Dave Brubeck Music

This selection is from two of the best Brubeck Quartet albums of the early 1950s - which for me means two of the best of Brubeck's many albums. Both were live concert recordings made at university colleges: the first four tracks are from the `Jazz at Oberlin' album, the remaining five from `Jazz at Pacific College'. They come from that formative phase when the quartet was building an audience for its music, and attracting more attention to jazz in general, among student audiences.

On "Perdido" and "The Way You Look Tonight" you can hear the excitement their inventive and utterly committed playing generated in the enthusiastic Oberlin audience. Desmond in particular plays like a man possessed and his solo on the latter track is one of his sharpest and most brilliantly sustained on record. He is more typically smooth and self-contained - but still flowing with ideas - on the ballads, "These Foolish Things" and "Stardust", also from the Oberlin concert. On the first of these, Brubeck springs one of his dramatic surprises, moving from a quietly lyrical opening to his solo into a more intense and anguished (or angry?) section before subsiding into the quiet mood he began with. It's one of his more unusual performances, contrasting with the open-hearted romanticism of his approach to "Stardust".

Those who are not put off by that kind of romanticism from a `jazz' group will recognise "For All We Know" - from the Pacific College concert - as a small masterpiece of inspired melodic invention. I've commented in more detail on this and other tracks in my Amazon review of the Pacific College album, so I'll say no more about them here, except that "All the Things You Are" is another Brubeck Quartet masterpiece featuring one of the pianist's very best solos.

Five stars for the music. However, in order to compile this generous selection from two classic albums, the producers have left out two of the original tracks - "How High the Moon" from Oberlin and "Laura" from Pacific College. The first is another exciting up-tempo performance (after a deceptively calm opening chorus); the second is a ballad feature for Brubeck, discreetly accompanied by bass and drums, and notable for a kind of impressionistic mood and style reminiscent of some of Debussy's piano pieces. Both tracks in their contrasting ways are worth having. So the prospective buyer has the kind of choice which `compilation' CDs face you with: whether to forego `completeness' for an apparent bargain or to buy the two separate albums. You can probably guess what my recommendation would be.

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 the CD that got me hooked on Dave Brubeck. I got it as a gift, and it truly is a timeless one. If you're new to Dave's music, this is a nice one to get. It's got 10 of his legendary tracks, and the sound quality is great too.

The price is another reason to check this one out. It's a great budget-priced CD that's well worth the cash. Sure, you'll probably find yourself wanting more instantly, but if you want a bare bones hit collection of his that's cheap, get this one.

This is highly recommended. If you like jazz or piano, than you'll like Dave Brubeck.

I dig it. The disc contains 10 tracks, the the first two being (of course) 1.Take Five and 2.Blue Rondo à la Turk. Both tracks are from 1959's "Time Out" recording. The next are: 3.Unsquare Dance 4.Out of Nowhere 5.Somewhere 6. There'll Be Some Changes Made (w/ Jimmy Rushing) from 1960's "Brubeck & Rushing" 7.You Go to My Head 8.Besame Mucho 9.Win a Few, Lose a Few and 10. 40 Days. I'm too lazy to track where the other ones come from. A hip little disc which I got on sale. Good for the Brubeck newbie.

I usually don't like greatest hits albums. They usually contain less risky material that appeals to the masses....the white bread of music. But, I don't know Dave Brubeck's music that well, and this was a great place for me to start, especially considering the budget pricing.

This CD contains 10 tracks and is just under 50 minutes long. The sound quality is excellent, which is a surprise for a budget priced, greatest hits CD. The wonderful sound alone makes this worth getting. The tracks are from original recordings from Brubeck's first album all the way up until 1967. There is one vocal track, "There Will Be Changes Made", which is getting some play on TV commercials.

There is not much in the way of liner notes. Just the track, time and when it was released are listed. There are no credits.

Now that I have heard this greatest hits CD, I want to go out and buy more Brubeck. I am considering one of the many boxsets. Of course, if I do buy those, it will make this CD worthless to me. So, if you are considering buy a lot of Brubeck, you should skip this CD. It you just want to hear Take Five, plus some other great tracks, with fantastic sound quality, then get this CD.