rouge 3:13 (John Lewis)

12 Darn That Dream 3:24 (E. De Lange-J. Van Heusen)

What are your favorite versions of these tunes?? Any with particularly interesting arrangements and/or instrumentation?? And by "interesting", I might be even inclined to include even piano-trio versions, since the "originals" (or at least the "Birth of the Cool" originals), which were certainly not what you'd call piano-centric.

Edited August 19, 2004 by Rooster_Ties

[Spontooneous]

I'm a sucker for ANY version of "Israel," with the Evans/LaFaro/Motian trio version foremost in my mind. Does anybody know of a later version that tries to replicate Carisi's counterpoints in the second chorus?

The Charlie Parker + Strings version of "Rocker" is fun.

There's a lyricized Mark Murphy version of "Boplicity" that didn't make me switch off the radio, which would have been my usual reaction to Murphy (sorry, fans).

[Free For All]

I've always really liked the arrangement John Carisi did of his tune Israel for Mulligan's CJB. The trumpet section plays Miles' solo from BOTC as a unison passage.

Just read your post, 'toon. Have you heard this version?

EDIT: Regarding Darn That Dream, I've long felt that Dexter had the definitive version of that one (from the recently RVG'd One Flight Up)

Edited August 19, 2004 by Free For All

[brownie]

Favorite version of Budo is Bud Powell's 'Hallucination' recorded for Mercury/Clef/Verve in 1951. Incredible piano solo version by the composer!

[Rooster_Ties]

Haven't heard this one in at least 10 years. (A friend of mine had it back in my college days.)

Re-Birth of the Cool --- Gerry Mulligan

How has this held up since it's release in '91??

I remember enjoying it some, but it was also somehow too "nice", maybe too "clean" or "perfect sounding" in it's approach. (Can't remember if that was just in how it was recorded (being GRP and all), or in the performances too.)

[JSngry]

There's an earlier version of "Moon Dreams" done by the Glenn Miller AAF band w/a vocal by Johnny Desmond that I like every bit as much as the BOTC version, just in a different way, and for different reasons.

I'll say this much - going back to the BOTC version after learning the words and hearing an arrangement that is still sophisticated but nowhere near as harmonically dense as Gil's throw a whole new light on both the song itself and Gil's arrangement of it, and appreciation for both was heightened for me.

Now as far as "Move" goes, I can't see anything being better than the Bird/Fat Girl airshot.

As for "Deception" I prefer "Conception" from the Miles/Bird/Rollins Prestige date. Same changes, and almost the same melody. Shearing should have sued, or at least threatened to..

Actually, other than "Moon Dreams", I still find myself, on the whole, admiring BOTC more than liking it, and liking it more than loving it. Maybe you had to be there. Am I alone in this?

[paul secor]

I still find myself, on the whole, admiring BOTC more than liking it, and liking it more than loving it. Maybe you had to be there. Am I alone in this?

Pretty much my feelings also. Birth of the Cool is one of those "classic" recordings that's never gotten through to me (or maybe I've never gotten through to it).

Over the years, I've given it a number of tries, but it's never happened for me. Right now, I don't even have a copy in my collection. There are other classic recordings that don't work for me, but this is probably the one that has the highest status in most other people's minds.

[Rooster_Ties]

Funny, I'm usually the one around here with big, gaping holes in my collection for older music. (Over 95% of my collection was recorded after 1960.) But "Birth of the Cool" is one that's always worked for me. It's not about the soloing, it's about the texture!! B-)

I was a Miles junkie when I first started with jazz, and I still am to some extent. I have all the Columbia boxes, and plenty of boots from the late 60's, but currently I don't own anything he did before be joined with Columbia ----- EXCEPT for Birth of the Cool, which I've always had -- and actually pull out to listen to two or three times a year.

(I used to own the Miles box on Prestige, but sold it several years ago, cuz I just never found it all that satisfying.)

So count me in the pro-BOTC camp.

Edited August 20, 2004 by Rooster_Ties

[JSngry]

It's not about the soloing, it's about the texture!! B-)

Yeah, I know, but for me, thos textures works best at slower tempos, and there aren't that many of them. The faster ones tend to make the textures sound "sloggy" to me. I know they're not, but...

