Song:Three Little Words
Album:Bags & Trane
Vibraphonist Milt Jackson is best known as a member of the Modern Jazz Quartet. But he also recorded as a leader and he also recorded albums with other jazz greats including John Coltrane. Jackson was born Jan. 1, 1923 in Detroit. Dizzy Gillespie discovered Jackson in the mid-40s and Jackson was a member of Gillespie's big band. This led to the formation of the Modern Jazz Quartet who were all members of the Gillespie big band. At first the band was called The Milt Jackson Quartet but it was changed to MJQ so Jackson could record as a leader separately. By the mid-50s, John Lewis took over as MJQ leader and that was OK with Jackson because he signed a solo recording contract with MJQ's label Atlantic Records. Jackson recorded as a leader and also recorded albums with Ray Charles and Coleman Hawkins. And he also recorded Bags & Trane with sax player John Coltrane. When this album was recorded in 1959, Coltrane was still under contract to Atlantic. But he soon left for Impulse Records and Atlantic sat on the album for a couple of years before releasing it in 1961. This was so Atlantic could sell the album as a duet if Coltrane became a big star. It was originally supposed to be a Jackson solo album. It's a great album featuring a couple of Jackson originals and covers of standards like Three Little Words. Other musicians are Hank Jones on piano, Paul Chambers on bass and Connie Kay of MJQ on drums. Rhino released Bags & Trane on CD in 1988 with some bonus tracks. It's the only time these two jazz legends recorded together so the album is a must for jazz fans. Of course Coltrane was one of the all time jazz greats until his 1967 death. Jackson continued with MJQ until they split up in 1974 and Jackson continued to record until his death on Oct. 9, 1999 at age 76. Here's a video for Three Little Words by Milt Jackson & John Coltrane.
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