Search - Dave Brubeck Quartet :: Jazz Impressions of Japan

Jazz Impressions of Japan
Dave Brubeck Quartet
Jazz Impressions of Japan
Genres: Jazz, Pop
 
  •  Track Listings (8) - Disc #1


     
?

Larger Image

CD Details

All Artists: Dave Brubeck Quartet
Title: Jazz Impressions of Japan
Members Wishing: 1
Total Copies: 0
Label: Sony
Release Date: 4/10/2001
Genres: Jazz, Pop
Style: Cool Jazz
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaCD Credits: 1
UPC: 074646572627

Similar CDs

 

CD Reviews

A Must-Have For Any Fan of Brubeck
Leif Thorsted | Los Angeles, CA USA | 05/20/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)

"The 8 tracks on this album capture Brubeck at his best as a composer. He appeared to be consciously striving to achieve the simple, succinct, and profound features of haiku. "Rising Sun" is as understated and pretty a melody as I've ever heard from anyone. "Tokyo Traffic" is classic, west-coast cool. "Toki's Theme" is 60's camp. "Fujiyama" is a contemplative piece that features Brubeck sounding like Bach chasing notes around in a circle. "Zen is When" is an atmospheric, peaceful, and hypnotic lullaby. "The City is Crying" is vintage Brubeck Quartet that showcases Paul Desmond. "Osaka Blues" is a straight forward swing that allows Brubeck to stab harmonic chords over the pitch-perfect bass and druming of Wright and Morello, respectively. "Koto Song" is the most Japanese-sounding track on the album. Again, very atmospheric, very contemplative and very hypnotic.

I like this album every bit as much as "Time Out" and "West Side Story". "Jazz Impressions of Japan" should be in everyones jazz collection. It's great if you blast it and just as great if you have it as background music."
Beautiful music, beautiful jazz
R. Kerr | Australia | 06/10/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)

"I heard this CD on the radio and was instantly hooked. I have to say however that I am biased having been a Brubeck fan since the Fifties. This CD is a fine example of his ability to compose beautiful music with real meaning. It brings the music of Japan into the jazz idiom wonferfully. I love it."
Sugei
jokamachi | california | 08/14/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)

"Unmentioned in previous reviews is the fact that Japan itself was going through a economic transformation in the sixties and that reality permeates the music thoroughly. You can almost feel the progress on faster tracks such as the dizzying Tokyo Traffic and Toki's Theme, an infectious foot-tapping tune written to a busy, Japanese secretary. Overall, you've got more than just a couple things going on thematically; Jazz Impressions of Japan is both culturally and musically interwoven, jostling between an ancient medieval society and the economic juggernaut it has become. Musically, it's mostly traditional; pentatonic Japanese scales are utilized creatively and respectfully throughout the recording, although, as soloists, it sounds like Desmond covers more ground than Brubeck. But I also get the feeling Dave's composing thematically to a set of minimalist, rhythmic patterns distinct to Japanese music. Whatever the case, this recording only draws one deeper into a culture you really have to live in to fully understand; it's a complex record, but one that succeeds.

"