Even now, nearly sixty years later, it seems improbable that a group which came together as the rhythm section for one of the hottest players in bebop's genesis era, trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie, could morph into a standalone group that was the epitome of grace, elegance and cool dignity. But that's exactly what happened when Gillespie recruited pianist John Lewis (1920-2001), vibraphonist Milt Jackson (1923-1999), bassist Ray Brown (1926-2002) and drummer Kenny Clarke (1914-1985), giving the quartet an opportunity to shine as a discrete unit when it came time, during his sextet's exhausting sets, to give the horns a break, calling, "OK, band off!"
Brown didn't stay very long when the quartet decided to continue as the Milt Jackson Quartet; after recording just four sides, he left for greater fame, fortune and longevity with Canadian pianist Oscar Peterson (1925-2007). Not long after Percy Heath (1923-2005) replaced Brown in MJQ, the group managing to retain its acronym while transforming into The Modern Jazz Quartet, to reflect the egalitarian nature of the group—though from a compositional perspective, MJQ would become increasingly dominated by Lewis' writing; music that reflected no small influence by western classical music, and which would give the quartet a distinct identity that, in the eyes of the bebop world, was more than a little contentious but, decades later, can be seen as a left turn into an entirely new arena for jazz exploration.
After two recordings for the small but, well, prestigious Prestige label—1953's Modern Jazz Quartet, Vol. 1 and 1955's now-classic Django, featuring Lewis' iconic title track, inspired by Gypsy guitarist Django Reinhardt—MJQ experienced one final personnel shift when Clarke left the group, in 1955, to move to Paris and an active career with another American expat, pianist Bud Powell. Recruiting Conrad Kirnon (better-known as Connie Kay (1927-1994)), the group finally found the lineup that would outlast most jazz groups to this day, recording one final record for Prestige, Concorde (1956), before being signed to the much larger Atlantic Records, a label better-known as a soul/R&B imprint, but also focusing on building its jazz cred through signing artists like bassist Charles Mingus and rising star, saxophonist John Coltrane.
The Modern Jazz Quartet went on to record exclusively with Atlantic for the next nine years, releasing a total of fourteen albums between 1956 and 1964, all collected on the lovingly remastered and beautifully packaged The Complete Atlantic Studio Recordings of The Modern Jazz Quartet 1956-64, which brings many of these titles back into print for the first time in two decades or more. In a new millennium, with MJQ—once considered in the upper echelons of mainstream jazz—having lost some of its staying power, this seven-CD box couldn't come at a better time, for those who've been missing the group's music, and for those unfamiliar with its inestimable, understated charm.
CD 1
01. Versailles (Porte de Versailles) (3:26)
02. Angel Eyes (3:52)
03. Fontessa (11:14)
04. Over The Rainbow (3:55)
05. Bluesology (5:06)
06. Willow Weep For Me (4:51)
07. Woody 'N You (4:28)
08. Oh Bess, Where's My Bess (4:29)
09. A Fugue For Music Inn (4:45)
10. Two Degrees East, Three Degrees West (7:05)
11. Serenade (2:56)
12. Fun (5:33)
13. Sun Dance (4:17)
14. The Man That Got Away (3:33)
15. A Morning In Paris (2:54)
16. Variation No. 1 On God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen (5:00)
CD 2
01. Medley: They Say It's Wonderful / How Deep Is The Ocean / (I Don't Stand) A Ghost Of A Chance With You / My Old Flame / Body And Soul) (10:15)
02. Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea (6:54)
03. La Ronde: Drums (2:11)
04. A Night In Tunisa (6:11)
05. Yesterdays (5:12)
06. Bags' Groove (5:44)
07. Baden-Baden (4:04)
08. The Golden Striker (3:39)
09. One Never Knows (9:08)
10. The Rose Truc (4:55)
11. Cortege (7:28)
12. Venice (4:27)
13. Three Windows (6:44)
CD 3
01. Medley: Stardust / I Can't GetStarted / Lover Man (8:17)
02. Yardbird Suite (5:15)
03. Midsömmer (7:04)
04. Festival Sketch (3:43)
05. Bags's Groove (8:41)
06. A Night In Tunisia (7:08)
07. Vendome (2:32)
08. Pyramid (10:52)
09. It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing) (5:04)
10. Django (4:36)
11. How High The Moon (6:16)
12. Romaine (7:21)
CD 4
01. Da Capo (3:41)
02. Fine (6:08)
