Having sponsored
Ornette Coleman at the School of Jazz near Lennox, MA, pianist and composer
John Lewis helped launch the controversial career of one of the last great innovators in jazz.
Lewis' support of the ragtag Texas native was somewhat unique in jazz circles at the time and even surprising, especially considering the gulf between the classical jazz formality of his group
the Modern Jazz Quartet and
Coleman's radical notions of free improvisation. Nevertheless,
Lewis not only saw in
Coleman the first jazz genius since bebop's
Parker,
Gillespie, and
Monk, but put pay to the praise with
the MJQ's 1962 rendition of one of
Coleman's most famous numbers, "Lonely Woman." (Along with
Art Pepper's 1960 version of "Tears Inside," this was one of the earliest of
Coleman covers done.) The 1962 Atlantic album of the same name turns out to be one of the band's best efforts.
Lewis and fellow
MJQ members
Milt Jackson,
Percy Heath, and Connie Kaye capitalize on the dramatic theme of "Lonely Woman" while adding a bit of chamber music complexity to the mix. The quartet doesn't take
Coleman's free form harmolodic theory to heart with a round of quixotic solos, but the group does spotlight the often overlooked strength of his compositional ideas. And while
the MJQ further plies its knack for involved pieces on
Lewis originals like "Fugato" and "Trieste," the group also balances out the set with looser material more in tune with
Jackson's blues and swing sensibilities. A great disc that's perfect for the curious jazz lover. ~ Stephen Cook