Customer Reviews

Jazz: Red Hot & Cool

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This album, a live night club set, is more evidence of the daring, experimentation, and innovation that characterized the Brubeck ensembles of the 1950's (ironically, 1960's "Time Out" and many of the releases subsequent to "Take Five" represented a more programmed and predictable approach for the quartet). "Jazz: Red Hot and Cool" lacks the energy and excitement of "Jazz Goes to College" and the inspired brilliance of "Jazz at Oberlin," but it's an opportunity to hear the quartet playing as much for each other as for a large audience of cheering young fans. The results, if restrained, are consistently stimulating and cerebral, with more emphasis on counterpoint and polyphony than on Dave's thunderous block chords.

One caveat concerning this reissue: Although the instruments have an added "presence" compared to the original vinyl album, the boosting of the bass is frequently overdone if not downright annoying. Even with the bass control on my receiver turned all the way back, the notes played by Bob Bates are dominating the sound, booming when they should be quietly walking. Also, I detect some "wavering" (wow and flutter) of the piano sound, which I don't recall being on the original LP. Indeed, the texture of the group's sound on the original Columbia LP is more ambient, convincing, and in general "wears better."

I've been waiting for this to be finally issued on CD after going through two vinyl copies (first being my grandfathers original version from 1955). Parts of this album have been issued before as four tracks on "Interchanges '54" (Sometimes I'm Happy, The Duke, Indiana, and Love Walked In) and "Lover" was issued on a Japanese compilation. Nothing compares to the entire work being on one CD (or record). The CD also has the advantage of having two additional tracks "Taking A Chance On Love" and "Closing Time Blues" added on at the end of where the record ended to make a fuller CD. This live performance is incredibly warm as the other reviewers have pointed out. It was recorded in a small NYC club and is very intimate. The intimacy is what makes this such a warm recording. It is a real shame that this album is an such undiscovered treasure by most of the people who are familiar with Dave Brubeck's music and finally issued by the record company.

I first got into Brubeck in a big way back around 1961 with his Time Out, Time Further Out albums exploring different meters. It was cool in high school to dig Brubeck. The only big promotion on him was reserved for his new realeases that concentrated on 5/5, 7/4, 9/8,whatever...times. Then I discovered his older works with Fantasy. When I came back to Brubeck in the 1990's with the CD format, I discovered many hidden tresures. None greater than Red Hot and Cool, recorded in a small night club in NYC in 1954-55, it ranks as one of his best as far as I'm concerned. Standout cuts: Lover, Little Girl Blue, Sometimes I'm Happy...oh..they're all good. Don't be misled because Morello and Gene Wright aren't in the background. These other guys provide good accompaniment to Desmond's dreamlike sax and Brubeck's clever playing. Just good cool jazz, relaxing and calming. Brubeck fans will love this one. The sound quality is excellent considering how old this is.

'Little Girl Blue' is the best Brubeck piano I've heard. On that extended live piece his peculiar rhythmic and harmonic experiments entirely succeed. And he's strong on much of the rest of the record. Desmond is much more laid back on this one than on 'Live at Oberlin'. If you like your jazz with the classical or even rock'n'roll bent, though, buy this one. YOu won't be disappointed.

When I first heard this "album" I was a teeny bopper back in the early '50s and it was an extended 45. I used to play it at nite with a "cool blue light" on and really was impressed with this new sound that I found for the 1st time. Now I'm and old bopper and when I found out that it had been re issued I immediatly bought it. Sure brought back my childhood and good memories.

On the strength of Brubeck's piano and a remarkably sharp Paul Desmond on alto sax, Jazz: Red, Hot and Cool makes up for subpar (for Columbia, usually an excellent label in the 1950s) sound quality and (for Brubeck) an imperfect performance. This is nitpicking, however, because even the just-adequate backing cannot spoil a memorable 'Lover', a too-good-to-ever-have-been-left-out 'Taking a Chance on Love' and Brubeck's Ellington tribute, 'The Duke.' The looser environment of the Basin Street club seems to have inspired the quartet to have some fun, and the additional songs are treasurable, avoiding completely the leftover flavor common to bonus tracks added to LPs during the transition to the CD era.