03. Exposure (9:41)
04. Sketch (5:33)
05. Conversation (10:42)
06. Around The Blues (8:27)
07. Divertimento (8:17)
08. England's Carol (6:22)
09. First Movement (Concertino For Jazz Quartet And Orchestra) (6:43)
10. Second Movement: Passacaglia (6:39)
11. Third Movement (5:55)
CD 5
01. Spanish Steps (5:36)
02. Columbine (4:10)
03. Pulcinella (4:24)
04. Pierrot (3:22)
05. La Cantatrice (5:30)
06. Harlequin (6:54)
07. Piazza Navona (5:02)
08. Lonely Woman (6:18)
09. Animal Dance (4:04)
10. New York 19 (7:56)
11. Belkis (3:41)
12. Why Are You Blue (6:33)
13. Fugato (2:46)
14. Lamb, Leopard (6:23)
15. Trieste (5:44)
CD 6
01. The Sheriff (2:42)
02. In A Crowd (3:08)
03. Bachianas Brasileiras (5:46)
04. Mean To Me (4:24)
05. Natural Affection (4:08)
06. Donnie's Theme (4:15)
07. Carnival (6:10)
08. Reunion Blues (3:34)
09. Winter Tale (5:24)
10. Concorde (3:47)
11. Yesterdays (4:34)
12. Bluesology (stereo take) (4:53)
13. Woody N You (stereo take) (4:51)
14. Sun Dance (stereo take) (4:00)
15. Django (mono take) (5:24)
16. La Cantatrice (mono take) (4:56)
17. Harlequin (mono take) (6:59)
CD 7
01. Silver (3:43)
02. Trieste (5:35)
03. Valeria (5:50)
04. Fugue In A Minor (3:50)
05. One Note Samba (5:08)
06. Foi A Saudade (2:35)
07. Concerto De Aranjuez (11:53)
08. Summertime (5:58)
09. Bess, You Is My Woman (5:39)
10. My Man's Gone Now (7:22)
11. I Love You Porgy (3:26)
12. It Ain't Necessarily So (6:22)
13. Oh Bess, Oh Where's My Bess (4:15)
14. There's A Boat Dat's Leavin' Soon For New York (4:19)
01. Versailles (Porte de Versailles) (3:26)
02. Angel Eyes (3:52)
03. Fontessa (11:14)
04. Over The Rainbow (3:55)
05. Bluesology (5:06)
06. Willow Weep For Me (4:51)
07. Woody 'N You (4:28)
08. Oh Bess, Where's My Bess (4:29)
09. A Fugue For Music Inn (4:45)
10. Two Degrees East, Three Degrees West (7:05)
11. Serenade (2:56)
12. Fun (5:33)
13. Sun Dance (4:17)
14. The Man That Got Away (3:33)
15. A Morning In Paris (2:54)
16. Variation No. 1 On God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen (5:00)
CD 2
01. Medley: They Say It's Wonderful / How Deep Is The Ocean / (I Don't Stand) A Ghost Of A Chance With You / My Old Flame / Body And Soul) (10:15)
02. Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea (6:54)
03. La Ronde: Drums (2:11)
04. A Night In Tunisa (6:11)
05. Yesterdays (5:12)
06. Bags' Groove (5:44)
07. Baden-Baden (4:04)
08. The Golden Striker (3:39)
09. One Never Knows (9:08)
10. The Rose Truc (4:55)
11. Cortege (7:28)
12. Venice (4:27)
13. Three Windows (6:44)
CD 3
01. Medley: Stardust / I Can't GetStarted / Lover Man (8:17)
02. Yardbird Suite (5:15)
03. Midsömmer (7:04)
04. Festival Sketch (3:43)
05. Bags's Groove (8:41)
06. A Night In Tunisia (7:08)
07. Vendome (2:32)
08. Pyramid (10:52)
09. It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing) (5:04)
10. Django (4:36)
11. How High The Moon (6:16)
12. Romaine (7:21)
CD 4
01. Da Capo (3:41)
02. Fine (6:08)
03. Exposure (9:41)
04. Sketch (5:33)
05. Conversation (10:42)
06. Around The Blues (8:27)
07. Divertimento (8:17)
08. England's Carol (6:22)
09. First Movement (Concertino For Jazz Quartet And Orchestra) (6:43)
10. Second Movement: Passacaglia (6:39)
11. Third Movement (5:55)
CD 5
01. Spanish Steps (5:36)
02. Columbine (4:10)
03. Pulcinella (4:24)
04. Pierrot (3:22)
05. La Cantatrice (5:30)
06. Harlequin (6:54)
07. Piazza Navona (5:02)
08. Lonely Woman (6:18)
09. Animal Dance (4:04)
10. New York 19 (7:56)
11. Belkis (3:41)
12. Why Are You Blue (6:33)
13. Fugato (2:46)
14. Lamb, Leopard (6:23)
15. Trieste (5:44)
CD 6
01. The Sheriff (2:42)
02. In A Crowd (3:08)
03. Bachianas Brasileiras (5:46)
04. Mean To Me (4:24)
05. Natural Affection (4:08)
06. Donnie's Theme (4:15)
07. Carnival (6:10)
08. Reunion Blues (3:34)
09. Winter Tale (5:24)
10. Concorde (3:47)
11. Yesterdays (4:34)
12. Bluesology (stereo take) (4:53)
13. Woody N You (stereo take) (4:51)
14. Sun Dance (stereo take) (4:00)
15. Django (mono take) (5:24)
16. La Cantatrice (mono take) (4:56)
17. Harlequin (mono take) (6:59)
CD 7
01. Silver (3:43)
02. Trieste (5:35)
03. Valeria (5:50)
04. Fugue In A Minor (3:50)
05. One Note Samba (5:08)
06. Foi A Saudade (2:35)
07. Concerto De Aranjuez (11:53)
08. Summertime (5:58)
09. Bess, You Is My Woman (5:39)
10. My Man's Gone Now (7:22)
11. I Love You Porgy (3:26)
12. It Ain't Necessarily So (6:22)
13. Oh Bess, Oh Where's My Bess (4:15)
14. There's A Boat Dat's Leavin' Soon For New York (4:19)
