Dave Brubeck Music

Recorded in Moscow, this is another example of a terrific Dave Brubeck live album. If you're used to the Dave Brubeck Quartet with Desmond, Morello and Wright, it might take you a while to get used to the slightly different sound created by Chris Brubeck's electric bass and Bill Smith's clarinet (which mouthpiece does he use?!). The latter even uses a delay effect sometimes to create an atmosphere which just wouldn't be achievable without it. As for the songs, we see a few classics like Unsquare Dance (just hear the audience clap along with it, but ultimately give up... and why are the last 2 bars not both in 7/4 but in 6/4 and 7/4 ?), Koto Song (a particular favourite of mine) and Take Five. All of these songs are performed with great style and technique, and this goes for the other songs too. Bill Smith's solo in Koto Song is one of the best he ever did (in my opinion), and it's amazing to hear Randy Jones do his Take Five solo. While he keeps the rythym of 5/4 going with the hi-hat, he manages to play a 4/4 rythym within this scheme. It's impressive, to say the least. When I first heard Dave's solo in Unsquare Dance I wasn't too impressed with it, but oh, how he proved me wrong when I listened thoroughly over and over again. Throughout this album, Mr Brubeck shows us why he has become one of the most famous jazz pianists in the world. Chris Brubeck plays some great bass here, in different styles (from the jazz four beat to more modern styles), and he is perhaps even more proficient with his bass trombone. Please add this album to your collection if you're a Brubeck fan. There's only one bad thing about it, and that's the guy who constantly after the songs screams "Bravo!!" He's right about cheering, but it gets irritating after several times.

It must be hard to sift through Dave Brubeck's many recordings and come up with a two-disc "best of" compilation... what do you include? What must you leave out? The folks who put this set together did a pretty good job, presenting the essence of Brubeck's sound and musical innovations.

This set includes the classic "Take Five", as well as Dave performing with jazz legends Louis Armstrong and Charles Mingus. My favorite track? "History of a Boy Scout", from the now-out-of-print "Jazz Impressions of the USA" album. Good jazz music doesn't just sound neat; it paints a picture in your imagination. It represents life. This performance definitely paints a picture that matches its title.

This is a wonderful CD. It contains well known favorites like Unsquare Dance and super jazz renditions of songs like My Favorite Things. I can't begin to describe how wonderful this CD really is.

I own Take Five and have always enjoyed it, so I bought this CD as I wanted to further explore Brubeck's music. The CD contains 28 songs spanning Brubeck's career with Columbia from 1954 to 1970 for a good price. As a collection, I rate this album a 5 as it contains a strong overview of Brubeck's many albums for Columbia and the many moods of Brubeck as a pianist. As music, I give it a 3 because I found Brubeck's style to be slightly homogenous after awhile. I'm no jazz aficionado and admire the man, but after an hour of music the songs tend to blend into one another. The exceptions are the Take Five songs and his duet with Mingus. Still if you love Brubeck or want an introduction to his copious output, this is a great place to start.

If I had to list three jazz artists who should be remembered for bold innovation and the talent of reinventing (and constantly outdoing) themsevles, I would list Coletrane, Davis, and Brubeck. The first two names, to jazz officianados, should seem obvious. But Brubeck might raise some eyebrows here; for some reason, he never commanded the respect from 'jazzers' that the other two did. Well, this compilation of Brubeck's Columbia Records career should erase all doubt! Each track finds the quartet finding a new 'sound' to make their own. In terms of ability to reinvent and push boundaries, Brubeck should NOT be overlooked!

This 2 CD set spans about 25 years of Brubeck's career - from "Jazz at Oberlin" to Brubeck's several meetings with Gerry Mulligan. The format is chronological and as such, illustrates brilliantly Brubeck and his band's evolution. And for those who've not gotten past the enigma that is "Take Five" and "Blue Rondo a la Turk," (yes, those beauties are here!) get ready to catch a glimpse of some really wonderful jazz. From the out-and-out quirky ("Unsquare Dance") to the soulfully beautiful ("Fujiyama") this set is full of tracks that shine, but shine in different ways.

