A representative work by the modern jazz quartet, combining the refinement of classical music with the depth of blues.
An album featuring eight tracks by the Modern Jazz Quartet, consisting of Milt Jackson, John Lewis, Percy Heath, and Connie Kaye, including Ornette Coleman's "Lonely Woman."
The album's defining feature is the title track, "Lonely Woman," which takes up an Ornette Coleman theme and lends a chamber-music-like delicacy to the dialogue between vibraphone and piano. Following tracks like "Animal Dance" and "New York 19" combine the swing feel of a jazz combo with a well-organized ensemble, while "Fugato" and "Lamb, Leopard" clearly display compositions incorporating classical music idiom. The four musicians' steady rhythms and sophisticated arrangements come together, making this album a prime example of MJQ's intellectual style.
