Warner Jazz 0349796883
Milt Jackson (vib), John Lewis (p), Percy Heath (b) and Connie Kay (d) plus guests including Sonny Rollins and Jimmy Giuffre (ts). Rec. 1956-88

Here’s a double-CD selection of MJQ tracks from Atlantic albums including ‘Pyramid’, ‘Fontessa’ and ‘Blues on Bach’, as well as the Music Inn recordings, The Last Concert and Plastic Dreams. So, not a sequenced reissue; more a rag-bag of noteworthy tracks.

I can recall the opprobrium that descended on the MJQ from supporters of more robust jazz forms when the group first began to tour. Their dainty, studied sound seemed the very antithesis of real jazz to many. Given the perspective of time, it’s clear that this assessment was hasty, for their music turned out to be firmly placed within the conventional jazz template, even if the outcomes employed a more refined sensibility than was usual at the time. If it’s possible for jazz to be described as having a gutsy delicacy then that’s what you have here.

The earthy pivot of Heath’s bass and Kay’s subtle cymbal beat served as a backdrop to Jackson’s near unstoppable creativity and the clever contrapuntal interjections by Lewis, and made (and still make) for an uplifting experience. Take ‘Bluesology’ and ‘Bags’ Groove’ for starters, each over five minutes long, their blissful swing enhanced by Jackson’s wonderful solo playing, then move on to something like ‘The Golden Striker’, structurally more restrained perhaps, but still on the money for me.

Later tracks combine the group with larger ensembles but the lack of any recording data on this preview set does make for difficulties when it comes to pinning down the precise personnel and provenance. Oh well. Suffice it to say that this music is rich and its appeal enduring. If you want complete re-runs, look for Avid’s MJQ – Four Classic Albums.
Peter Vacher