Customer Reviews

We're All Together Again for the First Time

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

 

 

Koto song is one of the most haunting piece of music I have ever heard. It is ipnotic in its eternal beauty. It is unforgettable. If it was for this tune alone, this album is absolutly one to have. Absolutly and I mean it. But Koto song is not the only highlight of this concert. Rotterdam blues is a wonderful blues. And what about the two extraordinary long versions of Truth and Take five? Gerry Mulligan really shines here. His interplay with Desmond and Brubeck is something of the highest grade. In Take five the band take a long ride on the various modal scales, major and minor in 5/4 time. Really ipnotic this one too. It is a wonderful take five version and I really love the crescendo Dave take at the end of his solo, from 8.05. It perfectly guide you to the drum solo. Really Great!! This album is cool, it swings, it haunts you. I own this since I was a student. The father of a girlfriend of mine had this nice collection of old Jazz records and he was really into Desmond and Mulligan. I put this one and Two of a kind on a tape (it was tape time!) and I did wear out the thing. Those were among the first jazz albums I have ever had. Now I own 7000 but I still listen to these two albums quite regularly (but I still prefer this concert to the studio album from Desmond and Mulligan in their pianoless encounter "TOAK"). I think this album should be the second from Dave one should own, just after Time out of course. But here you have Gerry Mulligan as a nice addiction. Absolutly suggested.

The Dave Brubeck Quartet did several *gooood* live recordings. What makes this one stand out is the addition of Gerry Mulligan.

Mulligan and Paul Desmond worked great together - they did another album, "Two of a Mind", where the interplay was almost telepathic - and this CD is no exception.

As with some other reviewers, I too would have preferred to see the "Time Out" personnel, drummer Joe Morrello and bassist Gene Wright, on this CD too, but Alan Dawson and Jack Six fill in nicely. (And this recording was twelve years later...) In fact, the 16:00 version of Take Five on this CD has the time for a longer drum solo than on the original "Time Out" version, not bad at all IMHO.

As for the tracks: "Truth" starts out with a vaguely foreboding motif by Brubeck, very effective, reminding me in concept of a piece like the first movement of Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2. Alternatively, among well-known jazz CDs, the intro to "Autumn Leaves" on Cannonball Adderley's "Somethin' Else" CD introduces the same mood, although the Brubeck piece turns uptempo much more rapidly. The interplay between Desmond and Mulligan is pretty good on this piece. The improv by Brubeck later seems to recall, what, Edgar Varese? the Cabinet Of Dr. Caligari soundtrack? - but it leads into a nice, if schizophrenic duo with Jack Six.

"Unfinished Woman", a distantly haunting melody by Mulligan, sets up a fine duo between Gerry and Dave...then a contrasting repeat with Paul Desmond and Dave. There is one annoying sub-second dropout about the 5:00 mark during this - don't know if it's just my recording.

"Koto Song" is a placid mood piece - with overtones of the Japanese instrument from which it draws its name. No Mulligan on this piece, which is perfect for Desmond anyway.

What can I add about a sixteen-minute version of "Take Five"? I do wonder what Joe Morrello would have done with the drum solo, which was Brubeck's original reason for writing this song.

"Rotterdam Blues" is more blues-tinged than anything else, but again showcases Jack Six effectively...

...and "Sweet Georgia Brown" is a nice, short, goodbye solo.

The recording, absent one dropout, is good, and the liner notes from the original album are a nice plus.

The only negative I can possibly imagine is that this is *live* jazz. I personally don't think that's a negative, but tastes vary.

So...Dave Brubeck, Paul Desmond, and Gerry Mulligan playing live...what's not to like? Five stars.

What can be said about this CD, it is simply brilliant. The two tracks, "Truth" and "Koto Song" are enough to make this one of the best Jazz CD's I have heard. Even the rather overly played "Take Five" is inspirational on this CD.

Get This CD!

I'm a teenager just getting into jazz. I borrowed Time Out from my uncle and loved it. I went home and found this in one of our cd drawers. I put it on and was instantly mesmorized. #1 and #4 are especially good. I do like John Coltrane a bit better, but Dave Brubeck has a place in every decent jazz collection.

Absolutely awesome. This is a compilation of live tracks from several performances in Europe during the fall of 1972 while on a Newport Jazz Festival tour. In case you have forgotten. Dave disbanded his quartet during 1967 after 17 years of performing. George Wein producer of the Newport Jazz Festival and the U.S. State Department asked Dave if he would reform his group and go on the road. My only criticism is that this should be at least a two-disc album.

Dave Rubeck on piano is accompanied by Paul Desmond on alto saxophone, Gerry Mulligan on baritone saxophone, Jack Six on bass, and Alan Dawson on drums. Every track is great. Expanding the group to a quintet with the addition of Gerry Mulligan is wonderful. Gerry and Paul really swing.

