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Dave Brubeck "The Riddle"


Shrdlu

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I have been re-collecting a few Dave Brubeck Columbia LPs of late, mainly ones that I used to have when I was a teenage fan of his in the early 60s. Unlike the BN deep groove LPs, these are easy to obtain from eBay and Gemm, for between $10.00 and $20.00 for a disk in VG+ to NM condition. I'm talking original six-eye deep groove albums.

After many years of the heat being on to grab soon-to-be-OOP Blue Note CDs etc., it has made a nice change to get back to these. As most of you know, nearly all were recorded at the 30th Street Studio. The engineering is first-class, and, I think, superior to Rudy's (which I like, though), especially the piano, which sounds much more natural. [i am used to Rudy's piano sound (it's part of jazz history, after all) and I like it, but it really is kinda boxed in sounding.]

Anyway, "The Riddle" just arrived, and it was a very pleasant shock to hear once again how wonderful the album is. It isn't as well-known as a lot of other Brubeck albums, and has not re-surfaced on CD, but it does not deserve to be neglected. It was a ball to play it again!

It was recorded in 1959, between some of the "Time Out" sessions. The Quartet was in its prime at the time, and recorded four superb albums that year. This album has Bill Smith on clarinet, instead of Paul Desmond, mainly because the music is all his. Bill has a wonderful sound on the instrument, and plays with a combination of excellent technique and a lot of heart. All the compositions are variations on the English folk song "Hey Ho, Anybody at Home?". There is, however, considerable variety, both in mood and tempo, and even some blues. As the notes point out, Dave and Bill had worked together many years earlier, in Dave's experimental Octet. Even though, by 1959, they had not worked together in years, a great rapport still existed, and you can really hear it throughout. Without that, the somewhat complex compositions would not have had such fine solos. There are also some delightful clarinet-piano dialogues reminiscent of the well-known ones between Dave and Paul Desmond; in fact, Bill's licks are a bit like Paul's at times. If you want to know what the regular Quartet would have sounded like if Paul had doubled on the clarinet, this is it, probably.

Gene Wright and Joe Morello are enjoying things and in sparkling form. On one track, Gene plays a meatier solo than usual on a Brubeck album, one that would have been applauded if played at a gig. Joe has a few masterly solo spells, and greatly varies his sound throughout the whole album. (It is easy to get hooked on his brushwork!)

I hope you will get a chance to hear this sometime. If I had a radio show, a track from this would be on tonight!

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  • 4 years later...

it was tentative titled "Witches' Brew," recorded long before Miles' 'Bitches Brew.' It seems doubtful that Columbia will get around to issuing it.

And maybe Teo remembered this and suggested it as a title to Miles?

Just picked up 'The Riddle' on vinyl myself. This one is a UK Fontana pressing. I'm a sucker for anything that was recorded at 30th St studio.

Edited by sidewinder
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If you like this album, be sure to pick up "Music to Listen to Red Norvo By" on Contemporary, which has an entire side dedicated to an extended Bill Smith composition.

Been listening to Music to Listen to Red Norvo By semi-obsessively over the past few months. An excellent record (with a Duane Tatro composition as a bonus!) that sounds to me like a west equivalent of the MJQ, with added horns (Smith on clarinet, Buddy Collette on flute). Smith's playing is excellent on this one, as it is on another OJC I bought only a few weeks ago, Folk Jazz by the Bill Smith Quartet - Smith on clarinet with Jim Hall, Monty Budwig, and Shelly Manne - playing a range of folk material from old English tunes to American spirituals. An overlooked gem.

I'll have to check out his stuff with Brubeck.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Picked up a nice stereo copy of The Riddle as one of a stack of LPs I bought yesterday. It's on right now, and I'm enjoying it, not least for a personal, sentimental reason - my mom taught me "Hey Ho, Nobody Home" (that's the way she sang it) when I was about five. Good album, and Brubeck swings more than usual, in my opinion.

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college of the pacific special collections...........boo-ya!!!

BOX 50: BRUBECK'S PERSONAL AUDIO RECORDINGS---DB + BILL SMITH:

WITCHES BREW (BRU), December 9, 1964

(Note from Iola Brubeck 5/2008: All compositions by Smith, produced by Teo Macero.

Includes: Devil, Dave's Incantation, Mouse, Gene's Incantation, Coven, Hex, Fox, Scotch,

Joe' Incantation, Bill's Incantation.)

4B.50.1: Witches Brew/Job 92347/Part I ---"The Devil," "Goblins," "Druids," "Senator

Reverend Wright Talks"---n.d. [brand unknown; 1800 ft.; 7.5; mono]

4B.50.2: Witches Brew/Job 92347/Part 2 ---"Coven," "Hex"---n.d. [brand unknown; 1800

ft.; 7.5; mono]

4B.50.3: Witches Brew/Job 92347/Part 3 ---"Scotch etc."---n.d. [brand unknown; 1800

ft.; 7.5; mono]

4B.50.4: Witches Brew/Job 92347/Part 4 --n.d. [brand unknown; 1800 ft.; 7.5; mono]

4B.50.5: Job #92347/Witches Bru/Side 1, n.d. [brand unknown; 1200 ft.]

4B.50.6: Job #92347/Witches Bru/Side 2, n.d. [brand unknown; 1200 ft.]

4B.50.7: Witches Bru---last half of side #2, n.d. [scotch 120 acetate, 1200 ft.; 7.5 ips;

half track]

4B.50.8: Side 1: DB & Bill Smith Swinging on the Golden Gate; Side 2: DB & Bill Smith,

Witches Bru, n.d. [sony PR-150 polyester, 1800 ft.; 7.5 ips, stereo]

4B.50.9: Side 1: DB & Bill Smith Swinging on the Golden Gate; Side 2: DB & Bill Smith,

Witches Bru, n.d. [scotch 111 acetate, 1200 ft.; 7.5 ips; half track]

Edited by chewy
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Kalo:

I was about to recommend "Folk Jazz" and just noticed that you already had (see below).

If you're interested in Bill Smith, you might also check out some of his other recordings which include:

- "Concerto for Clarinet and Combo" (issued as one side of a Shelly Manne record on Comtemporary)

- "The American Jazz Ensemble in Rome" (RCA)

- "The American Jazz Ensemble - New Dimensions" (Epic)

I also have some more recent recordings that he did with Enrico Pieranunzi.

By the way, he also has recorded several albums of modern classical music under his full name (William O. Smith).

If you like this album, be sure to pick up "Music to Listen to Red Norvo By" on Contemporary, which has an entire side dedicated to an extended Bill Smith composition.

Been listening to Music to Listen to Red Norvo By semi-obsessively over the past few months. An excellent record (with a Duane Tatro composition as a bonus!) that sounds to me like a west equivalent of the MJQ, with added horns (Smith on clarinet, Buddy Collette on flute). Smith's playing is excellent on this one, as it is on another OJC I bought only a few weeks ago, Folk Jazz by the Bill Smith Quartet - Smith on clarinet with Jim Hall, Monty Budwig, and Shelly Manne - playing a range of folk material from old English tunes to American spirituals. An overlooked gem.

I'll have to check out his stuff with Brubeck.

Edited by jazztrain
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