Customer Reviews

Double Live From the Usa & UK

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This Double Live CD is just like being at these separate concerts in person! You get the high impact of all the tunes, whether the tempo is fast, slow or medium. I reviewed this CD on my radio"Jazztistically Speaking" WCSU-FM 88.9 in Wilberforce/Dayton,Ohio. It is fantastic. All you have to do is play it in your home unit and enjoy every track! You collectors, don't say I have"Take Five" already;I have twelve different versions of "Take Five", all are great, and none are the same as the other. That's why Jazz works with improvising. "Take the A Train", with Brubeck's recordings, goes back to the 50's also with many versions. Marion McPartland, a tribute to a great lady pianist, of which I have here recordings starting in the 50's. Plus all of the standards on here are Brubeck's special great tunes. Buy it and enjoy!

I recently saw this latest Brubeck quartet in concert, and the music on these two discs captures that live experience perfectly. Dave, having recently turned 80, is still in top form. The rest of the quartet is equally impressive -- particularly Bobby Militello on sax. He conjures up Paul Desmond with a lyrical, delicate tone one minute and rips in to some blazingly fast, Coltrane-influenced solos the next. Highly recommended.

This double CD swings from one end to the other! This is without question my all time favorite Dave Brubeck CD.

I've been a Brubeck fan since around 1952. Followed him faithfully, always enjoying his piano playing, Paul Desmond, Joe Morello, et al. After some years I sort of lost contact until last summer (2001) when I discovered he was celebrating his 80th birthday at a jazz festival in Connecticut.

What a treat to know that Dave is better then ever and Bobby Militello is an unbelievable alto sax player. It was so thrilling to know that I could still hear these amazingly talented musicians live and on new CDs. Shortly after the concert, I started buying the newer CDs and they are all great.

This one, however, has turned me on and I have never stopped listening to it. It is in the car CD player and I take it to the fitness center to play when walking the treadmill. How satisfying it is to know that Dave Brubeck is probably playing the best music ever at 80 years old. And where did he find Bobby Militello- there is no one else like him on alto sax.

The CD has a number of older tunes that have been standards for many years. The really swingy ones excite me- Cherokee, Sunny Side of the Street, Margie, Exactly Like You really swing. Everyone joins in at one time or another- and between Dave and Bobby Militello on sax- who said Brubeck doesn't swing? I could listen to these numbers for hours. They are so good that I tend to walk longer on the treadmill than I planned because listening to them is so enjoyable.

And not to in any way be forgetting the other numbers- Body and Soul has always been a beautiful standard since I was a kid and it is beautifully done. Two versions of Take Five make one realize how much this time has become part of what we are used to. Take the A Train- always a favorite. And another half dozen songs whose titles don't mean a lot to me but where the music is tremendous.

If I could only have one Dave Brubeck CD, this would be it for me. I can't wait for more like this one.

Quite possibly the best product for your money out there. Over 2hours of just superb small combo jazz that will leave you feeling wonderful. I have enjoyed small combo jazz in person and on albums for years. My first true jazz recording was 'take 5' and there are 2 wonderful versions of it on the cds. Additionally, there are a number of other gems like Broadway Bosa Nova, Exactly Like You, Three to Get Ready and basically everything on the UK disc. Both discs are wonderful and worth the full purchase price by themselves but the sax player (who was the same on both discs) seemed to have a real nice edge to his playing on the UK tracks.

What I really enjoy is the accessability of the music along with its multilayerd texture. This would be a truly enjoyable way to introduce a son or daughter to the wonders of Jazz and Brubeck. Some of the numbers just plain rock, and the drum solos can stack up to most any rock drumming out there, in fact they blow rock drumming away. I can not even describe what a bargin these cds are at 14 dollars or 34 for that matter. If you know Brubeck get these cds, if you don't know Brubeck really get these cds.

I have many Brubeck records but hadn't bought any CDs yet. When I saw this, for such a low price, I did a double take of Double Live. I looked at the songs, checked the price again, checked the release date ( I didn't realize Brubeck was still recording), looked around as if I was stealing it, and bought it. How often do you get a live double set of a true master that sounds this good for less than the price of an ordinary single CD? It's worth it just to hear Bobby Militello. The man can play. And Brubeck? What would we ever have done without him?

I am not into jazz. However when I heard this on my public radio station, I liked it so much I called to ask what it was. I purchased this CD and I am now begining to understand and appreciate jazz. I am amazed when I compare the two versions of Take 5. These performers are nothing short of genious. I am playing this on a high fidelity system. The recording quality is superb. I now use it as a reference for auditioning stereo equipment. Highly recommended.

I have said this before, I do not even pretend to understand all the complicated aspects of Dave Brubeck. The whole time signiture thing is fascinating, but I don't get it.

That said, this is a great album for the most casual Brubeck fan. Brubeck and his troupe kicking back and having fun. All the classics are here, but outside of the studio the stuffiness is shed.

There is a an almost dismissive breaziness to these two discs (which are a great deal, BTW) that is most refreshing.

Although excellent value for money compared to most cd's of today, this attractively packaged, double cd, containing virtually 2 hours of live tracks, beautifully recorded in 2001 from home and abroad, is truly disappointing when compared with Dave Brubecks earlier works. It does offer a good selection of tunes from yesteryear but falls far short of the live sessions available from the 50's. Millitello on alto is no substitute for Paul Desmond and although technically competant, neither his tone,(far too shrill and sharp) his inventiveness nor his lyricism are anywhere near the standard which Paul Desmond left with us for eternity. The bass and drums too leave a lot to be desired when compared with Ron Crotty and Joe Dodge who swung so magnificently for every one of the tracks laid down in '53 and '54. Jack Six and Randy Jones never reach anywhere near the understanding of their leaders dreams. Our grand old man Mr.Brubeck is of course, as inventive as ever and he certainly has not lost any of his swingability but for your real pleasure I would suggest the live college recordings, available from Amazon. They are, all, priceless.