Customer Reviews

Jazz Impressions of Eurasia

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If Brubeck made any whole albums back in his heyday that hold up better than this one, I haven't heard them. I have owned this one for a few years now, and liking has turned to loving it. Everything is a Quartet original composition, recorded after they returned from a long tour of England and the Middle East and even, can you believe it here in 2002, Afghanistan. All four musicians get good solo time on this CD, but drummer Joe Morello really shines. This came out on record just before his smash hit "Take Five" and it complements the latter collection excellently. If you are interested in Dave Brubeck, don't skip this one. It is under 40 minutes, and many people are reluctant to buy CD's that don't come closer to using up the whole 70-plus minutes available. I used to be that way too, until I found I owned too many 60-minute CD's with 20 minutes of tedium in them. Just buy this darn great jazz album, and play it twice every time instead of once, and you'll be hearing 80 minutes of fascinating stuff!

Most people who listen to this album have already heard "Time Out" and are quite familiar with the Quartet's innovations with 5/4, 6/4 and 9/8 time. But many may not know how those ideas may have come from the previous year (1958), when Dave, Paul, Joe and Joe toured Europe and (South) Asia. If you like "Time Out", this music will sound right at home.

While every track is excellent, "Brandenburg Gate" with its circle-of-fifths modulations is lovely, as is its Polish-inspired companion piece "Thank You". For those who like a driving rhythm, "Nomad" will suffice quite nicely, while "The Golden Horn"'s speed puts you in mind of the later "Blue Rondo" (from Time Out). "Marble Arch" swings easy, while "Calcutta Blues" is simply beyond description. It must be heard - and felt.

Another bonus with the CD are new liner notes written by the artist in 1991's "Revisit with Dave." For the Brubeck enthusiast, this disk MUST be part of your collection, while for the jazz lover, here is yet another example of how an American-originated art form travels - and translates - quite nicely into other settings.

I have a hard time not liking everything DBQ ever did. But this album stands out.

DBQ was at home doing both standards and Dave's orginal and often unusual compositions. This album is all original material, and what's particualryl wonderful is that every song is so different. From the Bach-like structure of "Brandenberg Gate," to the wailing, wild, and way out (and totally un-Desmond-like)part-boogie-woogie, part-avante-garde "Golden Horn", and back to the Chopin-inspired "Thank You," every tune on this album tells a story.

It took a while for this one to grow on me, because of its variety and strangeness. I couldn't live with ut it now.

I bought this album (LP of course) in 1959 when it first came out. I was a 19-year-old serving in the U.S. Air Force and my barracks-mates got/had to listen to this hour after hour. I wore the first copy out and was half way through the second copy when I was transferred to a station overseas and had to leave my record collection. When they released the CD version, a few years ago, I ordered a copy right away. It's still my favorite album. In a word, it's magnificent!

small and beautifully formed. Every track on this record is a note-perfect. For the first few years of listening you might prefer the driving rhythm of Nomad, or the bluesy feel of Calcutta Blues, but then you'll slowly find that the haunting melody of Thank You is just as enjoyable. Every track play a part in making this my favourite record.

I've been listening to this recording for 35 years (since I was 5) and I still love every moment of it.

Without doubt the best out of the 20 or so Brubeck records I have.

m

"Jazz Impressions Of Eurasia" is yet another killer album from the DBQ. These guys really know how to light it up with their own unique brand of bebop. I don't think I've ever heard a saxophonist as fluid with a killer tone as Paul Desmond, well Stan Getz, Coleman Hawkins, and Ben Webster are pretty fluid themselves, but as far as alto saxophone goes, nobody touched Desmond for his sheer inventiveness, control over his notes, his phrasing, and again...the tone! On "Jazz Iimpressions Of Eurasia" the DBQ burn through some Brubeck originals and they never disappoint. Be sure to also check out all of Brubeck's albums with Desmond, none of them are bad.

Dave Brubeck - piano
Paul Desmond - alto saxophone
Joe Benjamin - bass
Joe Morello - drums

I recently watched a Clint Eastwood documentary "Dave Brubeck: In his Own Sweet Way" on Turner Classic Movies recently celebrating this jazz giant's 90th birthday. The mark of a great documentary is that it should inspire you to want to know more about the subject. I saw this album on Amazon and took a chance (I am more of Nirvana age than Be-bop, by the way) because the premise looked interesting. Man, this is simply a great disc.

Brubeck and his quartet, including the supremely gifted Paul Desmond, were sent on a goodwill tour of Europe and Central Asia by the US State Department.
This disc is the direct precedent of "Time Out." All I can say is WOW. From the first chords of "Nomad" to the end of "Calcutta Blues," this disc is nothing but bright, pretty and brilliant. Although I love the song "The Golden Horn" quite a bit, and also the London inspired "Marble Arch," perhaps the best song is the Polish inspired song "Thank You" which is just sublime and perhaps transcends the other songs in terms of pure jazz into just beautiful music that defies description.

This is an awesome disc that I will continue to listen to and if I were to make an impression on a younger music fan, present as one of a short collection of discs of what jazz can be like. Don't get me wrong, I love many varieties of music, but jazz is special and this is one of the best.

Thank you Clint Eastwood for making your great film and making me understand that there is far more to Dave Brubeck than just the other great album "Time Out." And thank you Dave Brubeck, et. al for doing what you did (and continue to do) and making some sublime music.

I love this album. His cut Brandenburg Gates is my favorite piece by Brubeck. I have three other versions of it and enjoy all three versions.

I have been an avid Brubeck fan and Brubeck collector since the 50s. I have 30 to 40 LPs and 10 to 15 CD. I've seen the old group in person several times. Jazz Impressions of Eurasia is a classic. If you are a Brubeck fan and you don't have this one ... get it. I have been listening to my LP recording now for almost 50 years and I never tire of it. I also play Jazz drums and Morello has a solo on this album that is wild. I am tempted to say that it could be his best ever but Morello has so much great stuff, I'm sure Morello fans everywhere would be writing to me. You can't go wrong with this selection. I guarantee you will like it. No question. If you don't like it ... you don't like the Dave Brubeck quartet. That's it!

All cuts transport the listener to the actual experience of the tour, but Calcutta Blues is the ultimate. Each one of the group drives to his finest impression of S.E. Asia. The only thing missing is a jug of Jack Daniels and a monsoon.