One thing that always strikes me is that through all the variation in Brubeck's music (from polyrythmic bossa novas and 5/4 meditations to duets with Charles Mingus and revamps of Disney tunes), Brubeck's quartet is one of the tightest I have ever heard in all my listening years. The combination of Brubeck's stocatto and meandering style, Paul Desmond's "West Coast cool" behind-the-beat sax playing, and Morello's ultra tight drum work compliment each other amazingly. No matter what style they are playing, these players are tight individually and as a group and are always having fun!

But I digress. If Brubeck is not in your collection, he should be and this CD will offer a great starting point. If Brubeck IS in your collection, this compilation is a great way to chart the progression of this inventive quartet's career.

This collection not only contains many of Brubeck's key works, but also highlights his collaborations with other great jazz artists. It's a wonderful cross-section of classic Jazz. Put it in your auto CD case for those long drives.

Much of this cd isn't jazz and is obviously written under the influence of the modernist "serious" music of the nineteen forties. I would use "Schizophrenic Scherzo", "Rondo", "Prisoner's Song" and "Playland at the Beach" as examples of this.
Miles Davis and Dave Brubeck weren't the only jazz and classical people doing this at this time period (the late 1940s and early 1950s). Jazz musician Charles Mingus on Debut records did equally serious classically oriented work. You can also argue that Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker were using chords and notes that were only associated with classical musicians before the mid nineteen forties. Igor Stravinsky also did classically oriented work for the Woody Herman orchestra in the mid 1940s. Before that even, we find that Charles Ives was influenced by jazz in his classical work in the early twentieth century.
About a "racial agenda" that another poster has pointed to: Miles Davis had white musicians and arrangers (Gerry Mulligan, Gil Evans in the "Birth of the Cool" and Bill Evans in "Kind of Blue" later on). It wasn't just Miles Davis and to my knowledge he never said it was. So, all these people, white and black, influenced each other in combining classical music with jazz. I never take the title "The Birth of the Cool" as a literal statement that Miles Davis made, and instead just see it as a marketing agenda that Capitol Records used when they reissued those sessions in the seventies. Maybe Charles Ives from 1917 could be reissued as the "Birth of the Cool".

I didn't care for this disc but I'm not panning it altogether because the playing is first rate and the ideas are innovative and ahead of their time. I just don't care for the music - it's more a matter of personal taste. These 18 tracks, recorded in 1946 by the Dave Brubeck Octet, feature a good deal of experimental (for the period) "chamber jazz" based on some standards as well as original compositions. On one track, an announcer actually narrates as the group goes through a series of variations on How High The Moon, from early jazz form to bop. Interesting stuff, intellectually stimulating but not very fun to listen to. I'm just a traditionalist...it's gotta swing! Recommended for serious students of jazz and history buffs only. If you're looking for some swinging jazz octet, check out Dave Pell or Don Fagerquist.

Much of this cd isn't jazz and is obviously written under the influence of the modernist "serious" music of the nineteen forties. I would use "Schizophrenic Scherzo", "Rondo", "Prisoner's Song" and "Playland at the Beach" as examples of this.
Miles Davis and Dave Brubeck weren't the only jazz and classical people doing this at this time period (the late 1940s and early 1950s). Jazz musician Charles Mingus on Debut records did equally serious classically oriented work. You can also argue that Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker were using chords and notes that were only associated with classical musicians before the mid nineteen forties. Igor Stravinsky also did classically oriented work for the Woody Herman orchestra in the mid 1940s. Before that even, we find that Charles Ives was influenced by jazz in his classical work in the early twentieth century.
About a "racial agenda" that another poster has pointed to: Miles Davis had white musicians and arrangers (Gerry Mulligan, Gil Evans in the "Birth of the Cool" and Bill Evans in "Kind of Blue" later on). It wasn't just Miles Davis and to my knowledge he never said it was. So, all these people, white and black, influenced each other in combining classical music with jazz. I never take the title "The Birth of the Cool" as a literal statement that Miles Davis made, and instead just see it as a marketing agenda that Capitol Records used when they reissued those sessions in the seventies. Maybe Charles Ives from 1917 could be reissued as the "Birth of the Cool".

