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manfred straka 10 / COOL JAZZ IN EUROPE C ool jazz, which is strongly related aesthetically and in its sonic ideals to European art music, was welcomed, copied, and interpreted avidly in Europe itself—although the intensity of that interest varied from country to country. In general, the following characteristics emerged: Compositions and arrangements were often written in two voices, mostly in the manner of the Gerry Mulligan Quartet, occasionally contrapuntally or in a fugue or canon. The techniques of Gil Evans, a broadly orchestrated style mixing reeds and brass in dissonant voicings, were less imitated. Trumpeters modeled their tone and phrasing on the introverted style of Miles Davis and Chet Baker. There was a similar trend among trombonists, for whom J. J. Johnson’s smooth tone and clear phrasing became a comparable influence. By contrast, many clarinetists favored the passionate style of Buddy DeFranco, with its wide intervals and forays into the highest register of the instrument. For alto and tenor saxophonists, Lee Konitz and Warne Marsh were the key influences: many musicians emulated their thin, restrained tone with few overtones, their long legato solo lines and occasional use of a fragile terminal vibrato on longer-held notes. The ‘‘Four Brothers’’ style of playing, especially that of Stan Getz and that of the West Coast alto saxophonists (Art Pepper, a. o.), was also popular. Gerry Mulligan was the exemplar for most baritone saxophonists, although some gravitated more toward the Konitz-Marsh school. The vibraphone was particularly popular in cool jazz, appearing as it did in three leading ensembles: the Red Norvo Trio, the George Shearing Quintet, and the Modern Jazz Quartet. As a result, the instrument exerted a proportionate influence on European musicians. Pianists played in the Lennie Tristano style, employing long, swung, legato phrases and complex chains of eighth-note triplets, rising and falling in dynamic intensity with accented climaxes in the ‘‘upper extensions’’ of the chords, or sparse, distinctly laid-back single-note lines or block chords. Guitarists imitated cool jazz players such as Billy Bauer, Tal Farlow, and Jimmy Raney. Bassists persisted in the bebop style; the advances of Charles Mingus 215 Cool Jazz in Europe and other more modern practitioners had not found any European disciples yet. For drummers, the rule was a subtle and understated style of accompaniment in the manner of Denzil Best and Shelly Manne. Inquiries into the nature of cool jazz in individual areas of Europe have been limited to the years 1949–57. After 1957, a large number of former cool jazz musicians migrated to other styles, particularly hard bop and mainstream jazz. (The following text is occasionally supplemented by selected ‘‘listening examples ’’—le 1, le 2, etc.—keyed to a discography at the end of the article.) England One of the most important and successful cool jazz musicians, George Shearing, was born in England. With the help of Leonard Feather, he emigrated in 1949 to the United States, where he started his famous quintet and worked from that point onward. As such, Shearing was absent from the British music scene during the cool jazz period. Two other English musicians, pianist Ronnie Ball and bassist Peter Ind, studied with Lennie Tristano and became significant members of the Tristano/Lee Konitz/Warne Marsh school. Johnny Dankworth, who led the Johnny Dankworth Seven from 1950 onward, composed and arranged for his group, using voicings that mixed brass and reeds in the style of Gil Evans. Examples of Dankworth’s style include ‘‘Seven Not Out,’’ recorded on July 29, 1950,∞ and his homage to Bix Beiderbecke, ‘‘Leon Bismarck’’ (le 1). While Dankworth’s alto saxophone style hewed close to the Charlie Parker tradition, trumpeter Jimmy Deuchar showed the influence not only of Fats Navarro but of Miles Davis’s restrained, laid-back soloing, as can be heard on ‘‘Strictly Confidential’’ (le 2), again arranged in the Gil Evans manner. The tenor saxophonist , Don Rendell, also played in a ‘‘cool’’ style, his laid-back rhythmic approach and soft, supple phrasing reminiscent of the style of his role model, Stan Getz. At the end of 1953, Dankworth formed a big band in which his use of the Gil Evans–style mixed voicing technique virtually disappeared, although the linear two-voice section writing can still occasionally be heard, as in ‘‘The Jerky Thing’’ and ‘‘Melbourne Marathon.’’≤ ‘‘Somerset Morn’’ (le 3) features a combo known as the Laurie Monk Quartet, including Dankworth on alto saxophone and a trombonist, bassist, and drummer from...

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