Scott Hamilton/Nat Steele – “Afternoon In Paris – The Music of John Lewis & The MJQ”

Key Takeaways

• Steele and Hamilton release MJQ tribute album on CD and vinyl
• Album features quintet with pianist Matyas Gayer and bassist Dave Green
• Live shows scheduled for Battersea Jazz Festival and Concorde Club next week
• Project revives John Lewis compositions, linking past MJQ members to new generation
• Digital release on Spotify, Apple Music, and Bandcamp arriving soon

Pulse Analysis

The new record, “Afternoon In Paris,” showcases how deep personal ties within the jazz community can spark fresh interpretations of classic material. Nat Steele’s earlier 2017 tribute to the Modern Jazz Quartet caught the ear of drummer Steve Brown, prompting Scott Hamilton—who grew up alongside MJQ pianist John Lewis—to finally realize a long‑held vision. By assembling a quintet that includes bassist Dave Green, who performed with both Milt Jackson and Lewis, the album weaves authentic lineage into its sound, offering listeners a direct line to the original MJQ aesthetic.

Beyond its artistic merit, the album arrives at a moment when physical formats are enjoying a renaissance among audiophiles. The decision to issue the music on 180‑gram virgin vinyl and high‑quality CD caters to collectors seeking tactile experiences, while digital platforms such as Spotify, Apple Music, and Bandcamp ensure broader accessibility. This dual‑release strategy reflects a broader industry trend where legacy jazz recordings leverage both nostalgia‑driven sales and streaming revenue, creating a diversified income stream for independent artists.

The upcoming live dates at the Battersea Jazz Festival and the Concorde Club provide a crucial promotional push, allowing the quintet to translate studio chemistry into a concert setting. These performances not only spotlight the enduring relevance of John Lewis’s compositions but also introduce the MJQ’s repertoire to younger audiences who may be attending their first jazz show. As the project gains momentum, it could inspire additional collaborations that revisit other seminal jazz ensembles, reinforcing the genre’s cyclical nature of reverence and reinvention.