The songs on The Birth of the Cool are like the ninja of old. They do what they need to, fast, and leave. But unlike ninja attacks, these songs (which include classics like "Jeru", "Venus de Milo" and "Boplicity") are not painful in the least. The arrangements are tight and the songs are melodic, slightly Hollywood-esque but quite beautiful and well-performed. The songs themselves are also quite brief, as I implied a few sentence back - nothing over five minutes, in fact. The nonet plays together quite well, complementing each other throughout. They all have the mellow sound down - the album kinda sounds alike, but with great songs like "Rogue", "Rocker" and "Israel" on hand, who can complain? Now the only song I don't really like is "Darn That Dream", which falls in my list of Ten Songs We've All Heard Too Many Times Before. As for the rest? Get it. Not before Kind of Blue, 'Round about Midnight or In a Silent Way, but still get it!