Dave Brubeck

[Rooster_Ties]

It's hard to fathom recommendations for someone who hasn't had any interest in Brubeck for so long.

FWIW, these are the first 6 jazz albums I owned (and could listen to repeatedly): "Kind of Blue" & "Nefertiti", and "Mode for Joe" (Henderson) & "Power to the People", plus Sun Ra's two latter-day dates on A&M ("Blue Delight" & "Purple Night"). Then I went crazy on Miles, mid-60's Blue Notes (with Joe and all of the sidemen from Mile's 2nd quintet), and LOTS more Sun Ra.

At the time, Brubeck seemed really square to me. And the only alto players I liked were Jackie McLean, Eric Dolphy, and of course Ornette; then later Steve Coleman and Greg Osby. So a guy with a tone and approach like Paul Desmond's, seemed REALLY square to me.

So the few Brubeck things I heard back in college were funneled through that frame of reference. Everyone has holes in their listening experience; it's just that mine tend to be some more obvious things that aren't holes for most other people.

Thanks for the Youtube posts below, Jim. FYI, I'm on a PC without any sound until I get to DC in 3-weeks - so don't take that I'm not responding to them directly personally. (I'll check back to this thread when I get settled.)

Edited May 15, 2011 by Rooster_Ties

[JSngry]

[JSngry]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9baSu2cC28&feature=related

[jazzbo]

It's hard to fathom recommendations for someone who hasn't had any interest in Brubeck for so long.

FWIW, these are the first 6 jazz albums I owned (and could listen to repeatedly): "Kind of Blue" & "Nefertiti", and "Mode for Joe" (Henderson) & "Power to the People", plus Sun Ra's two latter-day dates on A&M ("Blue Delight" & "Purple Night"). Then I went crazy on Miles, mid-60's Blue Notes (with Joe and all of the sidemen from Mile's 2nd quintet), and LOTS more Sun Ra.

At the time, Brubeck seemed really square to me. And the only alto players I liked were Jackie McLean, Eric Dolphy, and of course Ornette; then later Steve Coleman and Greg Osby. So a guy with a tone and approach like Paul Desmond's, seemed REALLY square to me.

So the few Brubeck things I heard back in college were funneled through that frame of reference. Everyone has holes in their listening experience; it's just that mine tend to be some more obvious things that aren't holes for most other people.

I didn't mean it as a value judgment my friend, I just didn't quite know where to start. There are some distinct "phases" in Brubeck's career, and I'm not sure where to start. I settled on tossing out Columbia material because the sound is always accessible and exceptional, and the albums work well as little islands to study and enjoy. I've had some success with Columbia albums as starting points for Monk and Duke and Mingus when people have asked for similar reasons.

But just as in the case of Monk, Duke and Mingus, Brubeck's work is consistently interesting and of high quality and an open ear to any should prove fruitful.

[Ken Dryden]

By the end of the month, Dave Digs Disney - Legacy Edition, will be available, but only as a download. There will be a total of 21 tracks, including mono and stereo versions (different performances), alternates and unissued material.

Edited May 16, 2011 by Ken Dryden

[shaft]

Friends - longtime Brubeck listener here.

I would suggest based on what I read above:

-Dave Digs Disney.

-Carnegie Hall Concert 2CD(This one is great!)

- Plays Music from West side story.

-Gone with the wind ( a real gem)

/Shaft

PS Please note that the jazz world community is somewhat divided when it comes to Brubeck. Many find him heavvy handed and "block-chordy" but I have always liked him - especially together with Paul Desmond ;-)

[mjzee]

Gary Giddins wrote a nice appreciation of Brubeck in his book Weather Bird. You can read most of it here:

Giddins

[DMP]

Shaft's recommendations are good ones! "Gone With the Wind," in particular, is one to get - more "swinging" than most of Brubeck's Columbia albums. The Carnegie Hall concert is strong, and a good overview of the group's material of the period.

[shaft]

Thanks DMP.

Come to think of it I really like the "Bossa Nova USA" too

Maybe not so easy to get hold of though.

/Shaft

[Teasing the Korean]

Today I was asking Alexa to play some jazz, and a very nice piano trio version of "Georgia on My Mind" came on.  I stopped what I was doing and listened.  After the first chorus, an alto sax came in, and I knew immediately that it was Paul Desmond, and I knew that this must have been the version from the Brubeck Gone with the Wind album on Columbia.  

When I was a kid, I borrowed this album from our family friend Bob Davis, who had been in the jazz vocal group the Honey Dreamers.  (Bob also lent me Jazz Impressions of Japan.). That version of "Georgia" captivated me as a 13-year-old.

Over the years, I have accumulated a reasonable amount of Brubeck albums, but I don't think I've heard that particular LP since I was a teenager. Interesting that it made an impression on me then, and that I sat up and took notice hearing the tune out of context, decades later.

Bob Davis sadly died when I was about 16 or 17.  I inherited from him a thin black necktie dating from the early 1960s.  I wore it for decades, and at some point, it got lost.  I never understand how neckties get lost, but it happens.  It still makes me sad when I think about this.

EDIT:  The other thing I remember about that album is Paul quoting "St. Thomas" in his solo on "Gone with the Wind."

 

Edited February 8 by Teasing the Korean