Modern Jazz Quartet, The - The MJQ in the Movies '2010 / 2022

Tracks list

Tracklist:

1. No Sun in Venice: The Golden Striker (03:40)
2. No Sun in Venice: One Never Knows (09:09)
3. No Sun in Venice: Rose Truc (04:55)
4. No Sun in Venice: Cortege (07:28)
5. No Sun in Venice: Venice (04:26)
6. No Sun in Venice: Three Windows (06:46)
7. Coffee and Cigarettes: Baden-Baden (04:04)
8. Odds Against Tomorrow: Skating in Central Park (06:09)
9. Odds Against Tomorrow: No Happiness for Slater (05:21)
10. Odds Against Tomorrow: A Social Call (04:48)
11. Odds Against Tomorrow: Cue #9 (05:03)
12. Odds Against Tomorrow: A Cold Wind Is Blowing (07:31)
13. Odds Against Tomorrow: Odds Against Tomorrow (03:36)


 Read MoreFor the entirety of the Modern Jazz Quartet's career, they were led
by pianist John Lewis. Hailing from La Grange, Illinois, Lewis played with a
sound that combined his love of classical music, especially Bach, with his
deep-rooted love of the blues, bebop, and swing. Highly intellectual, he
double-majored in Music and Anthropology at the University of New Mexico, and
later earned his master's degree from the Manhattan School of Music. He and
drummer Kenny Clarke first met in the Army in 1944 while they were stationed in
France during World War II.

A Pittsburgh native, Clarke had already distinguished himself as a gifted and
innovative drummer by the time met Lewis, having played with artists like Roy
Eldridge, Benny Carter, and Coleman Hawkins. He had also fully developed his
distinctive style, which found him shifting the time-keeping from the bass drum
to the ride cymbal, an approach that would inform much of the MJQ's sound and
eventually become widely adopted within the genre at large. Following their time
together in the Army, Lewis and Clarke reconnected in New York City where Clarke
was playing with trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie's Orchestra. Upon Clarke's
recommendation, Lewis joined the ensemble, taking over for outgoing pianist
Thelonious Monk.

Along with Clarke and Lewis, Gillespie's rhythm section also included
vibraphonist Milt Jackson. Nicknamed "Bags," Jackson had come up in Detroit
where he started out on guitar before switching to the vibes. Discovered by
Gillespie, he quickly built upon the work of his vibraphone predecessors Lionel
Hampton and Red Norvo, displaying deft bebop improvisational skill and warm,
harmonic sensitivity, both hallmarks of the MJQ sound.

Rounding out the Gillespie rhythm section was bassist Ray Brown. Also a
Pittsburgh native like Clarke, Brown played with a bevy of local and touring
groups while growing up, including pianist Hank Jones. It was through his
friendship with Jones that he joined Gillespie's group upon his arrival in New
York City in 1945, and was with the trumpeter when Lewis, Jackson, and Clarke
all joined the band.

Milt Jackson [Blue Note]At Gillespie's request, the rhythm section began playing
several songs each night as a quartet between the big band's sets. Recognizing
their own chemistry and potential, they began seeking out their own work. They
initially billed themselves as the Milt Jackson Quartet to appease promoters
looking to book a marquee name. They captured the group's sound on several early
Jackson sessions, including a 1951 date for Gillespie's Dee Gee Records and
1951's Milt Jackson on Blue Note, which also featured saxophonist Lou Donaldson.
Another album, Modern Jazz Quartet, arrived on Savoy in 1952 and found Brown
splitting the session with fellow bassist and Gillespie alum Percy Heath. Around
the same time, Brown left the band to focus on his work with his then-wife
singer Ella Fitzgerald. He eventually joined pianist Oscar Peterson's Trio, and
finished his career in Los Angeles as one of the most celebrated bassists in
jazz history. He died in his sleep in 2002.

