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Listen to The Modern Jazz Quartet, watch music videos, read bio, see tour dates & more!

The Modern Jazz Quartet

Jazz

View Artist

Top Songs By The Modern Jazz Quartet

Listen to In a Sentimental Mood by Sonny Rollins & The Modern Jazz Quartet, see lyrics, music video & more!
In a Sentimental MoodSonny Rollins & The Modern Jazz Quartet
Listen to Django by The Modern Jazz Quartet, see lyrics, music video & more!
DjangoThe Modern Jazz Quartet
Listen to Django by The Modern Jazz Quartet, see lyrics, music video & more!
DjangoThe Modern Jazz Quartet
Listen to Fugato by The Modern Jazz Quartet, see lyrics, music video & more!
FugatoThe Modern Jazz Quartet
Listen to All the Things You Are by The Modern Jazz Quartet, see lyrics, music video & more!
All the Things You AreThe Modern Jazz Quartet
Listen to Exposure by The Modern Jazz Quartet, see lyrics, music video & more!
ExposureThe Modern Jazz Quartet
Listen to Milano by The Modern Jazz Quartet, see lyrics, music video & more!
MilanoThe Modern Jazz Quartet
Listen to Pyramid by The Modern Jazz Quartet, see lyrics, music video & more!
PyramidThe Modern Jazz Quartet
Listen to Autumn In New York by The Modern Jazz Quartet, see lyrics, music video & more!
Autumn In New YorkThe Modern Jazz Quartet
Listen to I Know by Sonny Rollins & The Modern Jazz Quartet, see lyrics, music video & more!
I KnowSonny Rollins & The Modern Jazz Quartet

Latest Release

Listen to 40 Years of MJQ (Live John Lewis, Milt Jackson) by The Modern Jazz Quartet
ALBUM40 Years of MJQ (Live John Lewis, Milt Jackson)The Modern Jazz Quartet

More albums from The Modern Jazz Quartet

Listen to The Mjq Celebration (With Special Guest Dave O'higgins) by The Modern Jazz Quartet
ALBUMThe Mjq Celebration (With Special Guest Dave O'higgins)The Modern Jazz Quartet
Listen to Under the Jasmin Tree / Space by The Modern Jazz Quartet
ALBUMUnder the Jasmin Tree / SpaceThe Modern Jazz Quartet
Listen to Concorde (Rudy Van Gelder Remaster) by The Modern Jazz Quartet
ALBUMConcorde (Rudy Van Gelder Remaster)The Modern Jazz Quartet
Listen to Bluesology by The Modern Jazz Quartet
ALBUMBluesologyThe Modern Jazz Quartet
Listen to 40 Years of MJQ by The Modern Jazz Quartet
ALBUM40 Years of MJQThe Modern Jazz Quartet
Listen to MJQ & Friends - A 40th Anniversary Celebration by The Modern Jazz Quartet
ALBUMMJQ & Friends - A 40th Anniversary CelebrationThe Modern Jazz Quartet
Listen to Longing for the Continent by The Modern Jazz Quartet
ALBUMLonging for the ContinentThe Modern Jazz Quartet
Listen to For Ellington by The Modern Jazz Quartet
ALBUMFor EllingtonThe Modern Jazz Quartet
Listen to Three Windows by The Modern Jazz Quartet
ALBUMThree WindowsThe Modern Jazz Quartet
Listen to Topsy - This One's for Basie by The Modern Jazz Quartet
ALBUMTopsy - This One's for BasieThe Modern Jazz Quartet
Listen to Echoes - Together Again by The Modern Jazz Quartet
ALBUMEchoes - Together AgainThe Modern Jazz Quartet
Listen to The Art of the Modern Jazz Quartet - The Atlantic Years by The Modern Jazz Quartet
ALBUMThe Art of the Modern Jazz Quartet - The Atlantic YearsThe Modern Jazz Quartet
Listen to Blues On Bach by The Modern Jazz Quartet
ALBUMBlues On BachThe Modern Jazz Quartet
Listen to The Legendary Profile by The Modern Jazz Quartet
ALBUMThe Legendary ProfileThe Modern Jazz Quartet
Listen to Paul Desmond & the Modern Jazz Quartet (Live) by Paul Desmond & The Modern Jazz Quartet
ALBUMPaul Desmond & the Modern Jazz Quartet (Live)Paul Desmond & The Modern Jazz Quartet
Listen to Plastic Dreams by The Modern Jazz Quartet
ALBUMPlastic DreamsThe Modern Jazz Quartet
Listen to On Tour by The Modern Jazz Quartet
ALBUMOn TourThe Modern Jazz Quartet
Listen to Blues At Carnegie Hall by The Modern Jazz Quartet
ALBUMBlues At Carnegie HallThe Modern Jazz Quartet
Listen to Place Vendome by The Swingle Singers & The Modern Jazz Quartet
ALBUMPlace VendomeThe Swingle Singers & The Modern Jazz Quartet
Listen to Collaboration (With Laurindo Almeida) by The Modern Jazz Quartet
ALBUMCollaboration (With Laurindo Almeida)The Modern Jazz Quartet
Listen to Jazz Dialogue by The Modern Jazz Quartet
ALBUMJazz DialogueThe Modern Jazz Quartet
Listen to Plays George Gershwin's Porgy and Bess by The Modern Jazz Quartet
ALBUMPlays George Gershwin's Porgy and BessThe Modern Jazz Quartet
Listen to The Sheriff by The Modern Jazz Quartet
ALBUMThe SheriffThe Modern Jazz Quartet
Listen to A Quartet Is a Quartet Is a Quartet by The Modern Jazz Quartet
ALBUMA Quartet Is a Quartet Is a QuartetThe Modern Jazz Quartet
Listen to Lonely Woman by The Modern Jazz Quartet
ALBUMLonely WomanThe Modern Jazz Quartet
Listen to The Comedy by The Modern Jazz Quartet
ALBUMThe ComedyThe Modern Jazz Quartet
Listen to The Modern Jazz Quartet & Orchestra by The Modern Jazz Quartet
ALBUMThe Modern Jazz Quartet & OrchestraThe Modern Jazz Quartet
Listen to Pyramid by The Modern Jazz Quartet
ALBUMPyramidThe Modern Jazz Quartet
Listen to Third Stream Music by The Modern Jazz Quartet
ALBUMThird Stream MusicThe Modern Jazz Quartet
Listen to No Sun In Venice by The Modern Jazz Quartet
ALBUMNo Sun In VeniceThe Modern Jazz Quartet
Listen to The Modern Jazz Quartet by The Modern Jazz Quartet
ALBUMThe Modern Jazz QuartetThe Modern Jazz Quartet

