Cool Jazz

Cool Jazz arose in the late 40s alongside, and in response to, the development of Bebop. In a counterpoint to the energetic, improvisational, 'fiery' style of Bop, Cool Jazz unfolds at a much mellower pace, with a subtle and restrained emotional 'coolness'. The soloing tends to be less frantic and improvised than that of other jazz styles, but often maintains a melodic and harmonic complexity. The controlled yet complex arrangements borrow from the ideas of 20th-century composers, and over time helped open up the even more classically influenced Third Stream style. Miles Davis, Lennie Tristano, and Dave Brubeck are among the original developers of Cool Jazz.