John Lewis: Four Classic Albums Plus auf 2 CDs

Following our extremely successful Modern Jazz Quartet release (AMSC945 ) AVID Jazz here presents four more classic John Lewis and Modern Jazz Quartet albums, including original LP liner notes on a finely re-mastered and low priced double CD.

‘The Modern Jazz Sextet’, ‘The Modern Jazz Quartet Plays No Sun In Venice’, ‘Grand Encounter’, ‘The Modern Jazz Quartet At The Opera House and ‘The Modern Jazz Society Presents A Concert Of Contemporary Music’. We start proceedings with a stunning meeting of giants as Dizzy Gillespie and Sonny Stitt join the MJQ and we hear the masters joined by Lewis as they all take wonderful solos. ‘No Sun In Venice’ finds the original MJQ including Milt Jackson tackling the Lewis composed film soundtrack. ‘Grand Encounter’ is just what it says on the cover ‘2 x East and 3 x West’, that’s to say, John Lewis and Percy Heath from the East and Bill Perkins, Chico Hamilton and Jim Hall from the West. And as you will discover, what an encounter it was! We can then rejoin the classic Quartet for the first side of an album (shared with Oscar Peterson and others on the B side), where they slow things down to a couple of twelve bar blues numbers and a cover of ‘Round Midnight. We finish off this well filled double CD of classic albums with The Modern Jazz Society Presents A Concert Of Contemporary Music where we can enjoy the MJQ in the company of such jazz greats as Stan Getz, JJ Johnson, Gunther Schuller, Lucky Thompson and many more. And listen out for ‘The Queen’s Fancy’ written during the coronation of our beloved Queen Elizabeth II and inspired by Queen Elizabeth I no less!

All four albums have been digitally re-mastered for probably the finest sound quality ever!