Jazz Blog Special: John Lewis & Sacha Distel, 'Afternoon in Paris'

"Afternoon in Paris," recorded in 1956, sounds a lot like a Modern Jazz Quartet album speeded up a couple of notches.

Pianist John Lewis is joined on the album by fellow MJQ veterans bassist Percy Heath and drummers Connie Kay and Kenny Clarke. Lewis plays with his usual elegance, of course, and the others offer their usual excellent support. But it's the Frenchmen on the date — guitarist Sacha Distel, tenor saxophonist Barney Wilen and bassist Pierre Michelot — who ignite the gig.

Wilen, only 19 when the album was recorded, zips through the melodies like a water bug. Distel's guitar work is peppy, too. Lewis and his MJQ pals seem delighted to chase them through most of the album's six tunes.

"Dear Old Stockholm" is particularly bouncy as Wilen, Distel and Lewis trade solos with Michelot and Kay pushing hard behind them. Wilen's meaty tone also flies around at the start of "Afternoon in Paris," but it's tempered by the sweetness of Distel's guitar licks, the restrained elan of Lewis' piano riffs and the sophisticated bass work of Michelot.

"Bag's Groove" is another highlight. It's hard to think of Lewis playing the tune without Milt Jackson on the vibes, but Distel and Wilen add a couple of shades of blue to an already bluesy composition. The final track, "Willow Weep for Me," is even bluesier, with Distel featured for several minutes before Wilen, sounding remarkably like Sonny Criss, takes over. Appropriately, Lewis, backed beautifully by Heath and Clarke, closes the song and the album with a piano solo that sounds both classical and slightly impish.

"Afternoon in Paris" isn't a Modern Jazz Quartet album, but fans of the group will dig it. I certainly do.

(Jazz Blog Special is a regular feature that examines older jazz albums worth checking out.)