|
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Listen to Samples and Buy MP3s
Songs from this album are available to purchase as MP3s. Click on "Buy MP3" or
view the MP3 Album.
Frequently Bought Together
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com essential recording
The listener has to forgive a few things about this undeniably brilliant collection of Dave Brubeck's first big ensemble. First: the liner notes' pretentions. Brubeck announces there that between 1946, when some of these tunes were recorded, and 1956, when the tapes were first "reissued" on LP, "very few released recordings" have "more musical importance" than the octet. Second: the nearly seven minutes of "How High the Moon" narrated to show how jazz was formed, as the band plays in short demonstrative segments. Third: the audio vérité sound, which even Brubeck thought questionable in 1956. Hearing this dynamic set, though, makes forgiveness easy. The arrangements show a wild abundance of color and orchestral finesse (many of the group's members were, like Brubeck, students of Darius Milhaud). You get quick-clip swingers like "The Way You Looked Tonight" and the string of chamber-esque horn studies that includes "Schizophrenic Scherzo" and more. You also get to hear early Paul Desmond and William O. Smith bouncing ideas off each other and drummer Cal Tjader. And it's all a delight, especially with the magnanimity of "forgiving" Brubeck. --Andrew Bartlett
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Chamber Jazz History Lesson,
By William Faust (Columbus, Ohio) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Dave Brubeck Octet (Audio CD)
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.
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Very Pre-Quartet,
By
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Dave Brubeck Octet (Audio CD)
Too many instruments, too many notes. Dave's famous groove has not developed in the octet but, hey, this was 60+ years ago and it sounds like it.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
|
|
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
|
|
So You'd Like to...
SoundUnwound - the personal music encyclopedia
The Dave Brubeck Octet's album Dave Brubeck Octet was engineered by Kirk Felton.
Cal Tjader, Dave Brubeck, Paul Desmond, William O. Smith, Dick Collins and three other artists have been a member of The Dave Brubeck Octet.
Cal Tjader, Dave Brubeck, Paul Desmond, William O. Smith, Dick Collins and three other artists have been a member of The Dave Brubeck Octet.
Passionate about music?
Learn more at SoundUnwound, the personal music encyclopedia, or challenge your friends with our music quizzes.
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Look for Similar Items by Subject
|
