Modern Jazz Quartet, The - Germany 1956-1958 '2013

Tracks list

At the time of these recordings, John Lewis was still in the process of
developing the unique concept of MJQ as a jazz chamber group, for which he often
scored even the bass and drum parts. Every track of this pioneering early phase
exemplifies how Lewis, to quote Andre Francis, turned four musicians into a
sensitive instrument which vibrates in the same universe of sound, achieving a
communion unique in the world of jazz.

The MJQ forever exuded pure class. Their mode, their manner, their habiliment,
everything about the quartet resided in elegance and intelligence. They also
revolutionized a considerable pocket of jazz and influenced a hell of a lot of
musicians, but those who could match them in any way were few and far
between…and still are. This latest treasure trove from the always
jaw-dropping Jazzhaus label serves to remind us not of something lost but of
that which is rare in any generation or decade or century because its been over
50 years, and youll still be very hard put to locate another Modern Jazz
Quartet.

The packaging to the Lost Tapes series has always been itself uniform and
elegant, exuding the kind of noble antiquarianism one would rightly expect from
an enterprise deeply understanding the nature of what its doing…because
theyre just as much the connoisseurs of music as their audience and consumers.

Nor is it chary with what it unearths, as this CD is +/-68 minutes long, culled
from a three-year period of studio takes in Stuttgart and Baden-Baden as well as
two live tracks from Jahnhalle Pforzheim.

Ah, but theres even more: two songs feature the Kurt Edelhagen Orchestra
surrounding the band, and a third has the Harald Banter Ensemble, all
constituting the kind of symphonic treatments that sharpened the bands
sometimes-hidden, sometimes-blazingly-apparent classical elements. Midsommer,
for instance, written by MJQ pianist John Lewis, sounds just like a song Ferde
Grofe, himself a piano player, lost out of the Grand Canyon Suite, fluttering
from the portfolio and into Lewis hands.

Should you care to re-assess why Milt Jackson was so hugely influential on
vibes, repair to Ill Remember April, where he engages in such speed runs as
would make Al DiMeola sweat…and grin from ear to ear. Every note from
Lewis and Jackson is perfectly in place as Percy Heath (bass) and Connie Kay
(drums) subtly subtly back them up, laying out velvet and ermine for the songs
to bed down in.

These gentlemen had, it is more than obvious, a consummate love of what they
were doing and strove to embody the beauty, intelligence, and decorum jazz music
could embrace when it wanted to. If the Modern Jazz Quartet has been equaled in
the annals of jazz, Ive yet to detect it, and if you look to such modern lions
as Wynton Marsalis, youll see the sartorial side as well as the love of
classicalism but not—all due respect to Marsalis genius—that
museum-quality extraordinarily refined musical aspect, a trait that never
flagged, faltered, or failed. Its all right here in this disc. 


Tracks:

01. Ralphs New Blues
02. God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen
03. Willow Weep For Me
04. Ill Remember April
05. Midsömmer
06. Bluesology
07. Django
08. Sun Dance
09. Cortege
10. You Go To My Head
11. I Cant Get Started
12. Tenderly
13. J.B. Blues

Personnel:

JOHN LEWIS, piano on tracks 1-11 & 13
MILT JACKSON, vibraphone on tracks 1-13
PERCY HEATH, bass on tracks 1-11 & 13
CONNIE KAY, drums on tracks 1-11 & 13
HARALD BANTER ESEMBLE, on track 5
ORCHESTRA KURT EDELHAGEN, on tracks 6 & 7 

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