Truth (10:20) and Unfinished Woman (7:20), the first two tracks, were recorded during 4 November 1972 at the Philharmonic in Berlin. Truth is an improvisational adaptation of the orotario "Truth from Planets Are Spinning." But, this is a very creative interpretation with Dave playing complex time signatures which are enhanced by Alan Dawson's spectacular percussion accents. Jack Six playa a great bass solo. Incidentally, Jack played on the premiere performance of the original orotario. This was and remains "swinging jazz."

Unfinished Woman was written by Gerry Mulligan. It features Gerry and Paul playing counterpoint comments while Dave plays a syncopated riff.

Koto Song (5:05) was recorded during 26 October 1972 at the famous Olympia Theater in Paris. It is a light blues tune heavily influenced by the koto, a Japanese classical insturment Dave heard in Kyoto, Japan. Koto Song was first played by the old quartet on the "Jazz Impressions of Japan" album and a live version recorded in Germany during 1966 was released on the "Brubeck Summit Sessions" album. But, this is probably the best version and features Paul Desmond's elegant, sinuous melodic lines. Gerry Mulligan does not play on this track.

If you are unsure whether to purchase this album, track four alone is reason to buy. It, like tracks one and two, was recorded during 4 November 1972 in Berlin. This is a spectacular 16 minute version of Take Five, which was first released during January 1960 on the Time Out album. Alan Dawson is awesome on drums and needless to say the audience loved the performance. You may think that Dave had tired of playing this song but he said after the concert: "We really still enjoy playing it and you heard what kind of audience reaction it still receives." You will play this many, many times.

Rotterdam Blues (6:45) and Sweet Georgia Brown (1:00), the last two album tracks were recorded during 28 October 1972 at De Doelen in Rotterdam, Netherlands. Of all the concert performances, this was the most wildly received and the crowd made the group play several encores lasting more than 40 minutes. Unfortunately, we don't get to hear them. Rotterdam Blues begins with Dave playing solo and then the ryhthm and horn sections come in later. It features some terrific blues solos. This is a real swinging blues tune with every musician totally in the groove. The final encore tune is Dave playing a solo chorus of Sweet Georgia Brown. Dave later said: "I don't know how it happened to come to mind. I probably hadn't played this tune since my trio days over twenty years earlier."

Remember, this was during late 1972. Nixon was president. The "Iron Curtain" was reality. Germany was divided into East and West by the Berlin Wall. Poland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Romania, Bulgaria and Yugoslavia were all occupied or controlled by the Soviet Union. The United States was in the final stage of withdrawing soldiers from Viet-Nam. Times were changing and as usual Dave and his group were in the forefront. This was an important concert tour and remains a great album.

I HAVE BEEN A FAN OF DAVE BRUBECK SINCE THE 1950'S. EACH OF HIS ALBUMS HAVE BEEN WONDERFUL TO LISTEN TO AND I HAVE QUITE A COLLECTION. THIS ALBUM, I THINK, IS THE BEST EVER IN ITS ENTIRETY. THANKS TO AMAZON.COM FOR MAKING THIS MUSIC AVAILABLE AND HOPEFULLY INSPIRE YOUNG PEOPLE TO BECOME FAMILIAR WITH. SANDRA TAPPER

I had and lost track of this disk several years ago. Hearing Gerry Mulligan and Dave Brubeck on the same bandstand is a never-to-be-repeated experience. The disk includes yet another rendition of the oft-repeated "Take Five," but with the interface between Gerry Mulligan, Paul Desmond and the audience, the performance ranks with Benny Goodman's "Sing, Sing, Sing!" at Carnagie Hall in 1938 as "The One to Hear."

I bought this CD back in the early 90's but an ex- girlfriend stole no less than 500 CD's from me so I have been without it since the early '00's. I am happy to have it back in the fold and ripped into lossless files for my aural pleasure for many years to come (hopefully!) Of the course the 16+ minute live version of Take Five (live) is the highlight here, however the entire repetoire here is superb and and any aficionado of Jazz or music period should own this disc or better still the album!

Of all the great jazz drummers, from Buddy Rich on down, there is in my humble opinion no greater recorded solo than Alan Dawson's on "Take Five". His shadowing on the hi-hat, crescendo, and controlled power is awe-inspiring. For any drummer of any style of music who wants to hear how it's done, take a listen.

If I were to glance at just the title of this cd for the first time, I would think the whole original quartet would be on this album, hence the name, We are ALL Together Again For The First Time. Anyway, the music was allright. Even though I am strictly a Brubeck QUARTET fan only, I didn't dismiss this album and I came to like it. But does Dave have to really put Take Five on every album. Truth is allright, and the rock song is wierd, but ok. Overall, the album was good. Desmond sounded a bit differen't. He probally lost his touch with the instrument, or his will to play!