Milano is a jazz composition written by John Lewis, best known as the pianist and guiding force of the Modern Jazz Quartet. It was first recorded by The Modern Jazz Quartet on December 23, 1954 and released in 1955 on their debut album The Modern Jazz Quartet. The tune is instrumental and is noted for its melodic, largely diatonic lines in C major with a restrained, elegant mood and a touch of classical influence, featuring counterpoint from the quartet and a memorable vibraphone moment by Milt Jackson. Milano embodies Lewis’s sparse, economical style and his synthesis of European classical elements with jazz, a hallmark of the MJQ. The piece has inspired several adaptations and performances over the years, including English versions by Margo Guryan (1962) and Chris Connor (1962), and it appears on Sir Roland Hanna’s 2002 tribute album Milano, Paris, New York: Finding John Lewis, which honors John Lewis through a John Lewis composition.
