Dave Digs Disney

Dave Brubeck

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 14, 1994)
• Original Release Date: June 29, 1957
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B000002864
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #91,752 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com essential recording
Dave Brubeck's ensemble playing is lit with contradictions, many of them best caught by the particular quartet lineup that included alto saxophonist Paul Desmond and drummer Joe Morello (and, as on Time Out, bassist Eugene Wright, who may well have rounded out the best rendition of the quartet). For this set of Disney tunes, Brubeck and Desmond play craftily off the contradicting sounds each made. Brubeck's stiff phrasing, so consistent that its very stoicalness was core to the art, and Desmond's lithe execution and breathy tone get jostled swingingly by Morello's baby's-breath touch on the snare--a perfect mix of terseness, economy, bent phrases, and so much more. Many of the tunes are all familiar to anyone with an ear on 20th-century culture, from "Give a Little Whistle" to "When You Wish Upon a Star" and "Some Day My Prince Will Come." The familiarity of the material allows an extended level of rapport, giving Digs Disney a shine that many Brubeck recordings just can't match. --Andrew Bartlett

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best Brubeck album that ISN'T called Time Out, March 19, 2001

By	"mr_keiichi" (USA) - See all my reviews

I came to the store with a purpose in mind: get a Brubeck album. So which one? The immensely popular "Time Out" or the reasonably popular "Dave Digs Disney"? Each one had tunes that I knew, so it wasn't a question of familiarity. Ultimately I went for the Disney album, mostly because it would be a bit more daring than getting Time Out (which everyone and his brother already owns). But also because Disney tunes are fun.

Brubeck proves his cool pianistic touch on this album, playing in the style that brought him to fame. Even the ballad melodies are exciting ones in the hands of the quartet. From the jaunty "Heigh-Ho" to the sweetness of "Someday My Prince Will Come" and "So This Is Love," there isn't a bad track to be found. Then again, each track is quite long, with jams running between about six and ten minutes. Don't expect to grasp the meaning of every recording in one listen -- this is the kind of CD that you put on over and over again to discover new jazz angles. For jazz veterans, it's a fresh spin on songs that would seem un-jazzy. For jazz novices, it's an awesome way to get into the genre.

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Improvisation At Its Best, September 19, 2000

By	D. Mataconis (Bristow, Virginia) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Its sometimes difficult for people who aren't already fans to understand jazz; to the untrained ear, improvisation often sounds like nonsense with no relationship to a tune. What Brubeck did here was take songs that virtually everyone is familiar with, thanks to the pervasive presence of Mickey and the gang, and give them his own, unique twist. In the process he created one of the classics of instrumental jazz.

The performances here are simply spectactular, and there has been so much praise written over the years of Brubeck, Paul Desmond, Joe Morello, and Eugene Wright, that there really isn't anything that I can add except echo a comment that has already been made and say that this is, quite probably, their finest recorded performance, surpassing even the commercially successful (and impressive in its own right) Time Out.

This is an essential purchase for anyone who's a Dave Brubeck fan. And, if you're not, pick this one up and you'll probably become one soon enough.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The very best of Brubeck, February 3, 1999

By A Customer

This album was one of the first jazz albums I ever bought and today, thirty years later, it still sounds fresh and innovative. Brubeck was strongly criticized for appealing to the masses... In those days jazz fans were happy to be considered musical outcasts. Dave digs Disney gave a strong insight into Brubecks future move into out-of-the-ordinary time signatures. His playing is lyrical and inventive and his well established empathy with Paul Desmond is at its highest point on this album. Even Brubeck's sometimes heavy handed use of the keyboard comes across well in this recording. Joe Morello's delicate approach to the drums has never been better demonstrated. He was a true artist, capable of incredible inventiveness. Eugene Wright, as usual, asteady if unspectacular bassist. This was one of the finest performances by this combination which was together for so long. A joy to listen to again and again. Go out and buy it, you wont be disappointed.