Search - Dave Brubeck :: Great Concerts: Amsterdam Etc

Brubeck Imported And Domestic In First-Class Live Package

Anthony G Pizza | FL | 10/18/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The mid-1950s through mid-1960s were remarkable years for jazz, especially for the challenging yet accessible music of Dave Brubeck's Quartet. In those years Brubeck was the first jazz musician to make a "Time" magazine cover, sell one million copies of a jazz instrumental, and raise a following first among college-age youth through hectic touring. This resulted in bristling peer comments (Columbia labelmate Miles Davis particularly nasty in an infamous "Down Beat" interview), but kudos from a public for whom Brubeck was (to paraphrase his Broadway show) a "real ambassador" for jazz. Much of this worldwide following came from appearances like these anthologized on "The Great Concerts," recorded between 1957-63 by the Quartet's greatest lineup at its most popular and creative. The players' alchemy is notable considering that, according to the liner notes, they played the Carnegie Hall portion in poor health after a long tour. Here, Brubeck chases Paul Desmond's fluttering sax solos on a swift "Blue Rondo a La Turk" and on intimate, compact renditions of Billy Strayhorn's "Take The A Train" and a gently persistent "Like Someone In Love." Joe Morello at times hides superb cymbal work behind Desmond's gliding, other times slamming (especially on "Real Ambassadors" where he duets with Brubeck's near boogie-woogie piano) with swinging intensity approaching a jazz variation of John Bonham. (If the "Time Signatures" box set is to be believed, Brubeck enjoyed such drum flamboyance.) This remains among the few live collections still in print from the Quartet's peak years (although Atlantic's "We're All Together Again For The First Time" from a decade later recaptures the group in fine form). It is thus essential for longtime Brubeck fans, although "Greatest Hits," his "Anything Goes" tribute to Cole Porter and the legendary "Time Out" are strong first purchases for the new listener."

Another great choice in Brubeck CD's...

William E. Adams | Midland, Texas USA | 01/30/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"As I write this, there are four earlier reviews posted, and each is accurate. Check them out for details. One notes that Miles Davis was not a big Brubeck fan back in the day. What does that mean to me, who is a fan of both artists? I even like the late-career Brubeck, while I don't much care for the late-career Davis, who I saw in concert in NYC in 1970. As a jazz lover, especially of the 20-year-period after the end of WW II, I note with sadness the drug and alcohol-ruined careers of so many, the financial hardships of so many, and the snobbery and feuding of so many. Music either pleases one's ear, heart, mind and soul or it does not...and sometimes one comes to like in later years what one could not dig when younger, and vice-versa. This Brubeck is his best quartet, doing live what they also did well in the studio. He had a great Sixties, and sold a bunch of records and many people began their jazz love with Dave and later grew into the racial roots of the form. What's wrong with that? Buy Dave. Buy Miles. Buy Coltrane, Mingus and Chet Baker. Don't worry about the kind of jazz it is or the color of the creator of it, if it makes you happy to hear it. I play this CD a lot, when I'm NOT playing Monk or the Modern Jazz Quartet, or Miles Davis. To quote a famous Miles' tune, "So What?""

An excellent cd

Tom W.C Oppenheim | Victoria, Australia. | 06/28/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Once again the Dave Brubeck quartet shines for me. I really enjoy this album. I actually heard two of the tunes (Blue Rondo and Tangerine) on the radio and they got me hooked. Those two are my favourites. Tangerine is just awesome, Desmond's technique is flawless and his ideas are wonderful. Each little idea is a gem. The same goes for Blue Rondo. The other tunes are nice, but these are the standouts."