Third Stream

The Modern Jazz Quartet (MJQ) was a jazz institution for 46 years, counting a seven-year vacation. During an era when jazz musicians had a bad image, the MJQ dressed impeccably, showed up on time and played brilliant music that ranged from the blues to Bach, from jazz standards to Third-Stream...

Long considered one of, if not the classic album from the Modern Jazz Quartet, European Concert defines them simultaneously as a recording entity as well as a working band. MJQ presented jazz in the context of a formally structured environment, much like a chamber group in the classical...

The Modern Jazz Quartet broke up after the concert documented on this double CD. It would be nearly seven years before the group got back together again but it certainly went out on top. Mostly revisiting their greatest hits, the MJQ is heard on this two-fer playing inspired versions of such...

In his career, pianist John Lewis always managed to balance his love for bebop, the blues and Bach. In some ways he was the Count Basie of bop in that he used space expertly and made every note count, but Lewis was really in his own musical category, both as a soloist and as the musical director...

Despite the fact that pianist and composer Paul Bley had been a renowned and innovative jazzman for nearly 20 years, 1973 saw the release of his most mature and visionary work, and one that to this day remains his opus. This is one of the most influential solo piano recordings in jazz history,...

This reissue of Fusion and Thesis, the two albums the new Jimmy Giuffre 3 made in 1961, prior to their breakthrough and breakup in 1962, is nothing short of a revelation musically. Originally produced by Creed Taylor, who was still respectable back then, the two LPs have been complete remixed...

This Atlantic release has some unusual performances by the Modern Jazz Quartet. Two selections ("Da Capo" and "Fine") combine the MJQ, which is comprised of vibraphonist Milt Jackson, pianist John Lewis, bassist Percy Heath, and drummer Connie Kay, with the Jimmy Giuffre 3...

Fusion standout John Patitucci exhibits the speed, facility, and flash that's made him the darling of the contemporary jazz set. He's joined by the man whose band has showcased him, pianist Chick Corea, plus percussionist Alex Acuna and other guest stars. The songs are pretty routine,...

A transitional album can sometimes be a band's most exciting effort, representing fresh ideas, the taking on of new blood, or perhaps just the beginning of a door closing on one phase and opening on another. Orange Then Blue's double-CD opus While You Were Out is one such album,...

On this solo recording, Ralph Towner returns to the elementary sounds of his classical and 12-string guitars for inspiration. Though an accomplished pianist, French horn, and trumpet player, Towner has left all of them out of Anthem's stark mix. And it's a good thing too. There was a...

Throughout his long career, Stan Getz always displayed one of the most beautiful tones on tenor that has ever been heard. Getz was a commercial success at various periods but he never coasted on his fame and was always looking for new music to play while staying true to straightahead...

This fairly obscure LP by the Modern Jazz Quartet features fresh material and improvisations that are both swinging and creative. Pianist John Lewis' "The Spiritual" and "Baseball," along with vibraphonist Milt Jackson's "Novamo" and "For Someone I...

The Modern Jazz Quartet personified class. During an era when the establishment thought of jazz musicians as being unreliable and erratic, The MJQ were always well dressed, on-time and open to the influence of classical music. They opened the door for jazz to be played in concert halls without...

The previously unreleased Modern Jazz Quartet performance from the 1963 Monterey Jazz Festival was first issued in this 1998 CD. The MJQ (vibraphonist Milt Jackson, pianist John Lewis, bassist Percy Heath and drummer Connie Kay) is heard in typically fine form performing a few standards...

Considering the lengthy career of the Modern Jazz Quartet as a working band, their extensive discography, and the many different projects they undertook, providing a definitive or even cursory introduction to their work might be a bit daunting. Still, this collection, with 17 tracks total, is...

In typical Fantasy Records aplomb, this four-CD set collects the eight albums which the Modern Jazz Quartet either mentored or collaborated on during their tenure at the commencement and nadir of their reign as jazz's premier chamber ensemble. Beginning with the 1952 issue of Modern Jazz...

Though not well-known among American Brazilian music fans, despite being on the road for 20 years, guitarist/composer Gui Mallon ought to gain a bigger following with the release of his eighth album -- his first on an American label. Here is one Brazilian who has something new to say in a...

Simply put, this is Collectables' issue of two fine, early Atlantic recordings by MJQ. While it's true that Lonely Woman might have been better served aesthetically by being paired with the brilliant self-titled debut for the label instead of The Comedy, these two offerings were...

Aside from about 48 minutes' worth of amateur home recordings from the 1940s issued in 2000 by the E3 label, Fivefour's Emergence contains what appear to be Bill Evans' earliest appearances on record as a promising young professional jazz pianist. Within this intriguing time...