The MJQ Project

Since the summer of 2000, The MJQ Project has been working on one of the most ambitious and labour-intensive undertakings in the land of jazz: a Modern Jazz Quartet retrospective. After months of meticulous transcription work, their music is brought to life again. The MJQ Project's musicians combine the strong compositions and sophisticated arrangements of John Lewis with new, updated solos; effortlessly, they switch (just like their predecessors) between tight ensemble work and Milt Jackson's blues.

Meanwhile, thanks to a remarkably constant line-up - at least by jazz-in-Flanders' standards -, they begin to understand the Modern Jazz Quartet's most important secret weapon: only thoroughly familiar musicians can create the right environment for relaxed and uninhibited swing. This project has found the right equilibrium between a chamber music ensemble and a supple, high-class (and high-speed) jazztrain. The reconciliation of these two worlds makes The MJQ Project interesting and accessible to both classical and (foremost) jazz enthusiasts.