Search - Dave Grusin :: Dave Grusin Presents West Side Story

VERY DISAPOINTED

Alejandro J Ceppi | 09/25/1999

(2 out of 5 stars)

"Don't bother with this DVD, buy the CD instead. I expected cool shots of all the musicians, Brecker, Weckl etc. Instead I got silly 60's style stoned out graphics & boring USA city pictures. There are all to infrequent shots of the amazing musos recording the album, That's what I wanted, the music is amazing but the video footage is a disgrace. As I said buy the CD & just try to imagine how fantastic it would of been to be there, because this DVD will never tell you. SORRY!!!!!!!!!"

You will like Grusin?s interpretation of the original, but..

Alejandro J Ceppi | San Isidro, Buenos Aires Argentina | 08/12/2001

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Just in case you did not know, this is Dave Grusin?s version of some of the music themes of West Side Story original film with music by Leonard Bernstein (a masterpiece)....I like Dave Grusin. I have heard that some pure jazz fans do not have him in there grater esteem (perhaps they see him as a kind of modern Glen Miller), but I find most of his music and arrangements tasteful, balanced, adequate and easy to listen to (that is maybe why some don?t like him, but he manages to make his jazz style accessible to most audiences). He made for example a very good job with his interpretations of Duke Ellington and Henry Mancini?s music. He also has a delicate, distinctive and personal way of playing the piano (which I like) that makes his performances very recognizable. Well, his adaptation of West Side Story?s music is not an exception. It lacks the strength and vitality of the original but many might prefer it and consider it up to modern standards (or fashion). Even if your personal musical taste is such that you might not be very fond of the original score (I love it), I bet you will like this version which I suppose must be reachable and enjoyable by almost everybody. If you like Jon Secada, Gloria Stefan and Jonathan Butler, well, they sing some themes. Also, many other great and renown musicians participate. But be aware, the music is OK but the visual scenes going with it are mostly disappointing and seem out of place. I would have expected to see more of the musicians playing, maybe more of the film?s steady pictures (they use a few), why not some bits of the film, or even some sort of video clips matching the rhythm (the kind you can normally see nowadays on TV going together with almost any song). Instead, although you get some glances of the musicians while recording or of Dave Grusin conducting or playing the piano, there are two musical themes which go with a made up visual story that has to do with absolutely nothing, in most themes you constantly get flashing images of kind of psychedelic (and disturbing) lightings of what I guess might be the graphical representation of the sound waves, and with the ?I Love to be in America? song you get different pictures of representative sceneries and buildings of America and Dave Grusin walking around and smiling in a country environment (which I suppose is his way of saying that he also loves America). I must warn you, at times it gets even annoying. Perhaps you just ought to go for the CD version (just the music). Anyway, the music and its interpretation are OK and I think you will like them. I, by all means, would recommend the original movie DVD (but you?d better check the reviews first, before you make up your mind)...."

LET DOWN!

Giovanni C. Washington-Wright | Dallas, TX United States | 08/25/2000

(2 out of 5 stars)

"I too expected to see more shots of the incredible New York studio musicians who recorded this music. Instead, I saw boring, out-of-date, psychedelic graphics... ho-hum! 5 stars for the musicians and Dave Grusin's burnin' big band charts, 1 star for the DVD. What a waste!"