This Month in Music (1957): Miles Davis Birth of the Cool released

Birth of the Cool Miles Davis

Released: February 1957 Recorded: January 21 and April 22, 1949; March 9, 1950 Peak: -- Sales (in millions): 0.28 US, 0.06 UK, 0.34 world (includes US and UK) Genre: cool jazz

Tracks: Move Jeru Moon Dreams Venus de Milo Budo Deception Godchild Boplicity Rocker Israel Rouge Darn That Dream (with Kenny Hagood on vocals) * * bonus track added to 1989 CD reissue Total Running Time: 35:29 The Players: Miles Davis (trumpet) Kai Winding, J.J. Johnson (trombone) Junior Collins, Sandy Siegelstein, Gunther Schuller (French horn) Bill Barber (tuba) Lee Konitz (alto sax) Gerry Mulligan (baritone sax) Al Haig, John Lewis (piano) Joe Shulman, Nelson Boyd (bass) Max Roach, Kenny Clarke (drums)

Rating: 4.646 out of 5.00 (average of 13 ratings) Quotable: “Where the sound known as cool jazz essentially formed” – Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

About the Album: An argument can be made that Miles Davis is the most influential artist in the history of jazz music. He was at the forefront of every major movement in the genre from the mid-‘40s until his death in 1991. The renowned musician was born in 1926 and raised in an upper middle class home in East St. Louis. He took up trumpet at age 9 and by 16 was playing gigs. After high school, he got to play with other jazz greats like trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie and saxophonist Charlie Parker. He was part of bands assembled by Benny Carter, Billy Eckstein, and Parker before moving from sideman to frontman in 1948. After landing a contract with Capitol Records, he went into the studio in January 1949 to record the first of three sessions which would become The Birth of the Cool. The title refers to the idea that it was out of these sessions that “the sound known as cool jazz essentially formed.” AMG It is one of the “defining, pivotal moments in jazz.” AMG The music has “a hip, detached elegance, never getting too hot, even as the rhythms skip and jump.” AMG Cool jazz marked the point “where the elasticity of bop was married with skillful, big-band arrangements and a relaxed, subdued mood that made it all seem easy, even at its most intricate.” AMG Cool jazz dated back as far as the mid-‘30s with tenor saxophonist Lester Young and pianist Leonard Joseph Tristano. However, it was Davis who “took the form ahead a generation, inspiring an entire school of jazz artists to move the music forward.” CS That first session, in New York on January 21, 1949, produced Jeru, Move, Godchild, and Budo. ON April 22 of that same year, Davis & Co. produced Venus De Milo, Rouge, Boplicity, and Israel. The third session birthed Deception, Rocker, Moon Dreams, and Darn That Dream. Jazz legend and big band innovator Gil Evans collaborated with Davis on the project, helping him to assemble the musicians and serving as arranger on some of the material. CS The sessions also highlighted what became a lifelong talent “as a collector of similarly brilliant musicians who would bring about radical changes in musical direction.” CS The assembled musicians for The Birth of the Cool keep “things short and concise (probably the result of the running time of singles, but the results are the same), which keeps the focus on the tones and tunes. The virtuosity led to relaxing, stylish mood music as the end result – the very thing that came to define West Coast or ‘cool’ jazz – but this music is so inventive, it remains alluring even after its influence has been thoroughly absorbed into the mainstream.” AMG The four tracks from the first session were released as singles, as were “Israel” and “Boplicity.” In 1953, Capitol released eight of the tracks on a 10” LP called Classics in Jazz – Miles Davis. WK In 1957, eleven songs from the three sessions were released as The Birth of the Cool. In 1989, a CD reissue added “Darn That Dream,” the only remaining song from the sessions.

Resources and Related Links: DMDB encyclopedia entry for Miles Davis AMG, All Music Guide review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine CS Chris Smith (2009). 101 Albums That Changed Popular Music. Oxford University Press. Pages 7-9. WK Wikipedia Other Related DMDB Pages: First posted 3/28/2008; last updated 3/17/2024.

