Cat. No. 2374: JOHN LEWIS ~ A MILANESE STORY / ANIMAL DANCE. COLLECTABLES COL-CD-6253. (IMPORT).

COLLECTABLES JAZZ CLASSICS SERIES - 2 ALBUMS ON ONE CD. 1 AVAILABLE

JOHN LEWIS, FOUNDER OF THE MODERN JAZZ QUARTET, BEGAN PLAYING CLASSIC PIANO AT AGE OF SEVEN. HE DOUBLED MAJORED IN ANTHROPOLOGY AND MUSIC AT UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO. HE EVENTUALLY DECIDED TO PURSUE A CAREER IN MUSIC RATHER THAN ANTHROPOLOGY. LEWIS MET KENNY CLARKE WHEN HE ENTERED THE ARMY AND UPON THEIR DISCHARGE BOTH MOVED TO NEW YORK WHERE THEY TRIED OUT FOR DIZZY GILLESPIE’S BAND BY PLAYING A SONG CALLED “BRIGHT LIGHTS” THAT LEWIS HAD WRITTEN. THEY WERE CONSEQUENTLY ASKED TO JOIN THE BAND AND THE SONG THEY PLAYED FOR GILLESPIE WAS RENAMED “TWO BASS HILL” AND BECAME AN INSTANT SUCCESS. LEWIS, VIBRAPHONIST MILT JACKSON, DRUMMER CLARKE AND BASSIST RAY BROWN, ALL MEMBERS OF GILLESPIE’S BAND FORMED A BAND IN 1951 INITIALLY CALLED THE MILT JACKSON QUARTET BUT RENAMED THE MODERN JAZZ QUARTET IN 1952.

TRACK LISTING: A MILANESE STORY (John Lewis) – In A Crowd / Valeria / Winter Tale / Monday In Milan / Finale / Danielle In The Lion’s Den. Animal Dance (John Lewis & Albert Mangelsdorff) – Animal Dance / Autumn Leaves / Set ‘Em Up / Monday In Milan / The Sheriff / Why Are You Blue. The Zagreb Jazz Quartet – Ornaments.

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