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photo via Wikimedia Commons
The Modern Jazz Quartet (1964) – a remarkable ensemble whose music blending jazz, classical, blues and bebop still astonishes – is included on the latest of jazz scholar Bob Hecht’s playlists, this time devoted to quartets.
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…..In this playlist series we have progressed from a single instrument (“The Naked Jazz Musician”) to a pair of players (“Duos—Two of a Mind”) to the classic threesome format, with mostly piano-led groups (“Trios—Three’s Not a Crowd”) to a playlist of unusual threesomes (“‘Different’ Trios”), arriving now at the quadruple aggregation so common in jazz: “Quartets—Four & No More.”
…..It’s amazing how the addition of a single instrument changes the flavor of a jazz group, expanding—along with the number of solo voices—the harmonic possibilities and the richness of the voicings. More complex arrangements are suddenly possible. Can you imagine instead of the Modern Jazz Quartet a Modern Jazz TRIO, without Milt Jackson’s swinging, blues-drenched vibes? Or a Dave Brubeck TRIO, without Paul Desmond’s shimmering, inventive alto?
…..The accompanying playlist includes such classic great quartets as these—including foursomes led by Phil Woods, Ethan Iverson, Thelonious Monk and Max Roach—along with some lesser-known bands, such as Frank Strozier and Larry Goldings thrown in for good measure.
…..I hope you enjoy “Four & No More!”.
Bob Hecht
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Bob has curated an impressive array of listening experiences within playlists he assembles exclusively for Jerry Jazz Musician, and within them shares his profound lifelong journey with jazz music.
Click on the links below to be taken to the playlists within this series.
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Next up…a playlist of, you guessed it, quintets!
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This playlist was assembled by Bob Hecht, who frequently contributes his essays, photographs, interviews, playlists and personal stories to Jerry Jazz Musician. He has a long history of producing and hosting jazz radio programs; his former podcast series, The Joys of Jazz, was the 2019 Silver Medal winner in the New York Festivals Radio Awards. In addition, he is a widely published fine art photographer, whose work has appeared multiple times in The Sun, LensWork, Black & White Magazine, Zyzzyva and other periodicals, as well as in the book, Dream of Venice in Black & White, published by Bella Figuera Publications. He lives with his wife in Portland, Oregon. His photo website is roberthecht.com.
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Click here to read about his book, Stolen Moments: A Photographer’s Personal Journey
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In addition to putting together great playlists, Bob has conducted several fine interviews for Jerry Jazz Musician.
Click here to read Two of a Mind: Conversations on Creative Collaboration, featuring Bill Charlap and Sandy Stewart; Click here to read his interview with Pepper Adams biographer Gary Carner. Click here to read “Life in E Flat” – a conversation about Phil Woods – with pianist Bill Charlap and jazz journalist Ted Panken, and click here to read his interview with Alyn Shipton, author of The Gerry Mulligan 1950’s Quartets.
Click here to view all playlists published on Jerry Jazz Musician
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Click here to read The Sunday Poem
Click here to read “Bluesette,” Salvatore Difalco’s winning story in the 67th Jerry Jazz Musician Short Fiction Contest
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