Today in Music (1607): Monteverdi's L'Orfeo performed for first time

L’Orfeo (Orpheus) Claudio Monteverdi

Composed: 1607 First Performed: February 24, 1607 Peak: -- Sales (in millions): -- Genre: classical > opera > late Renaissance/early baroque

Parts/Movements: Prologo: 1) Tocatta 2) Ritornello-Dal mio Permesso amato Act 1: 1) "In questo lieto e fortunato giorno" - "Vieni, Imeneo" - "Muse, onor di Parnasso" 2) "Lasciate i monti" - "Ma tu, gentil cantor" 3) "Rosa del ciel" - "Io non dirò qual sia" - "Lasciate i monti" - "Vieni, Imeneo" 4) "Ma se il nostro gioir" - "Ecco Orfeo" Act 2: 1) Sinfonia - "Ecco pur ch'a voi ritorno" 2) "Mira che sé n'alletta" - "Dunque fa degni, Orfeo" 3) Ritornello-Vi ricorda o bosch'ombrosi 4) "Ahi, caso acerbo" - "In un fiorito prato" 5) "Ahi, caso acerbo" - "Ma io, che in questa lingua" 6) "Chi ne consola, ahi lassi?" - "Ahi, caso acerbo" Act 3: 1) Sinfonia - "Scorto da te, mio nume" - "Ecco l'atra palude" - "Dove, ah, dove te'n vai" 2) "O tu ch'innanzi morte" 3) "Possente spirto" 4) "Ben mi lusinga" - "Ahi, sventurato amante" - Sinfonia - "Ei dorme" 5) Sinfonia-Nulla impresa per huom Act 4: 1) Signor, quel infelice - Benché severo - O degli abitator - Quali grazie ti rendo - Tue soavi parole 2) Pietade, oggi, e amore - Ecco il gentil cantor 3) "Qual onor di te" - "O dolcissimi lumi" - "Rotto hai" 4) "Ahi, vista troppo dolce" - "Torn'a l'ombra -Dove ten vai" 5) Sinfonia-É la virtite un raggio Act 5: 1) Ritornello-Questi i campi di Tracia 2) Sinfonia-Perch'a lo sdegno ed al dolor 3) Ritornello-Vanne Orfeo felice a pieno 4) Moresca Average Duration: 1.75 to 2.5 hours

Rating: 4.626 out of 5.00 (average of 6 ratings) Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

About the Work: Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo is “based on the Greek legend of Orpheus, and tells the story of his descent to Hades and his fruitless attempt to bring his dead bride Eurydice back to the living world.” WK “While Jacopo Peri's Dafne is generally recognised as the first work in the opera genre, and the earliest surviving opera is Peri's Euridice L'Orfeo is the earliest that is still regularly performed.” WK “By the early 17th century the traditional intermedio—a musical sequence between the acts of a straight play—was evolving into the form of a complete musical drama or "opera". Monteverdi's L'Orfeo moved this process out of its experimental era and provided the first fully developed example of the new genre.” WK “It was written in 1607 for a court performance during the annual Carnival at Mantua.” WK It “was staged again in Mantua, and possibly in other Italian centres in the next few years. Its score was published by Monteverdi in 1609 and again in 1615. After the composer’s death in 1643 the opera went unperformed for many years, and was largely forgotten until a revival of interest in the late 19th century led to a spate of modern editions and performances. At first these performances tended to be concert (unstaged) versions within institutes and music societies, but following the first modern dramatised performance in Paris, in 1911, the work began to be seen in theatres. After the Second World War many recordings were issued, and the opera was increasingly staged in opera houses, although some leading venues resisted it. In 2007, the quatercentenary of the premiere was celebrated by performances throughout the world.” WK In his published score Monteverdi lists around 41 instruments to be deployed, with distinct groups of instruments used to depict particular scenes and characters. Thus strings, harpsichords and recorders represent the pastoral fields of Thrace with their nymphs and shepherds, while heavy brass illustrates the underworld and its denizens. Composed at the point of transition from the Renaissance era to the Baroque, L'Orfeo employs all the resources then known within the art of music, with particularly daring use of polyphony. The work is not orchestrated as such; in the Renaissance tradition instrumentalists followed the composer's general instructions but were given considerable freedom to improvise.” WK

Reviews: WK Wikipedia Related DMDB Links: First posted 8/26/2018; last updated 6/27/2025.

Beyoncé spends 10th week at #1 with “Irreplaceable”

