Out of the Cool
Recorded after Gil Evans provided the orchestral clouds through whichMiles Davisblew on such classics asSketches of Spain,Porgy and Bess, andMiles Ahead,Out of the Coolis a starburst. Evans's title makes clear that this is a path away from the legendary 1949Birth of the Cool, opening as it does with an obsessive (if calmly so) vamp that pulses for two minutes with maracas rattling before all the orchestra's instruments enter. Built on a repeating four-bar figure, "La Nevada" goes on to peg Evans as a fully realized orchestra player, one who uses the color palette of over a dozen distinct voices as his instrument. As a pianist Evans manages startling spareness, making dramatic miniature figures and then comping through the orchestra's skein with ritual regularity. Looking at the provenance of these tunes, one realizes Evans's true scope of knowledge: he moves from Kurt Weill's "Bilbao Song" to the Lydian (as inGeorge Russell) modal structure of "Stratusphunk" to close the session with a regally charted take onHorace Silver's "Sister Sadie." Note how trumpeterJohnny Colessteps up as a main soloist, and follow the harmonic topography. It's a rare treat.--Andrew Bartlett