Original Jazz Classics (3cd set)

For many decades, give or take the odd interruption, the Modern Jazz Quartet became a popular fixture on the worldwide jazz scene, their own special brand of music bringing a unique touch of sophistication to a genre often based on sounds carrying a rawer edge. The foursome created a ‘chamber music’-like approach to their repertoire, much of it penned by pianist John Lewis, although this polite stance often gave way to exciting, swinging excursions driven by the blues-drenched vibraphone of Milt Jackson.