Music History Events: Jazz albums recorded Dec. 22

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Music History Events: Jazz albums recorded Dec. 22

Jazz albums recorded Dec. 22:

Modern Jazz Quartet/Milt Jackson Quintet (1952)

The Modern Jazz Quartet (MJQ) was a jazz combo established in 1952 that played music influenced by classical, cool jazz, blues, and bebop. The Quartet consisted of John Lewis (piano), Milt Jackson (vibraphone), Percy Heath (double bass), and various drummers, most notably Kenny Clarke (from 1952 to 1955) and Connie Kay (from 1955 to 1994).

The group grew out of the rhythm section of Dizzy Gillespie‘s big band from 1946 to 1948, which consisted of Lewis, Jackson, and Clarke along with bassist Ray Brown. They recorded as the Milt Jackson Quartet in 1951 and Brown left the group, being replaced on bass by Heath. During the early-to-mid-1950s they became the Modern Jazz Quartet, Lewis became the group’s musical director, and they made several recordings with Prestige Records, including the original versions of their two best-known compositions, Lewis’s “Django” and Jackson’s “Bags’ Groove“. Clarke left the group in 1955 and was replaced as drummer by Kay, and in 1956 they moved to Atlantic Records and made their first tour to Europe.

Under Lewis’s direction, they carved their own niche by specializing in elegant, restrained music that used sophisticated counterpoint inspired by baroque music, yet nonetheless retained a strong blues feel. Noted for their elegant presentation, they were one of the first small jazz combos to perform in concert halls rather than nightclubs.

They were initially active into the 1970s until Jackson quit in 1974 due to frustration with their finances and touring schedule, but re-formed in 1981. They made their last released recordings in 1992 and 1993, by which time Kay had been having health issues and Mickey Roker had been his replacement drummer while Kay was unavailable. After Kay’s death in 1994, the group operated on a semi-active basis, with Percy Heath’s brother Albert Heath on drums, until the group disbanded permanently in 1997.

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Miles Davis – Cookin’ at the Plugged Nickel (1965)

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The Complete Live at the Plugged Nickel 1965 is a live box set of the Miles Davis Quintet, recorded on December 22 and 23, 1965. First released in Japan in March 1992 by Sony Records as a 7 disc set (catalogue SRCS 5766~5772), it was re-released on Legacy Records in July 1995 as an 8 disc set (catalogue CK 66955). In conjunction with Legacy, Mosaic Records released a 10 LP set (catalogue MQ10-158).

It was re-released as an SA-CD Box in October 2023 in a limited edition of 1500 by Sony Japan for Tower Records Japan. It comprises recordings of seven performance sets over the two nights by the second great Davis quintet at the now-defunct Plugged Nickel nightclub in Chicago. A single-disc sampler, Highlights from the Plugged Nickel (catalogue CK 67377) was released by Legacy on November 14, 1995, and was reissued on February 1, 2008.

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Date & Set	Length
1.	“Milestones“	Miles Davis	12/23 Third	11:49
2.	“Yesterdays“	Kern, Harbach	12/23 Fourth	15:00
3.	“So What“	Miles Davis	12/23 Second	13:36
4.	“Stella by Starlight“	Washington, Young	12/23 First	13:09
5.	“Walkin’”	Richard Carpenter	12/23 First	11:01
6.	“‘Round Midnight“	Hanighen, Williams, Monk	12/22 Second	8:42

Personnel

Miles Davis – trumpet
Wayne Shorter – tenor saxophone
Herbie Hancock – piano
Ron Carter – double bass
Tony Williams – drums

Jackie McLean – Demon’s Dance (1967)

Demon’s Dance is an album by American saxophonist Jackie McLean recorded in 1967 for Blue Note, but not released until 1970. It features McLean in a quintet with trumpeter Woody Shaw, pianist LaMont Johnson, bassist Scotty Holt and drummer Jack DeJohnette.

Jackie McLean – Alto Saxophone Woody Shaw – Trumpet Lamont Johnson – Piano Scott Holt – Bass Jack DeJohnette – Drums.

