Customer Reviews

Essential Dave Brubeck

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

 

 

Here is the perfect introduction to one of the greatest jazz artists of all time. Not as expanded as the box set "Time Signatures" or as condensed as "Greatest Hits", the tracks in this collection span five decades (two of them with Sony) and over twenty studio albums. The first nine tracks are mono. Brubeck didn't just make great music, he experimented and invented new concepts. His biggest innovation of course was coming up with odd time signatures. For example, "Unsquare Dance" is in 7/4 and "Blue Rondo A La Turk" is 9/8. He was also a great interpreter as he does his own versions of "Maria" from West Side Story and "Someday My Prince Will Come" from Snow White. There are also guest vocalists such as Tony Bennett, Carmen McRae, Jimmy Rushing, and Louis Armstrong with a track each. As you'll hear (and read) on this collection, Brubeck also enjoys playing in front of a live audience. About half of the album are live tracks but they sound terrific. On most of the tracks he is augmented by other musicians but there are some in which he plays solo. The collection begins with "Indiana" recorded in '49 and ends with "Love For Sale" from '02 written by Cole Porter and performed live. There's also a track called "Audrey", as in Hepburn.

Dave Brubeck didn't just make great music, he shaped it so that a whole new generation of music lovers could appreciate and find it sounding as fresh now as it was decades ago. If you're discovering him for the first time then start here, you won't regret it. Actually get this double album anyway, it's a great listen either way. Liner notes are by Joel Lewis.

I once heard Oscar Petersen affirm that "there are only two kinds of music: good and bad." Within the broad musical forms that encompass the genre of jazz, Brubeck consistently managed to play superb music. Contained on Essential Dave Brubeck, are selections that, taken together, provide a representative sample of the remarkable ensembles that played under the Brubeck name. Brubeck was "global" before it was fashionable. Le Souk, the Brandenburg Gate and even Take Five and Blue Rhonda incorporate international time signatures and stylistic modes that demonstrate Brubeck's attempt to assimilate an Asian influence into the African-American jazz art form. It's also great to hear again Take the A train, especially given Duke Ellington's profound influence of Mr. Brubeck. This is an oustanding selection of music from a consistently gifted ensemble. For fans of Brubeck, Desmond, Morello, Dodge -- both old and new -- Essential Dave Brubeck is an solid introduction to what Mr. Petersen would doubtless classify as "good" music.

Brubeck's greatest popularity occurred during his association with Columbia Records, and this collection certainly documents some of the commercial and artistic highlights of this productive period. Particularly heartening is the inclusion of three tracks from the "Brubeck Plays Brubeck" solo piano album, including his exceptional improvisation on "In Your Own Sweet Way," an original that subsequently became a jazz standard. Still, this sampler does not include enough of the early work to dispell three widely held misconceptions: 1. that Brubeck and Desmond (or Brubeck and any other soloist) would regain the extraordinary chemistry of the 1950's quartet; 2. that the studio sessions, beginning with "Time Out," were equal if not superior to the earlier college concert dates; 3. that Brubeck's later experiments with time signatures represented an advance over his earlier adventurousness with melody, harmony, meter.

Neither Brubeck nor Desmond ever played with more in-the-moment inspired inventiveness than on their live 1950's dates. The excitement ensuing from their empathy with one another as well as their reactiveness to the palpable encouragement of their audiences was a singular moment in jazz history. In fact, during the 1950's they were to small-group modern jazz and its adherents what the Benny Goodman Big Band had been to attentive young listeners in the 1930s. The "Essential Dave Brubeck" provides only four examples from this fertile period, barely enough to whet the appetite. Moreover, the selections appear to be more abitrary than representative of this highly-charged edition of the quartet at its very best.

If you really want the essential Brubeck, be sure to supplement this collection with the '63 Carnegie Hall Concert but also with the earlier "Jazz at Oberlin" and "Jazz Goes to College." If the superior heat, intensity, and risk-taking extemporaneousness of these sessions recommend them over the later, more tepid, recordings, look next for "Jazz at the College of the Pacific, Volumes 1 and 2."

I used to have an older Dave Brubeck Greatest Hits package, but it came out in 1966. Brubeck started in the 50's I believe, and is still out there touring and making records in the 21st centry. Amazing given that man's age. But it's the longevity that made me want this package.

This collection came out in 2003 and covers his entire career. It has the signature stuff from Time Out, as well as numerous tracks. The sticker on the CD says "covers 53 years, 31 tracks, 24 albums". It is quite a wide selection of material. Now Brubeck has an absolute avalanche of recorded material, so for someone that only had one album (Time Out) and one 36 year old greatest hits album, this career spanning 2 CD retrospective is perfect. Over so many years and so many record labels, I'm sure there were some rights issues with all this, and I'm glad they were overcome.

I'm sure some Brubeck purists will say that it's not worthy, that one should buy the albums and all that, but he has SO MANY albums, it's extremely daunting to a Brubeck newbie, so this was a prefect choice, and I have to say I really enjoy this collection. I think you will too (unless of course you already own all of this stuff).

I am the sort of person that likes and appreciates all sorts of music, but doesn't know much about any particular genre. I purchased this album in hopes of expanding my modest jazz collection, and I have been very pleased. It contained just enough of the known to make the introduction of the unknown quite enjoyable. The recordings are a representative sample of various periods in Brubeck's career, providing the listener with a diverse collection of complex, high-quality music. The tracks (particularly the newer recordings) have a full, rich sound, and the cd comes with an informative booklet that helped me know more about Brubeck and jazz in general. I have given this collection four stars because (as a collection, and not a true album) it is only natural that not every song from every era appeals equally, but I suspect that both jazz lovers and jazz novices (like me) will enjoy these discs.

One of the finest, most sophisticated, and artistic [collection of] jazz-music cuts ever put together. Impressive !
(I listen to most types of music, not just jazz).

It's WONDERFUL! I've recently become a Dave Brubeck fan (I know, where have I been) and it's the best set of Jazz CDs that I own.

My husband used to play this at the college he intended in 1964. Brubeck's music has survived intact the last 46 years, and is just as pleasant to hear as then. I highly recommend this CD for easy listening enjoyment.

This " essential Dave Brubeck " tracks were selected by Dave Brubeck himself,therin lies the problem with this cd.
The first disc is really a showpiece for Brubeck, and it's only on disc two that the genius of his bandmates are revealed.The Dave Brubeck Band's popularity is basically due to Paul Desmond (Take Five).
By all Accounts,Paul Desmond did find a home with the Dave Brubeck band,as he became part of a family.Brubeck was a great family man.So just as Dave Brubeck owes the popularity of his band to Paul Desmond,Desmond needed Dave Brubeck to blossom.
The true genius behind the band is heard only on cd two ; Paul Desmond with his wonderful compositions and beautiful sax playing.
Tony Morello is to my mind the best drummer I have ever heard. I enjoy Wright on bass too.All this also on disc 2.
Brubeck is a brilliant at comping, but as a soloist he is not up to par with his band mates.This is of course in my view, as many would disagree.
I rate disc number 1 as zero and disc number 2 as five, so I gave the average as three.
I threw out disc 1, as I have never did like it, even after many listening attempts.

Case was cracked when it arrived, but I know from past experience if I try to return it I will get a restocking charge. This is not my first bad experience with Amazon, gave 'em a second chance, no more.