Dave Brubeck Music

I have the original vinyl album and painstakingly, manually removed as many of the scratches as I could using SoundForge 6.0 and came up with a very nice CD version of this most excellent album. So while I do not technically own this specific Promotional Copy album, I do own the 1967 pressing of the 1962 Columbia commercial release. (The 1967 album has the 1965 version of "Someday My Prince Will Come" which had be performed in several different versions.)

"Countdown: Time In Outer Space" was the third release of Brubeck's "Time Out" trilogy. These three albums explored new time meters to jazz. [I think even new to music composition itself!] Each song is a masterpiece in itself and I am looking forward to adding the first and second releases on compact disc to complete my collection. I was a young lad of six years old when these albums were first released. My brother, ten years older than me, introduced me to the great jazz musicians of the era. So I have him to thank for baptising me in the waters of the great jazz artists and especially the new music of the Dave Brubeck Quartet whom I had the opportunity to see in concert a year or two later. I never could master the single handed drum roll of Joe Morello! I jokingly say that I was vaccinated with a phonograph needle for the reason of my love of music of many, many different styles.

If you enjoyed "Time Out", then you will certainly enjoy "Countdown" which contains the Brubeck signature songs "Countdown", "Eleven Four", "Fast Life", "Castilian Drums" and "Three's A Crowd".

The history of this recording is a mystery to me (and many others). It is one of the Brubeck Quartet's all time great collection of pieces. Yet, for some reason "Countdown" was, for years, impossible to get. I had an old record (complete with scratches and surface noise) that I hung onto since the 60's. I actually prefer this record to "Time Out" although they are in my estimation very close in quality (as they were chronologically). The group's use of time signatures is extremely creative and always natural sounding... always musical, not just technical. This collection has some of the greatest Desmond one will ever hear - and that is saying a lot. I would love to find out why this music was unavailable for so many years - and still is difficult to find in its original form and with its original cover and notes. Anyone who appreciates the Dave Brubeck Quartet will find this to be a lost treasure.

I don't know if these are actual time signatures on this album, that's not really the point. What's significant to me is the vast variety Dave Brubeck brought into Jazz with his interest in non-standard (4/4) time.
The excellent liner notes, accompanied by several fine & rarely seen photos of Brubeck's Quartet will fill you in on all the details if you care. Personally I find all the minutia about these pieces quite interesting.
What sparks the interest though is the fine & unusual quality of the music. I was astonished when I learned in College that "Time Out" (NOT on this disc) was the first Jazz composition not in 4/4 time. I'd always thought Jazz was all about improv & stretching the limits, doing what wasn't expected, to literally "Jazz" the music. How then could it be in the vast catalogue of J Music no one had strayed outside the conventions of Standard Time??? It turns out 13/8 & 11/13 times are more then a little daunting to play.
But don't think for a minute that's what makes this music of interest. There's nothing lost if you don't know a Time Signature from a John Hancock. Every track Brubeck recorded on his Quintet of Time Change experiments is worth hearing, & all, including everything on "Time In Outer Space" is enjoyable as any Jazz ever to listen to repeatedly. In fact the music flows so effortlessly from Paul Desmond's Alto sax & Brubeck's piano, you may be excused for thinking this is merely background music rather then one of the pinnacles of 60's American Jazz. Certainly these guys play with a verve rarely equaled by players who wouldn't be regarded as the inventors of Modern Jazz (i.e.: Monk, Coltrane, Miles).
Paul Desmond on his own I've never found to be much of a player, I know lots of people would strongly disagree, & I certainly haven't heard much of his other recordings since they never captured my imagination. But in this Quartet setting he blows a solid line on every single track. I can only think there's something very special about the chemistry of the Brubeck Quartet.
If you like 50's & beyond Jazz at all you can't be disappointed by the "Time In Outer Space" recordings. Worth listening to time & again.

This is a fine outing by the Brubeck Quartet. Why it is not in print is the big question. Not sure what Columbia/Sony is up to on this, but this album should be considered classic Brubeck along with "Time Out" and "Time Further Out". The quality is maintained through all these experiments with differing time signatures. Desmond is in pure form (When is he NOT?) here.
A masterpiece.

