Customer Reviews

Dave Brubeck Quartet Plays Music From West Side Story And Wonderful Town And More

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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!

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 1961. 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.

Aside from the excellent recordings of some Bernstein's music performed by the outstanding Dave Brubeck Quartet, a collector wants certain information about the music and engineering as well as reflective commentary that normally appears on liner notes. WARNING: this latest edition [2009] from the Legacy group of SONY [Columbia] lacks any such information; the insert is essentially naked. Moreover, the list of tracks lacks timing and the sequence is WRONG! Thus, we do not know even when the quartet was in the studio to produce this album. The .mp3 generation could care less about such incidentals, but we audiophiles and collectors expect minimal details.....and accuracy! **** for the music; * for the packaging.

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.

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