One Alone

Dave Brubeck

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 22, 2000)
• Original Release Date: August 22, 2000
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Telarc
• ASIN: B00004WFMB
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #79,141 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Composer and pianist Dave Brubeck has (along with saxophonist Paul Desmond) given us some memorable jazz hits like "Take Five" and "Blue Rondo a La Turk." Even though he mostly worked in combos, he recorded four solo piano recordings in his six-decade career: Brubeck Plays Brubeck; Brubeck Plays and Plays and Plays; Just You, Just Me, and A Dave Brubeck Christmas. One Alone is an excellent addition to those aural gems, marked by Brubeck's flowing and logical right-hand lines and steady left-hand walking basslines. He polishes off 13 compositions, most of them show tunes from the 1930s and '40s, ranging from George Gershwin's "Someone to Watch Over Me" to Harold Arlen's "Over the Rainbow," and the introspective title track by Sigmund Romberg. Brubeck pays homage to the Duke Ellington canon with his stridish swing on "Just Squeeze Me" and "Things Ain't What They Used to Be." The pianist also revisits his own tunes, the moody "Summer Song" and the heartbreaking "Weep No More"--written in 1945--with the romance and melodic resonance that could only come from a master of American music, which Dave Brubeck most certainly is. --Eugene Holley Jr.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must for any Brubeck fan, September 2, 2000

By A Customer

This CD is solo piano work of Dave Brubeck, similar to other CDs that he has released (Dave Brubeck plays and plays and plays, Just you, Just Me). Like these other CDs, this one also amazes the listener that such music could come from one instrument, like the title says, one alone. As a pianist, it is inspiring to hear variations and interpretations without use of a trio.

This CD has all kinds of styles. Some songs use a stride bass, others are bitonal (possibly polytonal, my ear isn't that sharp) and other jazz arranging techniques are employed as well. Over all, the CD is a must for any Brubeck fan.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Dave shows his gifts with this special album, July 15, 2002

By	Ben Wilson (Louisville, KY) - See all my reviews

Dave Brubeck in his quartet is a majestic thing: his vital improvising, his off-kilter yet dead-on rhythmic sense and his wonderful songwriting and arranging is always on display for us. Yet, Dave doesn't get the chance in his group (especially his current one) to display his full range of pianistic gifts; he's got too many good musicians to compete with! On this album, Dave's special keyboard touch can finally be heard. Sure, we've all heard the criticisms before: Dave can't swing, he just pounds, has a limited technique, etc. Nonsense. People said the same things about Miles and Monk. Here Dave shows the full flow of his musical ideas on his beloved instrument. Just like Monk and the Duke, Dave uses his piano for composing, too. I get the same special feeling when I listen to any of these three masters alone at a piano. It's the sound of their concepts, completely unfettered from the absence of other musicians. Here, Brubeck's wondeful sense of harmony and his musical command of polytonality (as opposed to gimmicky command) are especially evident. It's Dave, one alone, with no worries...in complete command.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent!, September 7, 2003

By	"garfieldguy" (Matthews, NC United States) - See all my reviews

This CD really shows off Dave's under-rated piano-playing abilities. To all who say that he just pounds or doesn't swing, I tell them to check this CD out. It's beautiful, expressive, and all-in-all excellent. :-)