I didn't care for this disc but I'm not panning it altogether because the playing is first rate and the ideas are innovative and ahead of their time. I just don't care for the music - it's more a matter of personal taste. These 18 tracks, recorded in 1946 by the Dave Brubeck Octet, feature a good deal of experimental (for the period) "chamber jazz" based on some standards as well as original compositions. On one track, an announcer actually narrates as the group goes through a series of variations on How High The Moon, from early jazz form to bop. Interesting stuff, intellectually stimulating but not very fun to listen to. I'm just a traditionalist...it's gotta swing! Recommended for serious students of jazz and history buffs only. If you're looking for some swinging jazz octet, check out Dave Pell or Don Fagerquist.

Much of this cd isn't jazz and is obviously written under the influence of the modernist "serious" music of the nineteen forties. I would use "Schizophrenic Scherzo", "Rondo", "Prisoner's Song" and "Playland at the Beach" as examples of this.
Miles Davis and Dave Brubeck weren't the only jazz and classical people doing this at this time period (the late 1940s and early 1950s). Jazz musician Charles Mingus on Debut records did equally serious classically oriented work. You can also argue that Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker were using chords and notes that were only associated with classical musicians before the mid nineteen forties. Igor Stravinsky also did classically oriented work for the Woody Herman orchestra in the mid 1940s. Before that even, we find that Charles Ives was influenced by jazz in his classical work in the early twentieth century.
About a "racial agenda" that another poster has pointed to: Miles Davis had white musicians and arrangers (Gerry Mulligan, Gil Evans in the "Birth of the Cool" and Bill Evans in "Kind of Blue" later on). It wasn't just Miles Davis and to my knowledge he never said it was. So, all these people, white and black, influenced each other in combining classical music with jazz. I never take the title "The Birth of the Cool" as a literal statement that Miles Davis made, and instead just see it as a marketing agenda that Capitol Records used when they reissued those sessions in the seventies. Maybe Charles Ives from 1917 could be reissued as the "Birth of the Cool".

I didn't care for this disc but I'm not panning it altogether because the playing is first rate and the ideas are innovative and ahead of their time. I just don't care for the music - it's more a matter of personal taste. These 18 tracks, recorded in 1946 by the Dave Brubeck Octet, feature a good deal of experimental (for the period) "chamber jazz" based on some standards as well as original compositions. On one track, an announcer actually narrates as the group goes through a series of variations on How High The Moon, from early jazz form to bop. Interesting stuff, intellectually stimulating but not very fun to listen to. I'm just a traditionalist...it's gotta swing! Recommended for serious students of jazz and history buffs only. If you're looking for some swinging jazz octet, check out Dave Pell or Don Fagerquist.

Dave Brubeck has had a lengthy career. And, amazingly, he's still making music. Here, on this disc released on Fantasy, you get his earliest recordings, plus some of his 1980s recordings that he made with his son, Chris.

The legendary 1950s sides on the Fantasy label are here, remastered and everything. The opening track, 'You Go To My Head,' is probably the highlight for me. It's just an awesome way to start any Brubeck compilation.

I really like the live version of 'For All We Know' featured here. I have the live record it appears on, titled 'Jazz At The College Of The Pacific.' It is here, remastered and everything, and sounds better than it does even on the CD version of that legendary live record.

If you are new to Brubeck, than this is a great entry point. However, if you are on a budget, you might want to get 'On Time' instead. There is a pretty big price difference. But this is probably my favorite Brubeck compilation. In my mind, it is, hands down, the BEST Brubeck collection on the market.

Highly recommended for any Brubeck fan. ENJOY!!!

Great mood music. Nice music to listen to when you want to relax.

In 1953, I was playing Brubeck/Desmond's "You Go To My Head" and was irritated by someone whistling along. I searched the basement where I was living and realized it must be on the record. Only in the notes in this CD did I find verification. Even Chris Brubeck told me he had never heard the whistling. The tunes are standards-not always played in the usual way and while I already have most of them on other discs, this compilation is very easy on the ears. I wish "Laura" had been included, but you can't have everything. It would have been nice to have some of Fantasy trios. A pleasant listening.