Matt Ridley's In Celebration of MJQ featuring Jim Hart

Tonight bass player Matt Ridley brings to the Club his tribute to one of the iconic Jazz groups of all time, the great Modern Jazz Quartet. Effectively run by pianist/composer John Lewis the MJQ was the epitome of “cool jazz” meeting be-bop and worked for more than 20 years with the same line-up, featuring Milt Jackson on vibes, Percy Heath on bass and Connie Kay on drums. The result was gentle, melodic and extremely accessible music, successfully fusing Lewis’s “cool” classically-influenced jazz with Jackson’s fiery be-bop. Matt’s homage to this remarkable group features the brilliant UK musician Jim Hart in the vibes chair with the material all based on that of the original group, but being given enthralling new renditions whilst still staying true to the original intentions of their composers, John Lewis and Milt Jackson. As well as material from the classic MJQ songbook the group also pay homage to the UK musician and educator who originally founded the band, Michael Garrick, by including two of his finest original compositions as well. Making up the rest of the classic line-up tonight will be pianist Will Bartlett and drummer Steve Brown. The group’s eponymous album was released in April 2014 and has gained universal praise from critics and audiences alike. Cut entirely live in one day, with no fixes or overdubs, the album bears a freshness and excitement that not only champions the original MJQ, but also serves as an example of the world-class jazz coming out of the UK scene these days. A unique project, featuring some of the finest UK musicians around and well worth catching.

“An enormously entertaining project, already leaping on top of an early 'best of…' pile” LondonJazz News