About Me
This is a tribute page to, what I think of as the greatest group in the history of music. This page has been designed and setup by me, Chris Covais to introduce and interact with other fans of The Modern Jazz Quartet. The MJQ remains my greatest influence. BIO-The band was The Dizzy Gillespie Orchestra, the year was 1947, and the rhythm section was Milt Jackson on vibes, John Lewis on piano, Ray Brown on bass, and Kenny Clarke on drums. After finding out what a thrill it was playing together, the rhythm section became the Milt Jackson Quartet. The first MJQ recordings were recorded on Savoy in the early 50's. It was around this time, bassist Ray Brown left the quartet, frustrated with the way the group was run. Bassist Percy Heath replaced Brown. It was also around this time the group's name changed to The Modern Jazz Quartet, and John Lewis took over as musical director, and changed the format to a more subdued, chamber jazz sound. The group's goal was to bring respect for jazz music and musicians. They played in tuxedos and played fancy concert halls. The Modern Jazz Quartet recorded the classic, Django in 1955. The title tune was dedicated to gipsy guitarist Django Reindhart. The album also featured the new formula. The quartet had an unusual mixture of European classical music, together with jazz and blues. Lewis wrote long suites, with plenty of room for improvisation as well as down home blues originals written by Milt Jackson including Bags' Groove, Bluesology, and Really True Blues. By the time Django was released, The Modern Jazz Quartet or, MJQ, was on the map. After the release of Django on Prestige records, drummer Kenny Clarke left to free-lance in New York. In 1955, the much more suited, Connie Kay, who's subtle, light and creative style was a much better match for the group, took over the drum chair. He had played with Lester Young and Charlie Parker, and had been playing R&B dates for Atlantic Records. With one last personell change, the group's lineup remained un-changed for nearly 25 years. The MJQ recorded Concorde for Prestige in 1955. (Kay's first record with the group) It was also the first MJQ album made especially for 12 inch lp's. The lp featured a remake of the groups signature, Softly, As In A Morning Sunrise, a staple, Ralph's New Blues, and the brilliantly composed, Concorde. In 1956, the Modern Jazz Quartet was signed to Atlantic Records. The first lp was Fontessa. (another classic) As the fifties went on, the quartet recorded music for film, most notably, the foreign film, "No Sun In Venice," which brought Lewis's classic tune, "The Golden Striker." They also recorded with symphony orchestra. The group recorded Pyramid in 1959, which featured a new version of the classic tune, "Django." As the years went on, the group's style basically remained the same, although Percy Heath and Connie Kay grew more comfortable, having more freedom. The group played at the Monterey Jazz Festival, and recorded a ton of albums for Atlantic all through the sixties, most notably, Lonely Women, and Blues At Carnegie Hall. The sixties came and gone, and the group was still going strong. In the 70's, they recorded the classic albums, Plastic Dreams, Blues on Bach, Legendary Profile and many more. Clearly, all good things must come to an end. In November of 1974, the group decided to split. But not until they played one last concert. The concert was recorded in New York at Lincoln Center and released on two albums. The Last Concert, and More From the Last Concert. After the split, Milt Jackson recorded for CTI and Pablo records, often recording with Ray Brown, and other CTI and Pablo artists. His most notable album was Sunflower which featured Freddie Hubbard, Herbie Hancock, and Ron Carter. John Lewis also recorded some albums as a leader, and Percy Heath and Connie Kay continued to work as sideman for varioius labels. In 1981, a very wonderful thing happend. The Modern Jazz Quartet decided to get back together.The group remained together until the deaths of John Lewis and Milt Jackson in 1999. Connie Kay died in the early 90's, and was replaced by Heath's brother, Tootie. The soul survivor, Percy Heath, died on Long Island, in 2004, right after his first ever release as a solo artist. There are a couple MJQ dvd's as well as numerous reissues on cd of their classic albums to check out. Their music will never be forgotten.
