Search - Modern Jazz Quartet :: Fortieth Anniversary Celebration

While one might expect the MJQ's 40th anniversary to inspire another trip through their distinguished repertoire, this disc presents them in one of their other roles, as one of the greatest supporting casts in jazz history. The guests range from swing-era giants (Harry "Sweets" Edison and Illinois Jacquet) to veteran boppers (Phil Woods and Jimmy Heath) to postboppers (Freddie Hubbard) and neoboppers (Wynton and Branford Marsalis). What ties it all together is the superb foundation created by the MJQ. The group combines a gentle ambience with a deft, rhythmic precision, whatever the generation of the guests, developing a timeless, almost ethereal quality. Milt Jackson sounds especially inspired on his signature "Bag's Groove," given a fresh setting by Bobby McFerrin and the Take 6 vocal group. --Stuart Broomer