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Modern Jazz Quartet
| Britannica Concise Encyclopedia: Modern Jazz Quartet (MJQ) |
| Music Encyclopedia: Modern Jazz Quartet |
American jazz ensemble. Its members for its first recording in 1952 were Milt Jackson (vibraphone), John Lewis (piano and director), Kenny Clarke (drums) and Percy Heath (double bass). In 1955 Clarke was replaced by Connie Kay. The quartet, a leading exponent of cool jazz in the 1950s and 1960s, disbanded in 1974 but was re-formed in the early 1980s.
| Artist: The Modern Jazz Quartet |
Group Members:
Similar Artists:
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Followers:
Performed Songs By:
Newton Mendonça,
Dubose Heyward,
Axel Stordahl,
Don Raye,
Charlie Parker,
Frank Paparelli,
Thelonious Monk,
Oscar Hammerstein II,
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Gene DePaul,
Sammy Cahn,
Ray Brown,
Johann Sebastian Bach,
Jerome Kern,
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Harold Arlen,
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John Lewis,
Milt Jackson,
Dizzy Gillespie,
Hoagy Carmichael,
Sigmund Romberg,
Joaquín Rodrigo,
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- Formed: 1952
- Genres: Jazz
- Representative Albums: "The Last Concert," "Lonely Woman," "European Concert"
- Representative Songs: "Django," "The Golden Striker," "Bags' Groove"
Biography
Pianist John Lewis, vibraphonist Milt Jackson, bassist Ray Brown and drummer Kenny Clarke first came together as the rhythm section of the 1946 Dizzy Gillespie & His Orchestra and they had occasional features that gave the overworked brass players a well-deserved rest. They next came together in 1951, recording as the Milt Jackson Quartet. In 1952, with Percy Heath taking Brown's place, the Modern Jazz Quartet (MJQ) became a permanent group. Other than Connie Kay succeeding Clarke in 1955, the band's personnel was set. In the early days Jackson and Lewis both were equally responsible for the group's musical direction but the pianist eventually took over as musical director. The MJQ has long displayed John Lewis' musical vision, making jazz seem respectable by occasionally interacting with classical ensembles and playing concerts at prestigious venues, but always leaving plenty of space for bluesy and swinging improvising. Their repertoire, in addition to including veteran bop and swing pieces, introduced such originals as Lewis' "Django" and Jackson's "Bags' Groove." The group recorded for Prestige (1952-55), Atlantic (1956-74), Verve (1957), United Artists (1959) and Apple (1967-69) and, in addition to the many quartet outings, they welcomed such guests as Jimmy Giuffre, Sonny Rollins, the Beaux Arts String Quartet, a symphony orchestra conducted by Gunther Schuller, singer Diahann Carroll (on one piece), Laurindo Almeida, a big band and the Swingle Singers. Although the musicians all had opportunities to pursue individual projects, in 1974 Milt Jackson, tired of the constant touring and the limitations set on his improvising and he quit the group, causing the MJQ to have a final tour and break up. In 1981 Jackson relented and the Modern Jazz Quartet (which has recorded further albums for Pablo and Atlantic) became active again although on a more part-time basis. Connie Kay's health began to fade in the early '90s (Mickey Roker often filled in for him) and after his death in 1995, Albert "Tootie" Heath became his replacement. ~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide| Discography: The Modern Jazz Quartet |
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| Wikipedia: Modern Jazz Quartet |
| Modern Jazz Quartet | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | MJQ, Milt Jackson Quartet |
| Genres | Jazz |
| Years active | 1946-1974, 1981-1993 |
| Labels | Savoy, Prestige, Apple, Atlantic |
| Members | |
| Milt Jackson John Lewis Percy Heath Connie Kay |
|
| Former members | |
| Kenny Clarke | |
The Modern Jazz Quartet was established in 1952 by Milt Jackson (vibraphone), John Lewis (piano, musical director), Percy Heath (bass), and Kenny Clarke (drums). Connie Kay replaced Clarke in 1955. The quartet performed in several jazz styles, including bebop, cool jazz and third stream.
Contents |
History
Milt Jackson, John Lewis, and Kenny Clarke had originally played together in a quartet while in the Dizzy Gillespie orchestra from 1946 to 1950. Together with Ray Brown they played during interludes designed to give the trumpeters time to recover from the challenging upper register trumpet parts. This line-up recorded as the Milt Jackson Quartet in 1951.
Bassist Percy Heath joined the line up in 1952 and the group became known as The Modern Jazz Quartet after John Lewis took over as Musical Director, a position which Jackson and Lewis had previously shared.[1]
In their middle years the group often played with classical musicians, but their repertoire consisted mainly of bop and Swing era standards. Among the original compositions from the band's book are "Django" by Lewis (a tribute to the Belgian jazz guitar player Django Reinhardt), "Afternoon In Paris," also by Lewis, and Jackson's "Bags' Groove", the latter borrowing its composer's nickname.
The group was first signed by Prestige and later in the fifties with Atlantic. In the late 1960s, in between their two periods with Atlantic, they signed with Apple, the Beatles' label (the sole jazz group on the label), and released two albums: Under the Jasmin Tree (1968) and Space (1969).
