...The Music From Porgy and Bess

Or, in full, The Modern Jazz Quartet Plays the Music from Porgy and Bess. Specifically they play seven of Gershwin's numbers, including the perennially popular 'Summertime' and 'It Ain't Necessarily So'. The MJQ attracted a measure of derision from their peers for their formal stage attire & their greater emphasis on composition over improvisation than was the norm (including elements from European classical music). The same traits, meanwhile, won them something of a crossover audience.

At over half a century's remove, such controversy amounts to very little, and it's easy to enjoy the music on its own merits, which are considerable. They're on typically tasteful form here, and work with Gershwin's melodies to great effect. The result, though, is by no means merely pleasant: for all their restraint they convey a genuine depth of feeling.

Mine is an original 1965 UK vinyl copy - in stereo. I found it 'in the wild' about four years ago, though I don't remember where. As I most often listen to music nowadays while winding down towards bedtime, this album, ideally suited to such moments, gets a fair amount of play.

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