Dave Brubeck Music

I play this album often...the interplay of these two at the piano is awesome, especially on the number where they totally improvise. However, Brubeck is wonderful to listen to without the "quartet" and I could go on about the piano musicianship on this recording....WOW! for me.....

So glad that this recording was reissued finally. My desire and expectation to learn about the days of the original Brubeck Quartet and Paul Desmond, however, were only partially fulfilled. Marian, as host, was courteous enough not to ask too many questions along these lines, so that Dave himself could be highlighted. Those who want to learn about Dave's own past should be happier to have this CD.
As for the music end, Dave demonstrates the way "In Your Own Sweet Way" was intended by the composer to be played. Marian finds it slower than renditions by other pianists, including herself, who have covered the tune at a faster pace, and she demonstrates her version to the delight of Dave and the audience. To me, this is the highlight of this CD.
The piano duo rendition of "Take Five" was also fantastic, each playing the Desmond parts in their own sweet way.
This CD, recorded in high fidelity in 1984, reveals how much Dave's piano playing had changed. He hardly sounds like good or bad old Brubeck as we know from the 50s and 60s, with the only exception, thank god, of track 16, Polytonal Blues. Overall, he plays more less like Paul Desmond with that kind of lyricism. Marian concludes her interview by saying, "What do you mean, No Chops?!" The music of The Dave Brubeck Quartet would have been so different if Dave and Paul(who passed away in 1977) held a reunion concert in the 80s.

This album is a wonderful mix of Brubeck's early works modernanized with Brubeck's new quartet with Randy Jones and some other dudes.(i just like the classic quartet)

The full title is DAVE BRUBECK QUARTET PLAYS MUSIC FROM WEST SIDE STORY AND WONDERFUL TOWN. And, there are only four tunes from Bernstein's great Broadway Musical, West Side Story. The only tune from WT is Bernstein's QUIET GIRL. Before the recording of these culled sessions, between '62 and '65, the film of West Side Story had already swept The Academy Awards with 10 Oscars in 1960. But, as they did with DAVE DIGS DISNEY, Brubeck and Desmond turn these charts into their own vehicles for improvisational cool. Certainly, this is another West Coast Showcase for Paul Desmond on alto. Which is what I like most about The Quartet. SOMEWHERE from West Side Story is a unique interpretation and has a wonderful swing quality. But it's WHAT IS THIS THING CALLED LOVE? and THE MOST BEAUTIFUL GIRL IN THE WORLD, by Cole Porter and Rogers & Hart, that are worth the whole price of admission on this one.

One wonders what The Quartet could have improvised from the COOL riff in WSS. "Got a rocket in your pocket." And, I can only imagine in my head what it would have sounded like, with Dave hammering out the rhythm and Desmond swinging cool on Bernstein's MAMBO riff. A missed opportunity.

But, don't miss this one. Along with DAVE DIGS DISNEY, and JAZZ GOES TO COLLEGE, it's another little Columbia Era gem from Brubeck & Co. Approx. 42 mins. But, the price is nice.

Enjoy.

The Deeper I go into the Brubeck catalog, the happier I get. If you have a copy of Time Out, and want to go a little further, this is a great place to start.

The joyful, brilliant rendition of "Maria" justifies twice the cost of this record all by itself. It is not all that often that a timeless classic is actually improved upon. This material might as well have been written for Paul Desmond.

Almost 50 years after its release, this music remains sophisticated, edgy and elegant. Highly Recommended.

Dave Brubeck Quartet hit another homerun with this fantastic record. You really can't go wrong with anything Brubeck recorded with alto saxophonist Paul Desmond, which only proves how important Desmond's sound was to this quartet. Yes, Brubeck's playing is one-of-a-kind and unique, but without the lyrical, subtle playing of Desmond, I doubt his career would have taken off.

"Plays Music From West Side Story" is a beautiful, often overlooked album from this group. I always refer back to "Time Out," because this, for many people, was the record that put this quartet on the map, but in my opinion, this recording could have easily brought them a wider audience, that is, if people would open their eyes and listen to the music. That lyrical, subtle swing is in full effect on these selections.

From start to finish, if you love this group, then you will be pleased. Highly recommended.