Artist Playlists

The Modern Jazz Quartet Essentials
The Modern Jazz Quartet Essentials
Jazz in suits.
The Modern Jazz Quartet Essentials
The Modern Jazz Quartet: Deep Cuts
The Modern Jazz Quartet: Deep Cuts
The elegantly complex jazz combo turns abstract and atmospheric.
The Modern Jazz Quartet: Deep Cuts

About The Modern Jazz Quartet

Listen to The Modern Jazz Quartet, watch music videos, read bio, see tour dates & more!
Hometown
New York, NY, United States
Formed
1952
Genre
Jazz
In the early 1950s, the Modern Jazz Quartet took a lonely detour from the bebop revolution in which its members all participated. Over time they developed a refined hybrid that married a swing impulse with sophisticated melodic counterpoint rooted in Bach more than the blues, even if its feel and changes were based on the latter. The group was officially formed in 1952, emerging from an earlier grouping by pianist John Lewis and vibraphonist Milt Jackson with bandmates in the Dizzy Gillespie Big Band. By the following year, bassist Percy Heath and drummer Connie Kay signed on, remaining in the permanent lineup—minus some short-lived substitutions—until Kay died in 1994. After making its first records for Prestige, the group signed with Atlantic in 1956, refining its burgeoning contribution to third stream music—the label connected the group with composer Gunther Schuller, who pushed for a marriage of jazz and classical music under this term—while scoring film soundtracks and pursuing collaborations with reedists like Sonny Rollins and Brazilian guitarist Laurindo Almeida. In 1968 they released the first of two albums for Apple Records, the label founded that year by the Beatles. The group announced it was disbanding in 1974, but its members never went more than 18 months without a performance until they finally retired after Kay’s death. Jackson died in 1999, Lewis in 2001, and Heath in 2005.
Members of The Modern Jazz Quartet include, or have included, Milt Jackson, John Lewis, Connie Kay, Percy Heath, Albert "Tootie" Heath, Kenny Clarke, Ray Brown, and Mickey Roker.

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