MJQ: 40 Years [Box set]

The Modern Jazz Quartet | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 29, 1991)
• Number of Discs: 4
• Format: Box set
• Note on Boxed Sets: During shipping, discs in boxed sets occasionally become dislodged without damage. Please examine and play these discs. If you are not completely satisfied, we'll refund or replace your purchase.
• Label: Atlantic / Wea
• ASIN: B000002ISE
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #374,317 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. Vendome

2. Delaunay's Dilemma

3. Milano

4. La Ronde Suite

5. Softly, As In A Morning Sunrise

See all 14 tracks on this disc

Disc: 2

1. Exposure

2. England's Carol

3. I Remember Clifford

4. 'Round Midnight

5. La Cantatrice

See all 14 tracks on this disc

Disc: 3

1. The Cylinder

2. Midsommer

3. For Someone I Love

4. Winter Tale

5. Monterey Mist

See all 15 tracks on this disc

Disc: 4

1. Jazz Ostinato

2. Adagio From Concierto De Aranjuez

3. Skating In Central Park

4. The Jasmine Tree

5. The Legendary Profile

See all 11 tracks on this disc

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Now available on CD for the first time, this important 1964 Atlantic recording pairs the world-renowned Modern Jazz Quartet--drummer Connie Kay, bassist Percy Heath, vibraphonist Milt Jackson, and the late pianist and music director John Lewis--with the Brazilian guitarist Laurindo Almeida. Together, they present an intelligent program showcasing the acoustic guitar in the group's trademarked combo sound. On "Silver," Lewis's shifting tempos are excellent foils for Milt Jackson's virtuosity. "Valeria" from Lewis's soundtrack A Milanese Story retains its Adriatic air. Lewis's arrangement of J.S. Bach's "Fugue in A Minor" is the perfect blend of counterpoint and swing. Connie Kay's driving and delicate drumming and Almeida's fleet-finger guitar solos drive Antonio Carlos Jobim's "One Note Samba." Almeida and the Quartet turn in their best performance on their moving rendition of Joaquin Rodrigro's "Concierto de Aranjuez." Lewis's ingenious treatment of the Spanish classical masterwork is rivaled only by the big band adaptation Miles Davis and Gil Evans created in 1959. With Almeida's brilliant understanding of Afro-Brazilian and Afro-American folk and improvisational forms, and the Modern Jazz Quartet's telepathic interplay and dignified musicality, this recording effortlessly combines 18th-century Germany, Moorish Spain, and modern-day New York. --Eugene Holley Jr.

Product Description

The Modern Jazz Quartets renowned music spanned 5 decades. They are joined on this classic recording by the brilliant Brazilian guitarist Laurindo Almeida. --This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Collaboration on CD. At Last!!, June 23, 2001

By 

Cork (Calabasas, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Collaboration (Audio CD)

I first heard the incredible opening solo of "One Note Samba" from "Collaboration" while sitting in the only air conditioned spot (the radio station) at Mactan Air Base, in the Philippines, in 1966. I was completely blown away, bought the album as minute I could find it, and played the grooves off it.

For years I have been searching for the CD to no avail, and rehooking up my changer every so often when I got a Samba Jones and was willing to put up with the pops and hisses of a worn out record.

Now, "Collaboration" is FINALLY available in CD, and it exceeds my memory of its excellence.

This magnificent quartet and virtuoso guitarist blend seamlessly through Samba, fugue, straight ahead jazz, and other examples of the best of both.

With the MJQ tragically decimated, this CD is like a gift from the past, with the excitement and discovery of a new album for those who have come upon their interest in jazz in the post-LP era, or who forgot how good this was when it first came out.

"Collaboration" is a masterpiece. Instantly modern and nostalgic, virtuosity from two seemingly disparate styles blending into one memorable album.

The wait was worth it.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Life Is Good--Again, September 11, 2001

By 

Douglas O. Blew - See all my reviews

This review is from: Collaboration (Audio CD)

Like John Corcoron, I "found" Collaboration in 1966. A friend's roommate had a copy. After graduation from college, I found an LP version and later a 7 1/2" reel-to-reel tape version. The second movement of Concierto de Arunjuez by Rodrigo quickly became my favorite piece of music. It was my lie-on-the-rug-in-front-of-the-fire-sip-some-wine-close-my-eyes-play-it-again song. I must have at least 20 versions of it strung out in my collections from Miles Davis to Andre Segovia to several full philharmonic versions. They are all good, but the version by Laurindo Almeida and the Modern Jazz Quartet remained the ultimate for me.
As the years passed, my LP was stolen and later, my tape deck destroyed my tape. I was devestated. For years I searched for it on CD without success.
To my joy, I have found it once again. Life is good.
Settin' in the firewood...

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely Brilliant and Marvellous, May 26, 2002

By 

Dan Y. Wang "bilbodw" (San Francisco, California United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Collaboration (Audio CD)

When I read the other reviews for this album, I was amazed at the passionate tone of the praise for it; having finally listened to its tracks, in particular the last, I now understand and fully concur.

The rendition of Rodrigo's Concierto De Aranjuez by Laurindo Almeida and the MJQ is simply put, ineffably beautiful. In the liner notes, the artist himself recognizes that "it is one of the best things I ever did". To my ears (untrained as they are)the artist succeeds in bringing out the fire and soul of this piece, playing every note as if his fingers were fused directly with that Universal element which we call "Music". Only later does one realize the technical brilliance: the guitar has seldom if ever been played with such nuance and rich tonality. ( No wonder Sharon Isbin cites Almeida as a prime influence. )

Brilliant! Fantastic! A Joy!