Customer Reviews

Jazz Icons: Dave Brubeck Live in '64 & '66

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

First of all, the music - this is really excellent playing by the "Classic Quartet" of Brubeck, Desmond, Gene Wright and Joe Morello. They were at the top of their game as a group at this time and obviously enjoying themselves and the ways they could think up to interact creatively on admittedly familiar material. Brubeck is often under-rated as a pianist, but he is fascinating here, bold and percussive on one tune, delicate on others. Also frequently under-valued is Morello, but he could swing in all meters and contributes some excellent solo work.

A special treat is the video quality. Anyone who owns any of the first set of Jazz Icons DVDs will expect the clarity of late Fifties through 1970 European TV. After all, their technology was a decade "behind" ours; in other words, newer and better. What's great about these two concerts (especially the first) is the manner in which the cameras are used. In particular, the studio camera-persons and director in Belgium are every bit as artful as Gjon Mili was in his work with Norman Granz' cats in the 1940s. The German concert has a live audience and more straight-forward camera angles, but only pales by comparison with the first concert - it's still clear, often imaginative work.

Highly recommended, especially if you are NOT necessarily a big Brubeck Quartet fan. You'll likely convert.

The DVD features two shorter sets of the Quartet. There is some overlap of material between the two sets, but differences in treatment keep the selections from seeming repetitive.

The DVD comes with an adequate booklet, but little detail about the concerts from which the footage is taken (hardly surprising, given the sheer number of performances by the Quartet). The DVD has very little to offer for extras, other than the simple main menu. I believe this is the norm for the series, however.

While it would have been nice to have more background on the performances, or more extras, this DVD is absolutely a must for fans of the Dave Brubeck Quartet. Watching (as opposed to being limited to simply listening to) the byplay among the players is fascinating and worth every penny. This is especially true given the relatively modest cost of the DVD.

I am a Brubeck connoiseur and have most of any available recordings. This video was a real surprise and better than I had hoped for. The black and white film has been done carefully if a little static, and the soundtrack is remarkably good. The Quartet is at their height and it's a blast to watch them play. It would be great if another such film turned up. Also, there must be other live concert recordings in existence which I would love to own.

I've been a fan of the Brubeck Quartet -- and particularly Paul Desmond -- for fifty years; I saw this same quartet (with I think Joe Benjamin on bass instead of Eugene Wright) when I was 16 years old. This video has a beautifully photographed studio performance along with concert recordings, and to see the interactions of the group and hear the beautiful and creative playing of Desmond made the purchase of this video worth every penny. Morello's drumming remains spectacular from both a musical and visual perspective. I was delighted with my purchase of this video.

The Brubeck quartet of the 1950s through the mid-1960s is possibly the most popular jazz quartet of all time, and this DVD is a wonderful representation of the group at its best. Five songs were recorded in a Belgian TV studio in 1964 and five were performed for a packed auditorium in Berlin in 1966 and recorded for TV. Judging from this and the other offerings in the Jazz Icons series, Europeans in the 1960s were seeing far more American jazz on TV than Americans were.

Watching jazz artists perform conveys subtleties that are lost in audio-only presentations. In this collection, we witness four gentlemen who clearly enjoy what they're doing together. Brubeck can be seen looking attentively, even admiringly, at the other members of the quartet (especially Paul Desmond) as they solo. Desmond, who was not the flashiest but may have been the smoothest saxophonist in the annals of jazz, plays with his eyes closed most of the time, and upon finishing his solos he compulsively tightens the ligature on his mouthpiece and then folds his hands over his instrument to await his next playing opportunity. Joe Morello is fun to watch too, as drum solos are always more interesting when the visual component is present.

Two tunes, "Take Five" and "Koto Song," are repeated in these performances, but that's not a problem because it demonstrates how different two renditions of the same material can be. This is jazz, after all.

The 24-page booklet is a good read, a little bit of jazz history covering the players, the tunes, and life on the road. Most of it is written by Brubeck's son Darius, with a couple of pages by Desmond biographer Doug Ramsey. Good assortment of pictures too.

Thanks again to the people who produce the Jazz Icons series. They've given us a musical time machine, and in this particular case, it even includes 3/4 and 5/4 time.

This is the third, and best in visual and audio quality

of this series, that I have seen, so far. Although this DVD is in black and white, this quality production will

make you wish all vintage footage could be this good.

If you have longed to see and hear the sound of the

Dave Brubeck Quartet, you will not be disappointed.

BRUBECK,PAUL DESMOND,GENE WRIGHT,JOE MORELLO;A STAR LINE UP OF MUSICIAN'S THAT WORKED TOGETHER FOR YEAR'S. ALL IN TOP FORM. PLUS,SOLO'S BY BASSIST;,WRIGHT & DRUMMER;JOE MORELLO.

DESMOND'S BACHISH ALTO SAX WEAVES IN AND OUT OVER BRUBECK'S THICK BLOCK CHORD'S .

2 VERSION'S OF,"TAKE 5" DESMOND'S COMPOSITION. MY FAVORITE BRUBECK BALLAD;"IN YOUR OWN SWEET WAY". + 'TAKE THE 'A' TRAIN","ST. LOUIS BLUES","40 DAY'S","I'M IN A DANCING MOOD","3 TO GET READY"

AND 2 VERSION'S OF ,"KOTO SONG". BRUBECK'S SOLO ON THE 1ST VERSION IS A CLASSIC!!!

12 JAZZ HOME RUN'S ALL OUT OF THE PARK!!!

I saw the Brubeck Quartet twice in 1967 and this disc is from that time period when the band was on top of its craft. I have admired Joe Morello for over fifty years and now I have him to watch. He died March 12th, 2011..... An iconic drummer if there ever was one.

The DVD is real good both visually and sound-wise. Classic Brubeck, Wright, Desmond and Morello. Terrific!

These two mid-Sixties videos of the Brubeck quartet in Europe are a must for Brubeck fans. I primarily bought it for Paul Desmond, the star of this group in my opinion. However, most of his solos are disappointingly short. Brubeck and Morello get off some fine solos of their own, but I wish Desmond had gotten more space. Video and audio are excellent throughout the DVD.

Best footage Ive seen of the classic DBQ. Sure do wish I could have been there to see these concerts live!