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The Modern Jazz Quartet and the Third Stream (1956 - 1961)

By Russell Perry | Jazz at 100
October 15, 2019
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As the Modern Jazz Quartet, members of which were once Dizzy Gillespie's rhythm section in the 1940s, moved into the 1960s, they continued to swing in their own quiet way, even as their music director, pianist John Lewis, explored the third stream, a synthesis of jazz and classical music. Having been founded in 1952, the MJQ was active as a unit until 1974, then reunited periodically for another twenty years, until drummer Connie Kay's death in 1994.

Playlist

Host Intro 0:00
Modern Jazz Quartet. "Versailles" from Fontessa (Atlantic) 3:49
Modern Jazz Quartet. "Woody'n You" from Fontessa (Atlantic) 7:11
Modern Jazz Quartet. "Bluesology" from Fontessa (Atlantic) 11:38
Host speaks 16:40
John Lewis and his Orchestra. "Piazza Navona" from The Golden Striker (Atlantic) 18:47
John Lewis and his Orchestra. "Odds Against Tomorrow" from The Golden Striker (Atlantic) 24:45
Host speaks 33:08
Modern Jazz Quartet. "Bags' Groove" from Dedicated to Connie (Atlantic) 33:59
Modern Jazz Quartet. "I Remember Clifford" from Dedicated to Connie (Atlantic) 39:27
Host speaks 45:30
Milt Jackson-Wes Montgomery Quintet. "Stairway To The Stars" from Bags Meets Wes (Riverside) 48:02
Milt Jackson-Wes Montgomery Quintet. "S.K.J." from Bags Meets Wes (Riverside) 51:38
Host Outro 56:50

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About Modern Jazz Quartet

Instrument: Band / ensemble / orchestra

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