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Modern Jazz Quartet with Laurindo Almeida – a gathering of the highest kind.

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The Modern Jazz Quartet with Laurindo Almeida at the BBC in 1964.

This one has been around for years and anyone who is an MJQ or Almeida fan has at least one copy in their library.

But in case you don’t – Here is some essential listening.

Modern Jazz Quartet signified a change in Jazz, an opening of directions, so to speak. MJQ was established in 1952, playing music influenced by classical, cool jazz, blues and bebop. The Quartet consisted of John Lewis (piano), Milt Jackson (vibraphone), Percy Heath (double bass), and various drummers, most notably Kenny Clarke (from 1952 to 1955) and Connie Kay (from 1955 to 1994). The group grew out of the rhythm section of Dizzy Gillespie‘s big band from 1946 to 1948, which consisted of Lewis, Jackson, and Clarke along with bassist Ray Brown. They recorded as the Milt Jackson Quartet in 1951 and Brown left the group, being replaced on bass by Heath. During the early-to-mid-1950s they became the Modern Jazz Quartet, Lewis became the group’s musical director, and they made several recordings with Prestige Records, including the original versions of their two best-known compositions, Lewis’s “Django” and Jackson’s “Bags’ Groove“. Clarke left the group in 1955 and was replaced as drummer by Kay, and in 1956 they moved to Atlantic Records and made their first tour to Europe.

Bassist Percy Heath offered this observation in an interview a while back:

“John’s vision for the group was to change the music from just a jam session, or rhythm section and soloist idea, to something more. We were all equal members, and the dress, the wearing of tuxedos, and trying to perform in concert rather than always in nightclubs, was part of what he envisioned to change the whole attitude about the music.“

Laurindo Almeida’s technically astounding and yet understated style was especially appropriate for the MJQ, which investigated a broad range of music without ostentation or even excessive volume. Instead, these master musicians go about their business by delving into the richness of the jazz/classical, and in this case Latin, influences they have studied and enjoyed.

The idea for combining the MJQ with Almeida started at the 1963 Monterey Jazz Festival, when they were booked to perform jointly. At the time, both the individual and the group were highly popular due to Almeida’s involvement with the bossa nova craze as well as the acceptance of the MJQ in concert halls throughout the world. Audiences were puzzled about how to react to these well-dressed musicians who bestowed class and respect upon the jazz music they played. And yet, the audiences were appreciative and plentiful.

Now dive in.

The post MJQ With Laurindo Almeida – BBC – 1964 – Past Daily Downbeat appeared first on Past Daily: A Sound Archive of News, History And Music.