This a little-discussed set from the mid-1960's showing The Brubeck troupe taking on Broadway tunes. The entire record takes one y surprise. "Maria" is usually done as a smarmy, sultry ballad but the Quartet ups the tempo and creates a delightfully swinging piece. "Night And Day" is also usually recorded as a ballad but DBQ bangs the song out in a rollicking adventure. One of the best treatments of "What Is this Thing Called Love" appears on this record. The song is done at a slow, lilting almost melancholy tempo when Dave enters. Paul Desmond truly has the best sound and his solo on this piece is one of all time best! It is a tremendous improvisation and the inventiveness and lyricism is breathtaking. The CD also showcases Joe Morello's peerless drumming technique. He is original and his drumming is never quite the same on each song is unique and dynamic. Brubeck's solos experiment with dissonance here and he takes very big risks considering these are beloved love songs. Overall the CD is a great listen and it features the talented Quartet at the height of it's powers. Buy it!

A wonderful collection of Brubeck's broadway repotoire and music from West Side Story. Paul, Gene, Joe, and Dave shine here.

This is another of Dave's albums of music from a specific composer, in this case the legendary Richard Rodgers. It was released on CD in 2006 (along with Brubeck's "Anything Goes", another great album) in limited distribution. Sony, who has been among the most aggressive labels in re-issuing older LP albums on CD has done jazz lovers a great service by making this treasure available as an import from Japan.

In this particular case, they have re-issued Dave's original Columbia Records red "six eye" label LP by the same name (and with selections recorded in 1962 and 1965) but now in re-mastered stereo on CD. Also, since there are no online "sound samples" available for this album (at least as of this writing) and which are normally very helpful, it is somewhat more difficult for those who haven't heard the album before to know what it sounds like and make a purchase decision. I hope this review can be of some assistance to those in that category.

The songs selected for this album are classics from one of America's all time great composers for the musical theater. Richard Rodgers is of course well known for being the musician half of the great teams of "Rodgers and Hammerstein" and "Rodgers and Hart". This album consists exclusively of music from both teams (although mostly from "Rodgers and Hart"), as interpreted by Dave Brubeck and his quartet. I found that as much as I liked Brubeck's "Anything Goes" CD (released at the same time), I personally enjoyed this album even more!

The Brubeck quartet sounds as good (and plays as well) as ever and Sony's stereo re-mastering on this album is superb, as is usual for them. It ranks with the best I have yet heard on any jazz album. You will definitely want this album if you are a fan of Dave Brubeck's and even more so if you love the heritage of the American musical theater.

I really like this CD. If you are a Brubeck fan, you should add this to your collection. My favorite songs are Why Can't I, My Romance, and My Favorite Things. This is an email from Sydney Australia.

"My Favorite Things" is one of Dave Brubeck's "composer albums". Brubeck fans will recall such titles as "Anything Goes" (Cole Porter), and "Angel Eyes" (Matt Denise) here the Dave Brubeck Quartet pays homage to Richard Rogers and the results, while at as satisfying as "Anything Goes", make "My Favorite Things" one of Brubeck's best albums.

We start things off with a fast tempo version of the title track, minus Paul Desmond. Brubeck at times seems as if he's about to go off-time, but never does. Brubeck fans will take note of the fact he has made a career playing around with time signitures. But Brubeck does get some good passages in. I like a lot of the chord changes and Brubeck's right hand does some nifty work.

The next track "Over and Over Again" starts off with Brubeck playing the melody, almost as a ballad and then things pick up as Desmond comes in. Wonderful interplay between Brubeck and Desmond should make you keep coming back to this one.

My favorite track on the album might be "This Can't Be Love". Brubeck plays it as a familar tempo but again gets in a lot of good passages. As does Paul Desmond.

"Circus on Parade" is one the only song on the album I wasn't familar with it. The quartet swings on it from beginning to end and the result is rather pleasing.

"My Romance" and "The Most Beautiful Girl In The World" are the same version heard on Brubeck's "Plays West Side Story". But are enjoyable to listen to but I prefer "Girl".

Overall "My Favorite Things" is a very good album that demonstrates with made the quartet so popular. Brubeck and Desmond as usual have wonderful chemistry together and the song selection is a delight. If there is one negative thing to say about the album it is that there aren't enough songs! Where are the recordings of "Bewitched, Bothered & Bewildered", "Where or When", "Soon (There'll Just Be Two Of Us)", "Lady Is A Tramp" and "Loads of Love"? But we Brubeck fans will take what we can get.

Bottom-line: One of Brubeck's best albums. Desmond and Brubeck are a delight to listen to as is the song selection. Fans of Brubeck should check this out despite it being very rare.