''Concorde'' is an album by the Modern Jazz Quartet, recorded in New York on July 2, 1955, and first released that year as an LP, Prestige 7005, with liner notes by

Ira Gitler Ira Gitler (December 18, 1928 – February 23, 2019) was an American jazz historian and journalist. The co-author of ''The Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz'' with Leonard Feather—the most recent edition appeared in 1999—he wrote hundreds of ...

. The album was reissued in 2008 as part of the

Rudy Van Gelder Rudolph Van Gelder (November 2, 1924 – August 25, 2016) was an American recording engineer who specialized in jazz. Over more than half a century, he recorded several thousand sessions, with musicians including John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Theloni ...

Remasters collection. The album is the first to feature drummer

Connie Kay Conrad Henry Kirnon (April 27, 1927 – November 30, 1994) known professionally as Connie Kay, was an American jazz and R&B drummer, who was a member of the Modern Jazz Quartet. Self-taught on drums, he began performing in Los Angeles in the mid ...

, who replaced

Kenny Clarke Kenneth Clarke Spearman (January 9, 1914January 26, 1985), nicknamed Klook, was an American jazz drummer and bandleader. A major innovator of the bebop style of drumming, he pioneered the use of the ride cymbal to keep time rather than the hi-ha ...

in 1955. It is also the first Modern Jazz Quartet LP conceived from the beginning as a long playing record; previous MJQ recordings had been released as 78's, 10 inch 33's or reissues of these formats on a 12-inch LP. The liner notes acknowledge the additional playing time of the LP format by asking the listener to regard this album as a performance set "at one of America's leading jazz rooms".

Reception

Writing for

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

, Lindsay Planer described the transition between percussionists as "both smooth and sensible". He highlighted the interpretation of the songs in the Gershwin medley as "nothing short of definitive", saying that "All manner of post-bop jazz listeners will find much to enjoy throughout ''Concorde''."

Track listing

#"Ralph's New Blues" (Milt Jackson) – 7:08 #" All of You" (Cole Porter) – 4:31 #" I'll Remember April" (Gene de Paul, Patricia Johnston, Don Raye) – 5:09 #"Gershwin Medley: Soon;

For You, For Me, For Evermore "For You, For Me, For Evermore" is a song composed by George Gershwin, with lyrics by Ira Gershwin. Written around 1936-7, it was rediscovered by Ira Gershwin when he was preparing music for ''The Shocking Miss Pilgrim'' (1946), where it was intro ...

;

Love Walked In "Love Walked In" is a song composed by George Gershwin, with lyrics by Ira Gershwin. The tune was composed in 1930, but the lyric was not written until 1937, for the movie musical ''The Goldwyn Follies'' (1938), where it was sung by Kenny Baker. ...

;

Our Love Is Here To Stay "Love Is Here to Stay" is a popular song and jazz standard composed by George Gershwin with lyrics by Ira Gershwin for the movie ''The Goldwyn Follies'' (1938). History "Love Is Here to Stay" was first performed by Kenny Baker in ''The Goldwy ...

" (George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin) – 7:54 #" Softly, As in a Morning Sunrise" (Oscar Hammerstein II, Sigmund Romberg) – 7:54 #"Concorde" (John Lewis) – 3:42

Personnel

* Milt Jackson –

vibraphone The vibraphone is a percussion instrument in the metallophone family. It consists of tuned metal bars and is typically played by using mallets to strike the bars. A person who plays the vibraphone is called a ''vibraphonist,'' ''vibraharpist ...

John Lewis John Robert Lewis (February 21, 1940 – July 17, 2020) was an American politician and civil rights activist who served in the United States House of Representatives for from 1987 until his death in 2020. He participated in the 1960 Nashville ...

–

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keybo ...

Percy Heath Percy Heath (April 30, 1923 – April 28, 2005) was an American jazz bassist, brother of saxophonist Jimmy Heath and drummer Albert Heath, with whom he formed the Heath Brothers in 1975. Heath played with the Modern Jazz Quartet throughout ...

– bass *

– drums

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Concorde (Album) 1955 albums Cool jazz albums Post-bop albums Modern Jazz Quartet albums Prestige Records albums Albums produced by Bob Weinstock Albums produced by Ira Gitler Albums recorded at Van Gelder Studio