Milt Jackson Quartet

[Brad]

Has anybody else picked up this album that was reissued on Tuesday and features Horace Silver instead of John Lewis but with everybody else from MJQ?

The playing here is first rate and the sound is very good, especially Bags' lines. Horace and Milt work very well together, not getting in each other's way. Milt is obviously the star (heck, it's his date) but Horace does get some nice solos in. The notes by Joe Goldberg from when it was reissued emphasized soulfulness and this group is very soulful.

I don't have the original album but the sound here is great. You can hear the very last shimmers and echoes of the vibes. Very nicely remastered.

The only downer on this session is its length, only about 31 minutes, a fact that AMG harps on, but in my view it's quality, not quantity. And the quality is huge here. It's first rate Bags and everybody else. One of the better albums I've listened to lately.

[sal]

Glad to hear this good news, Brad. Thanks for the review. I got it yesterday in the mail (along with 10 other CDs), but I haven't gotten around to listening to it yet. I look forward to. It sounds like a good one.

[Jim R]

Trivia time- the original CD release of this was OJC 001.

Thanks for mentioning it, Brad. Time to pull that baby out again.

[Shrdlu]

That's a classic Bags date, Brad - mind you, when did he ever sound bad! That opening "Sunray" really has a great mood, and, as the notes say, Horace's sympathetic comping encourages Milt to keep on going.

The session is rather short, and a Prestige LP that I had also contained four tracks with a quintet with a trumpeter - can't recall the name, but you can look it up in the usual places.

[Late]

This album is great at night and great in the morning. Heck, it's just great. Bags had a way of hitting the vibes — you just know it's him.

[king ubu]

Isn't it a bit lame? I'm not saying it's bad, but there's a sameness and a restrain that I found a bit astounding and maybe a bit of a letdown, given the combination of Horace & Bags... and Kay can drop them bombs if he wants, so that's no excuse (dig "Bags & Trane" for Kay getting at least twenty times as busy and loud as the MJQ would have allowed...)

(I have the normal OJC, btw, just talking of the music, not of the sound.)

[sal]

I think I listened to it once, and never played it again. Remember thinking it was OK, but wasn't really affected by it either way. Will give it another spin soon.

[Larry Kart]

The trumpet player was Henry Boozier, I think.