West Coast Jazz - Sound

Sound

West Coast jazz sometimes featured a rhythm section that omitted the use of a piano, guitar, or any chordal instrument, tending to a more open and freer sound, popularized by the famous record by Gerry Mulligan The Original Quartet with Chet Baker (Blue Note, 1998). Another characteristic is the inclusion of non-standard jazz instruments like the French horn and tuba. Gil Evans' classic arrangement on the Birth of the Cool album featured these instruments at a time when the West Coast style was emerging. The sound can be thought as a reaction to the franticness and complexity some listeners found in bebop.