Dedicated To Connie

Product Description:

Modern Jazz Quartet: John Lewis (piano); Milt Jackson (vibraharp); Percy Heath (bass); Connie Kay (drums).

Recorded live in Ljubljana, Slovenia on May 27, 1960. Includes liner notes by John Lewis.

Regarding this 1960 live date, recorded in Slovenia, group leader John Lewis writes in the album liner notes, "In my opinion, never before or since has the Modern Jazz Quartet played better, whether on stage or in the recording studio." That's quite a statement, but the performances herein give little cause for dispute. The MJQ's unique blend of elements is all here, including their chamber-music sensibility (which features a classical feel for the extended line, along with Ellingtonian themes and flourishes) fused with hard-bop aesthetics. Pianist Lewis, vibraphonist Milt Jackson, bassist Percy Heath, and drummer Connie Kay display true inspiration here.

The two-disc set captures one of the most remarkable qualities of the group, and that is its ability to sound studied and precise, while maintaining melodic and rhythmic variation. A few standards ("'Round Midnight;" "How High the Moon") pepper this list of mostly originals, including Lewis's classic "Django" and Jackson's smooth-moving "Bag's Groove." The tapes from this remarkable concert were discovered during '95 in the months following Kay's death, and the album--a testament to the group's unique sound and chemistry--was released in Kay's memory.