Continuing with the most well known members of with the Modern Jazz Quartet, once again we have John Lewis at the piano, Milt Jackson on vibes, Percy Heath playing bass and Connie Kay on drums. They were all pioneer bop musicians who early on pursued separate careers; except for Percy Heath, they had played together in the 1948 Dizzy Gillespie big band. In 1952, Heath was added and the Modern Jazz Quartet was born.
These videos serve-up a bit more standard MJQ fare than our feature last week. (Above) is a 1961 rendition of John Lewis’ Bags Groove … written as a tip of the cap to Milt Jackson. “Bags” was a nickname given to Milt by a Detroit bass player, and referred to the bags under his eyes. The name stuck! (Below) is a Milt Jackson original, True Blues, recorded in 1982 at the Alexandra Palace (Capital Radio Jazz Festival) in London.