Once you have become accustomed to the indifferent sound -- apparently the original masters were lost and the seven original tracks were redubbed from an undisclosed source -- the album is delightful. Sometimes the perfection of the studio robbed recordings of their spontaneity and edge, while Jazz: Red, Hot and Cool suffers none of this. Probably not the first album on any Brubeck fan's list, but a great set made even better with the addition of two superb tracks.

HOT & COOL

Beyond Brubeck's ground-breaking true five star masterpiece "Time Out", some of his stuff can sometimes sound a little, how can I say, "buttoned-down" - a little too Cool and aloof. Recording studios can take the spontaneity out of music.

What a notable exception this CD is! A live concert from a club, full of energy. Brubeck is in top form. He often plays atempo, from a different meter, or even key than everyone else, he plays his quirky wrong note chords at the end of phrases and somehow everything comes out all right at the end. Clever. Funny. Strong Classical influence, with snippets and quotations from both Jazz and Classical Concertos.

Paul Desmond meshes well, but doesn't challenge him, hangs back. The rest of they group provides mostly background.

But an enjoyable performance of Jazz Standards, too long in the vault. Upbeat and happy!

Sound is not studio quality, but performances are hot!

The heart of the Dave Brubeck Quartet--which lasted from about 1951 to 1967--was really the amazing duo of Brubeck and Paul Desmond, plus a couple of guys on rhythm. In fact, there were several people sitting in the bass and drum chairs before Joe Morello and Eugene Wright signed on, making the final (and some say "classic") iteration of the Dave Brubeck Quartet.

In addition to the personnel changes over the years, there were changes in the type and style of the music they played as well. In the early days the repertoire was mostly standards. But by the time the mega-hit "Time Out" was released, the Quartet had gone from a book of standards recorded live to mostly Brubeck compositions recorded in the studio.

The first of those studio recording was in 1955--a good four years after their meteoric rise in popularity among young jazz fans. The reason for the delay was that Brubeck had resisted making records in the studio, fearing the group would never swing in private the way it did in public.

I some senses, Dave was right. For though the quartet always make wonderful music, the early recordings are by far some of the juiciest.

Nowhere is this more evident than on the "Jazz at college" recordings--particularly Oberlin and College of the pacific.

But those recordings suffer from the cavernous acoustics of the concert hall.

"Jazz Red Hot and Cool" is different: it belongs to the same period, but it was recorded in the more intimate setting of a night club. As a result, the sound quality is much better--more up-close and personal. No, it doesn't sound as perfect as a studio recording--but it's miles better than anything from the same period done in a concert hall.

The tunes are mostly standards, and the style is more cool than red-hot. But what cool! Some criticize this type of music and being too "cerebral" and somehow "aloof." I'll grant the cerebral part. Brubeck and Desmond, like Duke, Parker, and Mingus, had musical imaginations that drew inspiration from many sources--not just the blues and Louis--and much of what they played came form wellsprings of melodic, harmonic, and rhythmic understanding we mortals an only dimly perceive.

But aloof it's not. Every track has the sense of musicians who know each other well, guys who--to paraphrase Robert Frost" swing together, whether together or apart."

If you like early DBQ, add this one to your collection.

This was my first Dave Brubeck CD and I fell in love with it the minute I listened to it. Highly recommend it!

This is probably my least favourite Dave Brubeck Quartet recording. Most of the tracks are pretty drab and aren't very exciting. The standout would have to be the first track, 'Lover', which just rocks. It is probably my favourite recording of Paul Desmond and Brubeck together and one of my favourite improvisations. I would buy the cd just for that track. The way he builds his solo - riffs, complex lines, drama, it is like he is telling a story. It just really flows beautifully. The other tracks I have tried to appreciate but they simply bore me, even the upper tempo ones.