It's a shame that this album didn't get the recognition it deserves. It's really a great album; better than some overrated classics like Dave Digs Disney, Jazz Impressions of Japan, and Bravo Brubeck. Anyway, the album has some classic SONGS like Eleven Four, Castilian Blues, and Waltz Limp, and some hot swingin tunes like Countdown, and Fast Life, and unique songs like Castilian Drums, and Why Phillis? Every track is a winner, and so is this album. ITs a shame, people don't think this album lives up to the fame it deserves!

Brubeck always seems able to outdo himself. This is one of his most pleasurable recordings. I recently heard him on a BBC program and he said that he really enjoyed himself on this recording and it shows. He has a fine band accompanying him. The music is playful and inviting. In a music world riven with hip hop, it is nice to take a pleasant voyage with one of the grand masters of cool jazz.

In the last 12 months, my wife and I have fallen in love with Brubeck's music. We have purchased over 30 of his albums--we just cannot get enough of his music--it is out of this world!! Heck, we didn't even own a stereo until we discovered Brubeck's music. We purchased this album the first day it came out and were blown away by it. We especially love Bobbie on the flute in Bessie! Bessie is the reason there is a repeat button on your stereo!! BUY THIS ALBUM! Brubeck truly is a Jazz legend and needs more recognition for his tremedous influence on Jazz and on the music world. (...)

i recently saw dave brubeck and his quartet at the sf jazz festival at the masonic auditorium in san francisco. they played a bunch of new stuff, im assuming it was from this album. but one song in preticular that he played from this new album was awsome. the title track, the crossing is killer. as dave said at the concert, its sounds like a cruise ship as it gets ready to leave new york city and pull out on a transatlantic cruise. it really does, its awsome. the show was great, if you can go see dave brubeck and his quartet theyre great ! get this cd, get any other dave brubeck cd and you wont be disappointed !

One of the loveliest things about jazz, besides the music itself, is that you can walk into a L.A. or N.Y. club and hear a sixteen year-old pianist jamming away with the big guys creating beautiful sounds -- then go home and put on this wonderful CD by 80-year old Dave Brubeck (he wrote all the numbers) and marvel at an art form that knows no boundaries. Brubeck has been doing this for fifty years and just gets better with age. His arrangements and piano tend toward the tasteful, which is why his current quartet with Bobby Militello, Alec Dankworth and Randy Jones is so satisfying: his three partners inject some real razzmatazz to complement Dave's beautiful harmonies and witty rhythms. (Check out in particular Dankworth's impressive solos on "Chasin' Yourself" and "Randy Jones.") The superb engineering on this CD should also be acknowledged: I only wish the bass on my other jazz CD's sounded this clean and crisp. All the songs are delightful but my personal favorite is "Hold Fast to Dreams," a ballad of unusual depth and feeling. Thanks Dave -- here's to eighty more years of sharing your prodigious gifts!

This is a great CD, great collection of instrumental jazz from Dave Brubeck!! My new favorite CD.

Some people affirm that the early years of Dave Brubeck's production are his best. If you agree, this may well be your best Brubeck in one disc: Blue Rondo, Take Five, Unsquare Dance...

Well, I've been a jazz music fan for a very short time so I can't yet say I'm this big connoisseur and all but...but I bought Dave's Greatest Hits cd yesterday and as I got home I put it into my cd player right away and listened to it three times in a row!!Couldn't help tapping and snapping to it. What a GREAT music, folks! I love all the tracks, especially that "Rondo a la Turk" one which I didn't know was one of Dave's milestones.
If you are looking for a real jazz masterpiece, try this cd and then tell me if I'm right. @.

This album contains many of the Brubecks's songs that I used to listen many years ago, including "Its a Raggy Waltz" and "Take Five", two of his true classics. It's a Raggy Waltz is a masterpiece, a very beautiful jazz song. I think it is interesting that you listen the samples.

Dave give us nice compositions with a sophisticated harmony.
Do not forget Paul Desmond, a very talented saxophonist that was essential to Brubeck's success.

Enjoy it

If you haven't herd any Brubeck music, this is the album you must get first, besides Time Out. This album has the greatest assortment of Brubeck tunes I ever herd in the best order.
You'll love this music, and the album itself.