Miles Davis’ catalogue contains several albums that are required listening for jazz aficionados, including Miles Ahead, Porgy & Bess, Kind of Blue and Sketches of Spain. Each of these albums are rightfully acknowledged as important milestones in the development of jazz, yet we go a little bit further back into his catalogue to present Birth Of The Cool. Unlike the afore-mentioned albums, Birth Of The Cool is a compilation album, issued by Capitol in 1957 from a series of sessions originally recorded between 1949 and 1950. The unusual instrumentation stood out even then, but it was only later that the music world realised we had witnessed the launch of a new style of jazz in cool jazz. As ground-breaking and innovative now as it was then, this is almost a compulsory purchase for any jazz fan.

2. Move
1. Jeru
11. Moon Dreams
5. Venus De Milo
4. Budo
9. Deception
3. Godchild
7. Boplicity
10. Rocker
8. Israel
6. Rouge