Customer Reviews

Three Classic Albums

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This has three of his best albums, and the release of Jr. College is, I believe the first time after the LP release. Jr. College by itself is worth the price as it has him and Paul really stretching out. Bru's Blues I memorized in 1958 and have never forgotten. Get it. You'll love it if you dig the old Brubeck Quartet.

Two of the three albums that make up this two-cd set have not been easy to come by until recently, thus making this "three-fer" an attractive deal. Both "Newport 1958" and "Jazz Goes to Junior College" are now available on a much more expensive stand-alone basis, and both are representative of the best of the Brubeck quartet's mid-late 1950's work.

I had never heard the Newport set from the Ellington tribute night at the jazz festival, and now see why it has long been held in high esteem. The music, all of which was associated with the Ellington band (one piece, "The Duke," was actually composed by Brubeck), was intelligently programmed. It was especially gratifying to hear one of the movements from the "Liberian Suite" included.

I've always preferred "Jazz Goes to Junior College," recorded on consecutive nights at schools in Fullerton and Long Beach, California (May 1& 2, 1957), over the better known "Jazz Goes to College," and never understood why it has been out of circulation for so long. Three of the five pieces that make up this album aren't heard all that often ("Bru's Blues," "The Masquerade is Over," and "One Moment's Worth Years"), which adds to its appeal. The Quartet is also a little more laid back on these tracks than on some of the other college albums, creating an atmosphere that feels more like a club than an auditorium.

"Jazz Red Hot and Cool," a fine Brubeck collection recorded at Basin Street 1954/1955, has been around for a long time and thus needs no introduction. It works well with the other albums in this collection, which I highly recommend, especially since at the time of this writing new cds can be picked up for around $7 from amazon resellers.

Since both Time Out and Gone With the Wind are the property of Sony and the Portland recording is not an authorized recording, Brubeck fans will do best to avoid this release.