Irreplaceable Beyoncé

Writer(s): Shaffer "Ne-Yo" Smith, Mikkel S. Eriksen, Tor Erik Hermansen, Espen Lind, Amund Bjørklund, Beyoncé Knowles (see lyrics here) Released: October 23, 2006 First Charted: October 28, 2006 Peak: 110 US, 18 RR, 10 AC, 15 A40, 19 RB, 4 UK, 2 CN, 13 AU, 12 DF (Click for codes to singles charts.) Sales (in millions): 3.63 US, 1.2 UK, 6.7 world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): 0.6 radio, 384.6 video, 764.84 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: Ne-Yo and the Norwegian production team Stargate had already been to #1 with his song “So Sick” when they started work on “Irreplaceable.” Ne-Yo initially wrote the ballad from a male perspective, but an A&R person suggested the song would work better sung by a woman. Ne-Yo then envisioned it in the hands of Shania Twain or Faith Hill after the acoustic guitar made it sound like country music. WK However, when Beyoncé heard the demo, she asked for some changes and a drum beat was incorporated to give the song a more R&B flavor. SF She worked with Ne-Yo on the lyrics. They said they were aiming for a song to which people of either gender could relate WK but the song ended up as a message of female empowerment as the song unfurls a tale of a woman addressing a cheating lover, informing him that he can be replaced easily. SF It may “remind many listeners of concepts central to Terry McMillan’s Waiting to Exhale which remains a cultural touchstone over 15 years after its release.” AB’00 This was the third U.S. single from Beyoncé’s B’Day album, fitting in well with its overall theme of “female strength and independence.” AB’00 Previous singles “Déjà Vu” and “Ring the Alarm” went to numbers 4 and 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 respectively, but “Irreplaceable” outpaced them both, landing atop the charts for 10 weeks. That impressive feat earned the song the title of Billboard’s song of the year; it was also the best-selling single of 2007. SF The song also won awards from Soul Train for Best R&B/Hip-Hop Single by a Female and from Nickelodean for Kids Choice Award for Favorite Song. The song was also nominated for a Grammy for Record of the Year. Beyoncé took a Spanish language version of the song to the top 10 of the U.S. Hot Latin Songs chart. SF Resources: AB’00 About.com (2009) “Top 100 Pop Songs of the 2000s” SF Songfacts WK Wikipedia Related Links: Last updated 11/7/2022.

100 years ago: Byron Harlan hit #1 with “My Gal Sal”

My Gal Sal Byron G. Harlan

Writer(s): Paul Dresser (see lyrics here) First Charted: February 5, 1907 Peak: 110 US, 3 GA (Click for codes to singles charts.) Sales (in millions): 3.0 (sheet music) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, -- streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: Theodore Dreiser was a famous American novelist whose brother, Paul, struck out to create his own identity by changing his last name to Dresser. He had a theatre background and sang in medicine shows and with the Billy Rice Minstrels. RA He was “a gargantuan man” RA of nearly 300 pounds who “wrote gigantic songs.” RA He was known as an emotional person who shed tears when composing sentimental songs. People of the era loved sentimental songs, but few have endured through the decades like this one. Part of the song’s success can be attributed to Dresser’s ability to avoid clichés and infuse his songs with originality. RA It is speculated that “My Gal Sal” is about a woman with whom Dresser had a long-term relationships. Her name was Annie Brace, but her professional name was Sallie Walker. She was the proprietor of the most prominent brothel in Evansville, Illinois. WK However, it was his wife, Louise, who introduced the song in vaudeville. TY2 Dresser predicted the song would sell a million copies, but he didn’t live to see it happen. “My Gal Sal,” also known as “They Call Her Frivolous Sal,” TY2 was the last song he ever wrote RA and it was also his greatest hit. DJ He died in 1906 at age 48. Byron G. Harlan made a hit recording of the song in 1907, taking it to #1 and making it one of the top ten songs of the decade. PM It would have been the top song of the year if not for Harlan’s “School Days,” which spent 11 weeks at the pinnacle. WHC The Columbia Stellar Quartet hit #11 with its 1921 version of the song. PM Ted Weems & His Orchestra revived it in 1924 and Claude Hopkins & His Orchestra did the same in 1934. DJ It was also featured in the 1927 movie The Jazz Singer and, in 1942, was used as the title for a biopic on Dresser. The song played throughout the film. DJ Resources: DJ David Jasen (2002). A Century of American Popular Music: 2000 Best-Loved and Remembered Songs (1899-1999). Routledge: Taylor & Francis, Inc. Page 140. RA Theodore Raph (1964). The Songs We Sang: A Treasury of American Popular Music. A.S. Barnes and Co., Inc.: New York. Page 311. TY2 Don Tyler (2007). Hit Songs, 1900-1955. McFarland & Company, Inc.: Jefferson, North Carolina. Page 37-8. PM Joel Whitburn (1986). Pop Memories 1890-1954 (1986). Record Research, Inc: Menomonee Falls, WI. Pages 554 and 629. WHC Joel Whitburn (1999). A Century of Pop Music. Record Research, Inc.: Menomonee Falls, WI. Page 14. Related Links: First posted 2/12/2013; last updated 12/9/2022.