Track listing

All compositions by Jackie McLean, except as indicated.

No.	Title	Length
1.	“Demon’s Dance”	7:09
2.	“Toyland” (Cal Massey)	5:24
3.	“Boo Ann’s Grand” (Woody Shaw)	6:57
4.	“Sweet Love of Mine” (Shaw)	6:04
5.	“Floogeh”	5:23
6.	“Message From Trane” (Massey)	5:29

Sun Ra – Concert for the Comet Kohoutek (1973)

A sonic event in honor of the Comet Kohoutek, the nine compositions are an unbridled energy which takes Sun Ra’s amazing vision to grand heights.

Utilizing a synthesizer throughout this December 22, 1973, concert at the Town Hall in NYC, Sun Ra seizes the moment with Kohoutek Intro and leads a journey through jazz, avant-garde, funk and psychedelia. A trio of selections – Journey Through The Outer Darkness, Enlightenment, Unknown Kohoutek – are captivating for the intensity that goes beyond the art of performance.

With a cosmic concept to shape the evening, this is Sun Ra at his most dynamic, as he seemingly sends urgent messages to outer space through the power of music.

1-Kohoutek Intro 2-Astro Black 3-Variations Of Kohoutek Themes 4-Journey Through The Outer Darkness 5-Enlightenment 6-Unknown Kohoutek 7-Discipline 8-Outer Space E.M. (Emergency) 9-Space Is The Place

Butch Morris – In Touch…But Out of Reach (1976)

A1 – Irin Sun
A2 – Narobia
B – Lovers Existing On The Dunes / Lonely Thrill

Art Direction – Norman Goben, Jr.
Bass – Wilbur Morris
Composed By – Lawrence “Butch” Morris
Cornet – Butch Morris
Engineer – Dan Serro
Layout – Norman G. Goben, Jr.
Percussion – Bobby Battles, Steve McCall
Photography By [Back Cover] – Ernie Russell
Photography By [Bobby Battles] – Francesco Maino
Photography By [Cover] – Linda Cooper
Piano – Charles Eubanks
Producer – Dan Serro, Herb Friedwald
Trombone – Grachan Moncur III

Recorded in concert, December 22, 23, 1978.
Recorded At – The Environ

Ralph Peterson Presents the Fo’Tet (1989)

Paul Bley Trio – Bebop (1989)

BeBop is an album of bebop standards by pianist Paul Bley recorded in Denmark in 1989 and released on the SteepleChase label.

Track listing

"Now's the Time" (Charlie Parker) – 4:40
"My Little Suede Shoes" (Parker) – 7:47
"Ornithology" (Parker) – 7:06
"A Night in Tunisia" (Dizzy Gillespie) – 4:23
"Don't Blame Me" (Dorothy Fields, Jimmy McHugh) – 6:29 Bonus track on CD
"The Theme" (Traditional) – 7:35 Bonus track on CD
"Bebop" (Gillespie) – 2:38
"Lady Bird" (Tadd Dameron) – 6:32
"Tenderly" (Walter Gross, Jack Lawrence) – 4:37
"Steeplechase" (Parker) – 3:14
"Barbados" (Parker) – 3:52
"52nd Street Theme" (Thelonious Monk) – 3:41

Personnel

Paul Bley – piano
Bob Cranshaw – bass
Keith Copeland – drums

Peter Bernstein Quartet – Somethin’s Burnin’ (1992)

Somethin’s Burnin is an album by jazz guitarist Peter Bernstein that was released by Criss Cross Jazz in 1994.

Track listing

No.	Title	Length
1.	“This Could Be the Start of Something Big” (Steve Allen)	9:08
2.	“Afterglow” (Bernstein)	5:08
3.	“Booker’s Little Blues” (Bernstein)	10:01
4.	“Mr. Kenyatta” (Lee Morgan)	7:18
5.	“On a Misty Night” (Tadd Dameron)	7:02
6.	“Isn’t This a Lovely Day?” (Irving Berlin)	6:38
7.	“Love for Sale” (Cole Porter)	6:31
8.	“Sideburns” (Bernstein)	8:12