Paul Desmond & The Moder Jazz Quartet • Live At Town Hall

Review:

The MJQ made their annual Christmas gig at New York's Town Hall one year, and who should show up after intermission but Paul Desmond, who would hardly bring himself to play with anyone in those days, save a Creed Taylor record date or two. The cool classical modernists and the dry-martini altoist are not unexpectedly a close fit -- after all, Percy Heath and especially Connie Kay had been fixtures on Desmond's solo sessions -- and they do some relaxed swinging turns on some congenial standards, adaptations of P.D. tunes ("La Paloma," "Greensleeves", one current hit ("Jesus Christ Superstar" in a cute John Lewis arrangement), and the inevitable "Bags' Groove" (here entitled "Bags' New Groove". Again, Desmond softly intones perhaps his favorite standard in the repertoire (he recorded it countless times), "You Go to My Head," tumbling contrapuntally around Milt Jackson in the tune, while "East of the Sun" has a fine chase sequence between the two down the stretch. Though they had been friends since the 1950s, this was apparently the only time the MJQ and Desmond ever performed in public, making this one-off album (issued well after Desmond's death through Lewis's efforts) a thing to savor for fans of all five musicians.

by Richard S. Ginell

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Reseña:

El MJQ hizo su concierto anual de Navidad en el Town Hall de Nueva York un año, y quién debería aparecer después del intermedio sino Paul Desmond, que difícilmente se animaba a tocar con nadie en esos días, salvo una o dos fechas de grabación de Creed Taylor. Los modernistas clásicos y el altoísta de martini seco no son inesperadamente muy cercanos - después de todo, Percy Heath y especialmente Connie Kay fueron fijos en las sesiones de solista de Desmond - y hacen algunos giros relajados en algunos estándares agradables, adaptaciones de P. D. ("La Paloma", "Greensleeves", un éxito actual ("Jesus Christ Superstar" en un lindo arreglo de John Lewis), y el inevitable "Bags' Groove" (aquí titulado "Bags' New Groove". Una vez más, Desmond entona suavemente lo que quizás sea su estándar favorito en el repertorio (lo grabó incontables veces), "You Go to My Head", dando vueltas contrapuntísticas alrededor de Milt Jackson en la melodía, mientras que "East of the Sun" tiene una fina secuencia de persecución entre los dos a lo largo del tramo. Aunque eran amigos desde los años 50, esta fue aparentemente la única vez que MJQ y Desmond actuaron en público, haciendo de este álbum único (publicado mucho después de la muerte de Desmond gracias a los esfuerzos de Lewis) una cosa a saborear para los fans de los cinco músicos.

por Richard S. Ginell

 

Tracklisting:
1. Greensleeves (3:10)
2. You Go To My Head (7:56)
3. Blue Dove (4:55)
4. Jesus Christ Superstar (4:54)
5. Here's That Rainy Day (4:50)
6. East Of The Sun (8:25)
7. Bags' New Groove (5:10)
Paul Desmond (as), Milt Jackson (vb), John Lewis (p), Percy Heath (b), Connie Kay (d).
Label Red Baron / Orig December 25-1971 / Release Date Nov 09, 1993 / Recording Time 39 minutes

 

 

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