Jackson left the group in 1974 partly because he liked a freer flowing style of playing and partly because he was tired of playing for little money (compared to rock and roll stars). As there could be no Modern Jazz Quartet without the two principals Lewis and Jackson, the group disbanded after going out with a rollicking concert in November at Lincoln Center's Avery Fisher Hall. In 1981 the MJQ reorganized to play festivals and later on a permanent six months per year basis. The MJQ's last recording was issued in 1993. Heath, the last surviving member, died in 2005.
Style
The enigma of the MJQ's music-making was that each individual member could improvise with an exciting vibrancy but in toto the group specialised in genteel baroque counterpoint. Their approach to jazz attracted promoters who sponsored "jazz packet" concerts during the 1950s. One show would consist of several contrasting groups. The MJQ were ideal participants because no other group sounded like them. They provided a visual contrast as well, attired in black jackets and pin-striped trousers.
The group played blues as much as they did fugues, but the result was tantalising when one considered the hard-swinging potential of each individual player. Their best-selling record, Django, typified their neo-classical approach to polyphony.
Discography
- 1952: The Quartet (Savoy Records - Nippon Columbia)
- 1952: M.J.Q. (Prestige Records)
- 1953: An Exceptional Encounter
- 1953-55: Django
- 1955: Concorde, first recording featuring Connie Kay on drums
- 1956: Fontessa, first album on Atlantic Records
- 1957: No Sun in Venice
- 1957: Modern Jazz Quartet: 1957
- 1957: Third Stream Music
- 1958: The Modern Jazz Quartet Live
- 1959: Odds Against Tomorrow
- 1959: Longing For The Continent
- 1959: Pyramid
- 1960: European Concert
- 1960: Modern Jazz Quartet in Concert, recorded in Ljubljana, Yugoslavia, May 27, 1960
- 1960: Modern Jazz Quartet live and at its best
- 1961: Compact Jazz
- 1961: The Modern Jazz Quartet & Orchestra
- 1962: Lonely Woman
- 1962: The Comedy
- 1963: In a Crowd [Live]
- 1964: Collaboration with Almeida
- 1964: Plays George Gershwin's Porgy and Bess
- 1964: The Sheriff, Atlantic Records
- 1966: Place Vendôme The Modern Jazz Quartet and The Swingle Singers
- 1966: Blues At Carnegie Hall
- 1969: Under The Jasmin Tree (Apple Records)
- 1969: Space (Apple Records)
- 1971: Plastic Dreams
- 1971: Paul Desmond with the Modern Jazz Quartet, Live in New York
- 1972: The Legendary Profile (Atlantic Records) [2]
- 1973: The Art of The Modern Jazz Quartet/The Atlantic Years, 2-LP Anthology (Atlantic Records)
- 1974: Blues on Bach
- 1974: The Complete Last Concert
- 1981: Reunion at Budokan
- 1982: Together Again! Modern Jazz Quartet Live At The Montreux Jazz Festival 1982 (Pablo Records)
- 1984: Echoes
- 1987: Three Windows - The Modern Jazz Quartet with The New York Chamber Symphony (Atlantic Jazz)
- 1988: For Ellington (EastWest)
- 1988: The Modern Jazz Quartet at Music Inn - Volume 2 - Guest Artist: Sonny Rollins (Atlantic Jazz)
- 1988: The Best of The Modern Jazz Quartet
- 1994: MJQ & Friends - A 40th Anniversary Celebration (Atlantic Jazz)
- 1995: Dedicated to Connie, released 1995, recorded live in Slovenia in 1960
- 2001: A Night at the Opera (Jazz Door)
- 2006: La Ronde: A Proper Introduction to the Modern Jazz Quartet
Filmography
- 2005: The Modern Jazz Quartet: 35th Anniversary Tour
- 2007: 40 Years of MJQ
- 2008: Django
References
External links
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Mentioned in
- Australian Jazz Quartet (Jazz Band, '50s)
- Odds Against Tomorrow [Original Soundtrack] (1959 Album by Original Soundtrack)
- Jazz Showcase Introducing the Mastersounds (1957 Album by The Mastersounds)
- Jazz Messengers/Blues at Carnegie Hall (1999 Album by Art Blakey & Modern Jazz Quartet)
- Rose of the Rio Grande (1989 Album by The Modern Jazz Quartet)
- Modern Jazz Quartet: 35th Anniversary Tour (Music Film)
- Topsy: This One's for Basie [OJC] (1985 Album by The Modern Jazz Quartet)
- Modern Jazz Quartet and Oscar Peterson Trio at the Opera (1957 Album by The Modern Jazz Quartet)
- Live at the Lighthouse (1967 Album by The Modern Jazz Quartet)
- Longing for the Continent (1958 Album by The Modern Jazz Quartet)
- 40 Years of MJQ (1996 Album by The Modern Jazz Quartet)
- Altered Laws (Jazz Band, 2000s)
- The Best of the Modern Jazz Quartet [Pablo] (1981 Album by The Modern Jazz Quartet)
- Blues at Carnegie Hall (1966 Album by The Modern Jazz Quartet)
