Between January 1949 and March 1950 Miles Davis recorded twelve pieces for Capitol with a nine-piece nonet, arranged by Gil Evans, Gerry Mulligan and John Lewis among others. The unusual line-up, with French horn and tuba alongside saxophones, trumpet and trombone, produced a soft, controlled sound far from the fiery bebop of the time. Only in 1957 were the recordings gathered under the title Birth of the Cool, which gave cool jazz its name. Alongside Davis the players include Lee Konitz, J.J. Johnson, Kai Winding and Max Roach, and well-known pieces include Move, Boplicity, Jeru and Israel.

This edition is an LP.