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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.

In the case of the pianists, the part usually entails, apart from accompanying Getz, taking turns with him in the solo improvisations. 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.

Although this album was earlier issued as an LP, the 14 tracks on it must have started life on 78 r.p.m. records, judging from their length of around three minutes each.

Almost all of them are medium-paced or slow, based on well-known pop ballads and affording Getz an opportunity to sound his lyrical best.

Solo improvisations that are satisfying and meaty, even within the short time available for them, firmly establish the credentials of this album in jazz, especially the small group jazz that was in the ascendant at the time.

The only caveat I’d like to enter concerns the audio quality of the recording. It’s a mercy that there’s no crackle, but the sound is not sharp and contains some mild hiss.

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. But Jackson dazzles in a way that Lewis, even with his superb musicianship, doesn’t, thanks both to the captivating sound of the vibes and to its taking the lead on the themes of most of the tracks. Heath and Kay are very strongly in evidence in their support, which amply shows their virtuosity. On the fast-paced “I’ll Remember April”, Jackson and Lewis follow up a ripping solo each with a series of brief exchanges punctuated occasionally by Kay. The brisk-paced “Concorde” has another variation, opening with a solo bass intro into which the drums make an entry before Lewis takes the theme. The album leaves the discerning listener with the impression that the members of the quartet pull their weight equally even though one or two of them apparently have higher profiles.

(Compiled by Jazzebel and A.K. )

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