Birth of the Cool: 75th Anniversary Tribute Concert Review
Birth of the Cool is the name of a landmark compilation album released in 1957 by Capitol Records. It featured music from the Miles Davis nonet that had been recorded in several sessions over the years 1948-1950. Although the composition of the nonet varied over the recording period, it comprised a formidable, albeit revolving collection of virtuoso players including Jerry Mulligan, Johnny Mercer, Lee Konitz, Kenny Clark, Max Roach, Bill Barber, Kai Winding and John Lewis. And of course, Davis, himself. Many of the arrangements were carried out by the notoriously demanding Gill Evans. The recordings were made at the WOR Studios, NY as well as the iconic Royal Roost. The album not only enjoyed considerable commercial success but defined a melodic, cool, style of jazz that was emblematic of the era.
Nic Newling (baritone sax/flute)
L-R: Andrew Linham (alto) Tom Harker (trumpet/flugel/Musical Director), Ben Harker (piano) Matt Ward (trumpet/flugel) Joe Harker (trombone)
Recreating this album, in whole or part, is a daunting but Hertfordshire-based Tom Harker undertook the task of presenting a live version of it as a 75th anniversary tribute with great taste and panache. He assembled a stellar collection of local musicians many drawn from the Hertfordshire Big Band and as well as directing the music, also played on trumpet/flugel. The result was a group that was a pretty close re-creation of Miles Davis’s nonet. On Friday 26th July the band performed the works at The Barn Theatre, Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire as a sold-out season finale for the Jazz at The Barn series organized by Matt Ward who also played in the band.
Matt Ward (trumpet/flugel)
Lee Tsarmaklis (tuba)
The performance itself was nothing short of extraordinary. The band worked their way through the BotC album. The songs were all there: Joost at The Roost, Budo, Boplicity, Rouge, Gravy, Jeru and Venus de Milo. And there were bonus tunes, too. Given the lofty ambitions of the project, the poise and confidence of the band was remarkable. Matt Ward, playing his Harmon-muted trumpet was beautifully lyrically, in the Miles Davis tradition, on a rendition of Summertime. Nic Newling on baritone sax had the unenviable task of assuming the role of Gerry Mulligan but did so with aplomb and also doubled nicely on flute. An interesting aspect of the organology of Davis’ original band was the use of tuba. In this regard Lee Tsarmaklis, perhaps more commonly associated with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, performed beautifully and Andrew Linham on alto sax understudied superbly for Lee Konitz. In addition to his role as musical director, Tom Harker on trumpet and flugelhorn, beefed up the horns along with his brother Joe on trombone. Ben Harker, the third brother from this very musical family, held dominion over the piano parts. Dan Wild occupied the Max Roach/Kenny Clarke drum stool (another scary role to occupy) and Debs Spanton held the bass lines previously played by greats Joe Shulman and Al McKibbon. There was nothing to fear as the pair held the often complex rhythms together quite flawlessly.
Debs Spanton (bass)
Dan Wild (drums)
Overall, this was this was a highly challenging project that was executed flawlessly by the band and a triumph for all concerned. Certainly, the audience members were extremely appreciative and arguably this was one of the best tribute performances I’ve had the pleasure of attending. Indeed, I will go as far as to say that I would love to see this concert taken on the road as it deserves to be heard widely (note to jazz festival programme curators everywhere…grab this band now, they won’t disappoint!).
John Morrow
