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Stan Getz: Quartets
Original Jazz Classics/Universal
Music; CD, Rs. 295
After coming to prominence in big bands in the late ’40s, Stan Getz struck out on his own as a leader of small groups towards the end of the decade. In this album taken from three recording sessions in 1949 and 1950, there’s plenty of evidence of the smooth sound and laid-back style for which his work on the tenor saxophone had already become known.In each session, the quartet is made up by a piano, bass and drums backing Getz. Roy Haynes on drums and Percy Heath on bass became the most famous of the assortment of sidemen on these sessions, followed by Al Haig on piano, but all of them maintain high standards in playing their parts.
The bassists and drummers do manage to make their presence felt with their good work, most often in the background but with an occasional solo. The only caveat I’d like to enter concerns the audio quality of the recording.
Modern Jazz Quartet: Concorde
Original Jazz Classics/Universal
Music; CD, Rs. 295
The Modern Jazz Quartet (MJQ) was one of those rare outfits that didn’t have a nominal leader, all four of its members being formally equal. For most of its life it comprised Milt Jackson on vibraphone, John Lewis on piano, Percy Heath on bass and Connie Kay on drums, the last named having just taken over his role in 1955, when this album was recorded.
Despite originating as the rhythm section of Dizzy Gillespie’s big band, MJQ was famed for its “cool” style rather than be-bop: quiet, laid-back and showing influences of classical music. Its repertoire encompassed works by Jackson and Lewis, among jazz’s better-known composers, as well as jazz and pop standards.
This album opens with Jackson’s “Ralph’s New Blues” and closes with the title track, composed by Lewis, with four pop music standards thrown in between them. Lewis and Jackson share the bulk of the solo spotlight, as they did in most of MJQ’s work.
JAZZEBEL
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