European Concert 1 + 2 (1960)

"Considered one of, if not THE classic album from the Modern Jazz Quartet. MJQ presented jazz in the context of a formally structured environment, much like a chamber group in the classical context. Within the band, the groove of Milt "Bags" Jackson's vibes met the solid swing of Connie Kay's drums, the funky strut of Percy Heath's bass, and the elegant classicism of John Lewis's piano. The MJQ were able, in a context that pushed at jazz's boundaries from the outside, to create a music that swung without edges or fragmented harmonic structures. Instead - as this album perhaps more than their studio recordings exemplifies - they used concepts of time, space, meter, rhythm, and changes to weave together a seamless whole, where melody grounded the improvisation but never really restricted it. The kind of graceful counterpoint that exists between Lewis and Jackson here is instinctual at this time, 1960. The show included the finest moments of their early recording career in a live setting." (Thom Jurek, Allmusic)

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