Track Listing

1. Vendome
2. Pyramid (Blues for Junior)
3. It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)
4. Django
5. How High the Moon
6. Romaine

Product Details

• Released on: 2007-06-05
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Dimensions: .14 pounds

Un Essentiel amazon.fr
Avec le Modern Jazz Quartet, pas de déchets, de discours redondants, de divagations inutiles mais un jazz propre, mélodique, sensible et d'une rare élégance. Ils sont quatre, indispensables les uns aux autres, chacun d'eux contribuant à créer une véritable musique de groupe. Pyramid est probablement leur disque qui s'est le mieux vendu, sans doute en raison de la première place que tient ici le blues, un idiome plus proche de leurs racines que la musique classique européenne qu'ils ont su si bien adapter au jazz. Le très long "Pyramid" qui donne son titre à l'album en est aussi la pièce maîtresse. Dans cette suite de variations sur le blues inspiré à Ray Brown par Mahalia Jackson, le vibraphone de Milt Jackson tient une place essentielle. Milt est l'âme du MJQ et la chaleur de son jeu contrebalance l'architecture sévère mise en place par John Lewis. Ce dernier reste toutefois le cerveau de cette magistrale construction. Il est le délicat pianiste de la mesure, de la note juste, de la phrase bien construite, l'homme qui, par la rigueur, affirme la beauté. --Pierre de Chocqueuse

Album Description
Limited Edition Japanese pressing of this album comes housed in a miniature LP sleeve. Atlantic. 2007.

Album Details
Japanese Limited Edition Issue of the Album Classic in a Deluxe, Miniaturized LP Sleeve Replica of the Original Vinyl Album Artwork.

Customer Reviews

A Milestone Album!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Such artists were known a lot for their ALBUMS, like Dave Brubeck, AHmad Jamal, Ramsey Lewis Trio, MIles Davis, John Coltrane, Bill Evans, and the Modern Jazz Quartet. The artists mentioned above all have trademark album covers and material on them. For the mjq, this was a common thing. Albums like Django, Concorde, and Fontessa are all trademark albums, and constantly appear in jazz lists and discographies. This album was one of them. All though this album has a lot of "re do's" like Django, and Dont Mean A Swing, we were all introduced to Vendome. And all though, you might of heard of Pyramid before the date of the session of this album, it was not done in an established and well-formed arrangement like this. This album is great. Each man delivered something. John Lewis gave his light, but blues influenced block chord playing, Milt Jackson soulfully strutted his things, Percy Heath delivered rich and fufilling bass lines, and Connie Kay added his light and dynamic drumming to fit the MJQ. This is one of the top five best mjq recordings ever.

Connie's Settlin' IN!!!!!!!!!!!!
The music on this album is absolutely great. It starts off with a fast short swingin tune, typical of MJQ albums. Pyramid swings in 3/4 time, and so do others. It does get boring at the end.(the last two songs) I also feel that this is the first session date that drummer Connie Kay felt more comfurtable in the studio, as he opens up more and plays the skins a little bit more harder, but still keeping the restraint.

Mellow beauty, perfect for a certain mood or time of life...
I bought this on LP when I was in high school, trying to be hip like Hugh Hefner, or at least my best friend, Bob Ewaskiewicz. It kept me company during many lonely and dateless hours between 11th grade and the end of my first year of college. It is not the absolute best MJQ release, but it is very typical of their studio work when just the four of them performed without a guest with a horn like Paul Desmond or Sonny Rollins. Gently swinging, but overall a quiet, studious mood prevails. I wasn't old enough or smart enough back in the early 60's to appreciate the artistry revealed on this disc, yet I liked it a lot. I can still recall how sad I felt giving that record away when I packed up all I owned, to be stored during a two-year stint in the Army. "It Don't Mean a Thing..." and "How High the Moon" are the highlights for the casual listener, but the John Lewis originals like "Django" are where the genius is found. As an introduction to MJQ, I think the Rollins or Desmond collaborations are better, or the "Odds Against Tomorrow" film score. But "Pyramid" is a good second exposure, and will always have a place in my heart for the peace it provided a late-blooming and troubled teen.