Vibraphonist Milt Jackson is an acknowledged pioneer of Modern Jazz. Jackson s brought the vibes into the modern era. He was inspired mostly by Lionel Hampton but forged his own concept and sound on that instrument and gave birth and inspiration to people of his era like Terry Gibbs, Joe Roland, Cal Tjader and others and of course influenced the younger players like Gary Burton, Dave Pike and especially Bobby Hutcherson who in turn inspired present day players like Steve Nelson, Stefon Harris and Warren Wolf. Jackson was the most prominent voice of the famous Modern Jazz Quartet who were together for over 40 years. Jackson recorded a lot on his own and this album which is tonight's Jazz Feature is one of his gems. The album is called "Opus De Jazz" and aside from Jackson, the co-star is the great flutist/tenor saxophonist Frank Wess. Frank is on flute for 3 of the 4 tunes and plays tenor saxophone on one. Flute and vibes is a wonderful combination. Jackson and Wess are backed superbly by the elegant Hank Jones on piano, Eddie Jones (no relation) on bass and the great drummer Kenny Clarke. This is a delightful album that could convert the most anti-Jazz listener into a fan. Check out "Opus De Jazz" tonight for the real deal that's also easy on the ears.

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