If bebop was ‘hot’, then with perfect timing Newton's third law of motion – that every action has an equal and opposite reaction -kicked in with emergence of ‘cool’ jazz at the end of the 1940s with a series of recordings under the auspices of Miles Davis that became known as the Birth of the Cool. Using six instruments in three groups each an octave apart – trumpet and trombone, alto and baritone saxes, French horn and tuba – plus piano, bass and drums, produced a unique sound in jazz. While Davis moved to other things, the BotC sound became enormously influential, from Johnny Dankworth in the UK to jazz musicians on America's West Coast. Trumpeter Shorty Rogers, whose arrangements for Woody Herman had helped define the now legendary Second Herd, captured the spirit of the BotC with his Giants on a 10-inch LP recorded on 28 August 1950 called Modern Sounds. Using a more aerodynamic approach with faster moving lines and exemplary solos from the leader, Pepper and Hawes, here was the genesis of West Coast Jazz. Mulligan, who had participated in the BotC sessions and contributed seven of the 12 arrangements, also adopted its sound (which he had helped create) across a larger 10-piece ensemble on five of his own originals, plus standard ‘Taking a Chance on Love’, for Capitol on 29 January 1953. They remained unreleased until Capitol, aware of the growing popularity of West Coast jazz, decided to combine Rogers' session with the Mulligan tentette as Modern Sounds in 1956. Today, this album still retains its freshness and élan of young musicians unaware they were creating history. Scattered among the two ensembles were leading names who would emerge in the West Coast jazz craze and while great jazz can rightly express angst, protest and the blues, joy too has a right to be heard, which perhaps explains the enduring quality of these recordings which have remained a perfect antidote for troubling times down the decades.

Find It: Released on CD in Japan, original Capitol Rogers/Mulligan LPs crop up on eBay and other vinyl auction sites at surprisingly reasonable prices – just watch out for some hefty postage from the US