With Brown's departure, Jimmy Heath joined the MJQ on the heels of his 1952
session with the band. Raised in Philadelphia alongside his equally talented
siblings, saxophonist Jimmy Heath and drummer Albert "Tootie" Heath, Percy Heath
had studied at Philadelphia's Granoff School of Music and played with artists
like Red Garland, Howard McGhee, Charlie Parker, and Gillespie before joining
the quartet. Moving forward as a unit, the group, under Lewis' guidance, adopted
a chamber music style, wearing matching tuxedos and largely eschewing small jazz
clubs in favor of theaters and prestigious concert venues. The formalized
aesthetic translated even more strongly to the group's music, as they began
playing group arrangements influenced by Lewis' classical background. Throughout
the '50s, they issued a number of highly regarded albums including a 1953 date
with Sonny Rollins and 1954's MJQ, both of which found them tackling bop and
swing standards, as well as originals like Lewis' "Django" and Jackson's "Bag's
Groove," the latter of which soon became their anthem.

ConcordeIn 1955, Clarke left the band and moved to Paris where he co-led the
Kenny Clarke-Francy Boland Big Band until his death from a heart attack in 1985.
He was replaced by drummer Connie Kay. Born in Tuckahoe, New York, Kay was a
largely self-taught yet still deftly understated and skillful drummer, with a
résumé featuring collaborations with Lester Young, Charlie Parker, and
Miles Davis. He made his recorded debut with the quartet on 1955's Concorde, of
which the title track was one of Lewis' first fugue-influenced compositions.
More albums followed including 1956's Fontessa, 1957's The Modern Jazz Quartet,
and 1959's Odds Against Tomorrow.

Lonely WomanDuring the '60s, the MJQ further expanded their sound, issuing a
bevy of albums on Atlantic including 1962's Lonely Woman, which featured their
take on the Ornette Coleman title track. They also paired with Brazilian
guitarist Laurindo Almeida on 1964's Collaboration, issued the 1965 big-band
album Jazz Dialogues, and paired with the acclaimed vocal ensemble The Swingle
Singers for 1966's Place Vendome. There were also collaborations with Gunther
Schuller, singer Diahann Carroll, saxophonist Sonny Rollins, and the Beaux Arts
String Quartet, among others.

Plastic DreamsThe group continued to tour often throughout the '70s, a period
which also found them expanding their sound in reaction to the growing influence
of funk, soul, and global traditions; sounds which they explored on 1971's
Plastic Dreams and 1972's The Legendary Profile. However, in 1974, Milt Jackson
left the group, citing their constant touring and his desire to seek out other
improvisational platforms. Following a tour and farewell concert at New York's
Avery Fisher Hall documented on The Complete Last Concert, the group decided to
call it quits.

Reunion at BudokanOver the next few years, the members of the MJQ have issued
their own albums and recorded as sidemen with others. In 1981, the quartet
reconvened for a one-off concert released that year as Reunion at Budokan. Their
chemistry was clearly intact and led to an extended reunion run. They celebrated
their 30th anniversary the following year with Together Again: Live at the
Montreux Jazz Festival '82, and solidified their creative partnership with
1984's studio date Echoes. More well-regarded albums followed, including 1987's
Three Windows with the New York Chamber Symphony, 1988's For Ellington, and
1989's Western-themed Rose of the Rio Gande.

MJQ & Friends: A 40th Anniversary CelebrationThe group continued to perform
through the early '90s, even as Connie Kay's health began to fade following a
stroke. In 1993, they issued their final album MJQ & Friends: A 40th Anniversary
Celebration, which found drummer Mickey Roker sitting in for Kay on several
tracks. Also featured were guest appearances by Bobby McFerrin, Phil Woods,
Wynton Marsalis, Harry "Sweets" Edison, and others. Following Kay's death from a
heart attack in 1994, Albert "Tootie" Heath briefly took over the drum chair
before the group discreetly parted ways for a final time. In the years following
the group's end, the members stayed active touring and issuing their own albums.
Milt Jackson died in 1999 after a battle with liver cancer. Cancer also took
both John Lewis in 2001 and Percy Heath in 2005. ~ Matt Collar

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