Modern Jazz Quartet
- Composer
- Soundtrack
Seminal and long-lived (1952-1974) Jazz ensemble which grew out of the
rhythm section of the Dizzy Gillespie
orchestra and had its first incarnation as the Milt Jackson Quartet in
1951. The original members of the group were
John Lewis on piano,
Milt Jackson on vibes,
Ray Brown on double bass and
Kenny Clarke on drums. By 1955,
Percy Heath had replaced Brown and
Connie Kay, Clarke. Over the years, many
other musicians
'guested' with the MJQ, or were temporarily integrated into the unit. These included, among others Laurindo Almeida,
Jimmy Giuffre,
Sonny Rollins and
Paul Desmond. The MJQ also
performed with the Beaux Arts String Quartet conducted by composer and
horn player Gunther Schuller, as well
as with the string band Third Stream Music. The MJQ cemented their
seriousness and 'respectability' as a more cerebral jazz ensemble by
being invited to perform at the most prestigious clubs (such as
Birdland,New York) concert and recital halls (eg. Carnegie Hall).
Under the musical direction of Lewis who took over the mantle of leader, the cooperative adopted a formal approach to jazz (the players were always attired in their tuxedos), playing a relaxed and always swinging combination of improvised bebop and swing in a style which was uniquely their own, always approachable in terms of rhythm and melody. The disciplined Lewis had the most creative input, by writing very tight, precise arrangements for each of the four instruments. He was also instrumental in leading the group towards a style somewhat akin to an East Coast version of 'cool'. His long-standing interest in classical music (particularly Bach) was also reflected in his compositions of such pieces as "Vendome" and "The Queen's Fancy". Then, there were also a number of original compositions, most importantly "Django" (a salute to Django Reinhardt) and "Delauney's Dilemma", as well as "Bag's Groove", composed by the most improvisational member of the quartet, Jackson.
By 1974, Jackson felt his free-wheeling soloist style ham-strung by the structured arrangements and left the MJQ, causing it to break up. However, seven year later he caved in to pressure from the other members of the group and they reformed for a concert tour of Japan. They stayed together as a part-time cooperative over the following years and released several more recordings under the Pablo and Atlantic labels. While some detractors have criticized the MJQ as 'chamber jazz', as too subtle or sanitized (bucking, as they did, the trend towards free jazz prevalent at the time), the group's longevity was proof of its enduring popularity with mainstream audiences.
Under the musical direction of Lewis who took over the mantle of leader, the cooperative adopted a formal approach to jazz (the players were always attired in their tuxedos), playing a relaxed and always swinging combination of improvised bebop and swing in a style which was uniquely their own, always approachable in terms of rhythm and melody. The disciplined Lewis had the most creative input, by writing very tight, precise arrangements for each of the four instruments. He was also instrumental in leading the group towards a style somewhat akin to an East Coast version of 'cool'. His long-standing interest in classical music (particularly Bach) was also reflected in his compositions of such pieces as "Vendome" and "The Queen's Fancy". Then, there were also a number of original compositions, most importantly "Django" (a salute to Django Reinhardt) and "Delauney's Dilemma", as well as "Bag's Groove", composed by the most improvisational member of the quartet, Jackson.
By 1974, Jackson felt his free-wheeling soloist style ham-strung by the structured arrangements and left the MJQ, causing it to break up. However, seven year later he caved in to pressure from the other members of the group and they reformed for a concert tour of Japan. They stayed together as a part-time cooperative over the following years and released several more recordings under the Pablo and Atlantic labels. While some detractors have criticized the MJQ as 'chamber jazz', as too subtle or sanitized (bucking, as they did, the trend towards free jazz prevalent at the time), the group's longevity was proof of its enduring popularity with mainstream audiences.
