So dubbed because these three sessions -- two from early 1949, one from March 1950 -- are where the sound known as cool jazz essentially formed, The Birth of the Cool remains one of the defining, pivotal moments in jazz. This is 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. After all, there's a reason why this music was called cool; it has a hip, detached elegance, never getting too hot, even as the rhythms skip and jump. Indeed, the most remarkable thing about these sessions -- arranged by Gil Evansand featuring such heavy-hitters as Kai Winding, Gerry Mulligan, Lee Konitz, and Max Roach-- is that they sound intimate, as the nonet never pushes too hard, never sounds like the work of nine musicians. Furthermore, the group keeps 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

“酷” 派爵士的传奇人物Paul Desmond以中音萨克斯风闻名於世，他的吹奏理念源自早期的Benny Carter及Pete Brown。Desmond避免使用中音萨克斯风的人声效果，亦甚少引用蓝调字汇，以吹奏谱出美丽的旋律为主，而这正是“酷”派的原则。Desmond於 1951年自组四重奏，其间推出的一张“Take Five”更被誉为爵士国度中的一首“国歌”。50年代末期，这支组合完美的结束，亦将Desmond带入了Fantasy公司，在此，Desmond与吉他手Jim Hall组成四重奏，成为爵士史上最富旋律感的配搭。Desmond与Gerry Mulligan的双萨克斯风组合，在此时期亦大放光芒，虽然Desmond并非可以成功地於不同的阵型中表现特出，但重要的是适当的组合却有效使得 Desmond的萨克斯风发挥出有史以来最美妙的声音之一。
这张从名称可以看出是基于桑巴和波萨诺瓦风格。阵容：Paul Desmond - alto saxophone, Jim Hall - guitar, Eugene Wright - bass, Gene Cherico - bass (仅曲目9), Connie Kay - drums
为当年美国最大的唱片公司，RCA除了在古典音乐方面有着伟大的业绩，在爵士乐方面亦是猛将云集，见证了乐坛最辉煌的一段历史。最近，BMG重新以CD形式发行了 RCA的一系列爵士名盘，除了曲目原封不动，连唱片封面也彻底照搬，唯一不同的是录音经新科技处理；既保存 了原版 LP的'音乐味"，更给予现代音响发烧友更强的Hi- Fi感，实在值得收藏。
Paul Desmond（ 1924-1977）这个名字老一辈爵士迷肯定都认识，这位大师级的Alto Saxophone乐手，更是一位天才的作曲高手，早在40年代，他便和 Dave Brubeck等人在爵士音乐界占有重要的位置。60年代初，美国爵士乐坛发生了巨大的变化，南美的音乐元素--Bossa Nova慢慢渗入了传统爵士乐，个中佼佼者当首推 Stan Getz；由于潮流所趋， Pan l-Desmond亦积极创作了不少带有森巴节奏的作品，这张 1964年出版的唱片便是非常具有代表性的录音。
碟中除有 Desrnond精彩绝伦的Sax吹奏，还有Jim Hall的吉他， Eugene Wright的低音大提琴及 Connie Kay的鼓击；每一位都是赫赫有名的爵士乐顶尖高手，音乐之动人无需多洒口水，您都能想像。
原版唱片属 RCA 60年代的Dynagroove"动态音槽"系列，当时的制版技术已相当出色，而大师级录音师Bob Simpson的妙手炮制，更令该录音最现出一流的活生感。如此本质优异的母版再经过最新数码重新混音处理，令失真更低，效果更出跳。您可听见早期立体声录音典型的"左、中、右"三点式定位在这张唱片中大显神威，乐器的质感和量感堪称无敌，音色自然，胆味盎然，每一粒弹跳出来的音符都证明当年的录音技术经得起时间考验，实属发烧玩家的必藏珍品！