West Coast jazz

American  

noun

1. cool jazz.

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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

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Etymology

Origin of West Coast jazz

First recorded in 1950–55

Example Sentences

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

Inspired by the West Coast jazz of Chet Baker, Gerry Mulligan and others, Mr. Lyra brought a relaxed sophistication to his work, as well as an exacting standard for musical precision.

From New York Times • Dec. 23, 2023

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

Howard Rumsey, a bass player who turned a down-at-the-heels sailors’ hangout in Hermosa Beach, Calif., into ground zero for West Coast jazz, died July 15 in Newport Beach, Calif. He was 97.

From Washington Post • Jul. 27, 2015

Like artists as diverse as David Park in the Bay Area and Wallace Berman and William Claxton in L.A., however, Altoon's interest in the cool, seductive rhythms of West Coast jazz informed his work.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 11, 2014