Customer Reviews

Blues at Carnegie Hall

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

All fans of the Modern Jazz Quartet, a group that finds me squarely in it, are aware of the Quartet's 'stuffy' reputation. And we are also aware of how ill-deserved this monicker is. It is true that skeptics, however, might look at this album title and wonder whether it is sometkhing of a curiosity. Blues...at Carnegie Hall? Does that mean stuffy jazz played while wearing bow-ties?

While the MJQ might have worn bow-ties for this performance - they often did - the music is certainly not stuffy. Granted, this is not the Jimmy Smith-stype greasy, burning, blues. But it is a sparkler just the same.

The Modern jazz Quartet plays a cooler, more melododically-laden blues. The soul is still there; it is just a blues with a bit more thought behind it - a bit more deliberation. John Lewis is a case in point. We all know Milt Jackson was a great blues soloist. But I am not sure Lewis gets credit for being as great a soloist as he was. Of course, as he is so miniamistic, every note has a rhyme and reason. So, the music is as bluesy as any, but it is more melodically so.

Anyone who wants to hear a really tight ensemble play some of their best music should hear this disc. If you are interested in the blues, this is the type that you don't hear everyday.

This album was my first exposure to the Modern Jazz Quartet. I bought the album based on a glowing 5 star review in Down Beat magazine in January of 1967. To this day it remains my favorite album by the MJQ.

For anyone who has not been exposed to their music, this is the place to start. The version of "Pyramid" played here is just breathtaking.

Not enough stars in the rating system for this collection!

I first heard this album on records in 1968 while at a party at Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire, and the music went through me and consumed my entire being,it was as if I heard it with my whole body and not just my ears. I found Milt Jackson's and John Lewis' vibraharp and piano very exciting. The word "corruscating" was u sed on the sleeve of the record to describe Jackson's notes, I did not know what it meant before I heard the record but when I did, I just knew what corruscating was. I enjoyed every track on the album. Unfortunatly, I lost my own copy of it and am very happy to re-discover it today.

This album is superb. If it weren't, it would have never been considered to be released as an "Original Master Recording." The performance is as great as you could ask for with each and every track as good as the next. For a single album, they pack the best of their best pieces. If you're looking for more, you'd want to go with "The Complete Last Concert" as well as the "European Concert." If you're a true MJQ fan, you'll be sure to have all three of these live recordings. They'll never wear out.

Why some co. doesn't release this on a regular cd is beyond me. This is one rolling groove! Milt Jackson is impeccable on this record, the rhythms are in the wow category, and the band just grooves! I had it on tape and I just wore it out, I played it so much. I like to collect cds and this would be on my top 10 hard to get list.

For guys with suit-and-tie, "stuffy" image, the Modern Jazz Quartet could sure play some soulful blues. This album, recorded at Carnegie Hall in 1966, is proof of that.

Blues at Carnegie Hall is, as the title suggests, a programme of blues tunes, generally 12 bar blues. Often, these types of albums that consist of different songs with the same chord scheme, can become boring. That is far from the case here. the interplay between Jackson's winding vibe solos and Lewis's relatively terse piano solos makes for dynamic tunes with variety and purpose. And each approaches the blues in a slightly different way. Jackson's soul is unabashed and in your face, whereas Lewis's is more restrained and quietly sweet. (As a side note, if you like the former approach of Jackson's, also check out the record he did of blues tunes with Ray Charles!)

As usual, the "rythm section" - Connie Kay and Percy Heath - are very tight and swingin' like nobody's business. There are few rythm sections I have ever heard that are as tight as these two.

The only real complaint I can think of is that, to a degree, a little bit of monotany is unavoidable on an album with nothing but 12 bar blues. I confess that while these songs are great to hear, they become a bit difficult to listen to back to back to back.

Otherwise, a real prize of an album. How I would have loved to have been in THAT audience!

Found 2 at obscure Vinyl/CD store Bought both opened 1.Incredible sound! Special Note: they are 24K GOLD, Sound is smooth & velvty!! If you can find it get it, It is a Master Recording. not a copy..Personally I would give it 10 Stars!! Took me 3 weeks to open 1 of 2 Still have 1 unopened this 1 going into vault,No jive it's that precious,So all you MJQ Fans Try searching those little Independant stores you might get LUCKY