"Godchild" and "Jeru" are about as fast as those textures speak clearly in to my ears. Maybe it's the engineering, maybe it's me.

[Chuck Nessa]

My favorite composition of this collection is Israel and my favorite recording is from Carisi's "ill fated" RCA Workshop project. Great versions of Springsville, Barry's Tune and Lestorion Mode on this one too.

[Larry Kart]

That Carisi RCA Jazz Workshop material is a revelation. I'm going to check it out again in a minute to be sure, but I have fond memories of a Don Friedman/Attila Zoller "Darn That Dream" from Friedman's 1965 Riverside album "Dreams and Explorations."

[Larry Kart]

Well, that Friedman/Zoller "Darn That Dream" now sounds a bit tepid to me. Two topnotch "Dreams," though, are Jimmy Raney's on "Jimmy Raney in Tokyo" (Xanadu) and the shorter of the two versions on Lars Gullin's "Stockholm Street" (Dragon).

[Z-Man]

Bill Evans Trio - "Israel".

One of my all time favorites.

[BruceH]

Actually, other than "Moon Dreams", I still find myself, on the whole, admiring BOTC more than liking it, and liking it more than loving it. Maybe you had to be there. Am I alone in this?

Not at all, count me in this camp too.

While I respect BOTC, it's an album that's never really touched me where I live; something about it just leaves me indifferent. No big deal---it happens. Someone once suggested that perhaps it's because BOTC sounds so "of its time" rather than transcending it like KOB. Perhaps, but that doesn't explain why BOTC lacks this timeless quality. But these things often can't be explained rationally.

Let's just say I wouldn't put it on my top 50 favorite jazz albums list, if I made one.

[ghost of miles]

Now as far as "Move" goes, I can't see anything being better than the Bird/Fat Girl airshot.

Exactumundo, JS--you beat me to it. I just taped that track the other day for a Parker program I'm doing this Saturday. Bud & Blakey play on that track as well.

Also dig the Glenn Miller version of "Moon Dreams" to which you refer.

[ghost of miles]

That Carisi RCA Jazz Workshop material is a revelation. I'm going to check it out again in a minute to be sure, but I have fond memories of a Don Friedman/Attila Zoller "Darn That Dream" from Friedman's 1965 Riverside album "Dreams and Explorations."

Has it ever been put out on CD? I'm doing a Jazz Workshop program including albums from Mingus, Russell & McKusick--would love to include Carisi if the material is available at all.

[Chuck Nessa]

The Carisi material was scheduled for release on vinyl (LPM-1371) but was never issued.

In 1988 seven titles were issued on a Bluebird cd called The Arrangers .

The rest of the cd included the Evans and Russell arrangements from the McKusick Workshop dates as well as five titles by the Rod Levitt Orchestra.

[ghost of miles]

Thanks so much, Chuck. I'll take a look around at the station to see if we ever got a promo of that... if not, I'll do a web-hunt.

[EKE BBB]

"Move"

-Bud Powell "Live at the Golden Circle"

-"Jam session" - Dinah Washington with Clifford Brown-Max Roach Tentet

[EKE BBB]

"Jeru"

-Kenny Clarke´s Sextet plays André Hodeir (Jazz in Paris)

[EKE BBB]

"Budo"

-Miles & Coltrane (October 27, 1955)

-Oscar Peterson at the Concertgebouw

-René Urtreger plays Bud Powell (Jazz in Paris)

-Stan Getz: "Complete Roost recordings" (originally "Stan Getz at Storyville")

[EKE BBB]

"Israel"

-Tete Montoliu "A tot jazz vol.2"

[EKE BBB]

"Darn that dream"

-Billie Holiday on Verve with Sweets Edison, Ben Webster, Jimmy Rowles, Barney Kessel, Red Mitchell and Alvin Stoller ("Song for distingué lovers")

-Bill Evans / Jim Hall: "Undercurrent"

-Tete Montoliu: "Tootie´s tempo"

-Teddy Wilson on Verve (included in the Mosaic)

-Albert Bover/Horacio Fumero: "Duo"