West Coast

Location · 1950s · California · Modern jazz (1940-1970)

Los Angeles and San Francisco: Lighthouse Café, the pianoless quartet of Mulligan and Chet Baker (1952), Pacific Jazz and Contemporary labels. A place, not a style.

What is still debated

The cool/hot framework masks the racial critique: Curtis Counce, John Lewis, Chico Hamilton.

Where it comes from

• Bebop (Minton's, Monroe's)
• Cool (Birth of the Cool)
• Bossa nova, jazz samba

Artists

• Dave Brubeck (1920–2012, piano)
• Stan Getz (1927–1991, tenor saxophone)
• Toots Thielemans (1922–2016, harmonica, guitar)
• Shelly Manne (1920–1984, drums)
• Russ Freeman (1926–2002, piano)
• Vi Redd (1928–2022, alto saxophone, vocals)
• Stan Kenton (1911–1979, piano, arrangement, conductor)
• Mel Tormé (1925–1999, vocals, drums, piano, arrangement)

Tracks to start with

• I Fall in Love Too Easily — Chet Baker (1954)
• My Funny Valentine — Chet Baker (1954)
• Take Five — Dave Brubeck Quartet (1959)
• Blue Rondo à la Turk — Dave Brubeck Quartet (1959)
• Linus and Lucy — Vince Guaraldi Trio (1964)
• Anthropology — Vi Redd (1962)
• Lulu's Back in Town — Mel Tormé & the Marty Paich Dek-Tette (1956)
• Bock's Tops — Russ Freeman (1953)

Sources

• EN : West Coast jazz

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