Jazz » Cool » West Coast Jazz

An occasional nickname for cool since some of the key pacesetters were centered in Los Angeles, West Coast Jazz evolved directly from bop in the late '40s and '50s. Essentially, it was a mixture of bop with certain aspects of swing that had been overlooked or temporarily discarded. Dissonances were smoothed out, tones were softened, arrangements became important again, and the rhythm section's accents were less jarring. Some of the recordings were experimental in nature (hinting at classical music) and some overarranged sessions were bland, but in general this was a viable and popular style. Among the many top artists were Gerry Mulligan, Stan Getz, Shorty Rogers, and Howard Rumsey (leader of the Lighthouse All-Stars).