West Coast jazz

American  

noun

1. cool jazz.

---

West Coast jazz British  

noun

1. a type of cool jazz displaying a soft intimate sound, regular rhythms, and a tendency to incorporate academic classical devices into jazz, such as fugue

---

Etymology

Origin of West Coast jazz

First recorded in 1950–55

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

West Coast jazz

In turn, Mr. Wissert enlisted keyboardist-arranger David Paich, whose father, Marty Paich, was a legendary West Coast jazz pianist and arranger.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 23, 2026

Sheldon was a prominent part of the vibrant West Coast jazz movement in the 1950s alongside fellow artists Art Pepper, Stan Kenton and Shorty Rogers.

From Seattle Times ● Dec. 31, 2019

A crucial voice who has nearly single-handedly re-energized West Coast jazz, saxophonist Washington's six-song new work runs a compact 30 minutes, and in loftier circles might be called a suite.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 15, 2017

Mr. Tepfer takes inspiration from a long stretch of Western classical music, from baroque through the present day, as well as West Coast jazz.

From New York Times ● Apr. 20, 2017

Critics suggested that East Coast jazz and West Coast jazz were essentially different, but Mr. Rumsey didn’t completely buy it.

From Washington Post ● Jul. 27, 2015