GregK Posted November 16, 2003 Report Share Posted November 16, 2003 Jazzmatazz has a listing for a box including all 5 of Brubeck's "Time" themed releases (Time Out, Time In, etc etc). I was wondering who here would be interested, and whether anyone thinks these are essential records. I don't see too much discussion of Brubeck around here Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shrdlu Posted November 17, 2003 Report Share Posted November 17, 2003 You know, Greg, I have been too hard on Dave and his group for years. I was a big fan as a kid, when they were very popular, then moved on to Bird and Trane (who are superior jazzmen, no question), and kinda disdained Brubeck in my youthful combination of enthusiaism and immaturity. But recently, I have re-investigated them, and I have to say that they are top quality guys musically, and very nice people to boot, with a good attitude. Paul Desmond's command of harmony is dazzling, and both he and Dave were originals with a lot of ideas of their own - no warmed-over licks here. Joe Morello was a fine drummer, and during one of his solos, I thought "this is very similar to Philly Joe, and just as lively". The bassists with the group were competent, but not in the Paul Chambers class. Such albums as "In Europe" sound terrific to me today. It's hard to consider these "time" albums, especially the first two, as they are (rather like "Kind Of Blue") so familiar to many of us. They are excellent albums, and now, after all these years, the then odd time signatures don't sound odd at all. I never did get to hear the "time" albums after "Time In Outer Space", so I don't know what those are like, but the first three have some great moments and are well worth a listen if anyone has never heard them. Just don't expect to hear Sonny Clark, or Bud Powell, or Bill Evans, or McCoy Tyner, ... It's a different bag. Recently, I was listening again to the piano solo on Herbie Hancock's "The Egg" (on the "Empyrean Isles" album), and it struck me: hey, there's some Dave Brubeck influence there. Interesting. And, of course, Miles recorded "Someday My Prince Will Come", long after Dave's first version, and surely he was spurred to do it because Dave had made a recording of it. The two knew each other. There is a 1962 version of that on the "Time In Outer Space" album, incidentally. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeweil Posted November 17, 2003 Report Share Posted November 17, 2003 I wonder why they didn't include any bonus material of the Time Out album, as they do with all the others. Take Five always sounded like there was a piano solo edited out, and if so, I'd love to hear the complete version. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jazzbo Posted November 17, 2003 Report Share Posted November 17, 2003 I'm looking forward to this! I'm a big fan of the Brubeck Columbia albums! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bright Moments Posted November 17, 2003 Report Share Posted November 17, 2003 i can't wait! in the meantime i'll put on "the real ambassadors!" B) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregK Posted November 17, 2003 Author Report Share Posted November 17, 2003 You know, Greg, I have been too hard on Dave and his group for years. I was a big fan as a kid, when they were very popular, then moved on to Bird and Trane (who are superior jazzmen, no question), and kinda disdained Brubeck in my youthful combination of enthusiaism and immaturity. But recently, I have re-investigated them, and I have to say that they are top quality guys musically, and very nice people to boot, with a good attitude. Paul Desmond's command of harmony is dazzling, and both he and Dave were originals with a lot of ideas of their own - no warmed-over licks here. Joe Morello was a fine drummer, and during one of his solos, I thought "this is very similar to Philly Joe, and just as lively". The bassists with the group were competent, but not in the Paul Chambers class. Such albums as "In Europe" sound terrific to me today. It's hard to consider these "time" albums, especially the first two, as they are (rather like "Kind Of Blue") so familiar to many of us. They are excellent albums, and now, after all these years, the then odd time signatures don't sound odd at all. I never did get to hear the "time" albums after "Time In Outer Space", so I don't know what those are like, but the first three have some great moments and are well worth a listen if anyone has never heard them. Just don't expect to hear Sonny Clark, or Bud Powell, or Bill Evans, or McCoy Tyner, ... It's a different bag. Recently, I was listening again to the piano solo on Herbie Hancock's "The Egg" (on the "Empyrean Isles" album), and it struck me: hey, there's some Dave Brubeck influence there. Interesting. And, of course, Miles recorded "Someday My Prince Will Come", long after Dave's first version, and surely he was spurred to do it because Dave had made a recording of it. The two knew each other. There is a 1962 version of that on the "Time In Outer Space" album, incidentally. I will probably get this set. Time Out of course is a classic, and since I am not very familiar with the other 4 of the Time records this is a good way to get them. I think I agree with your comments on the familiarity of Time Out when heard coming from the 90s instead of when it originally came out; it's still a great listen. I recently picked up Brubeck's record from Starbucks in Manhattan, and although it isn't earth shattering it is still great music, and listening to that record made me interested in seeking out more of his music Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guy Berger Posted November 17, 2003 Report Share Posted November 17, 2003 I will probably get this set. Time Out of course is a classic, and since I am not very familiar with the other 4 of the Time records this is a good way to get them. I haven't heard all these albums, but Time Further Out is just as good as Time Out. In fact, the group is much more effective at improvising over the unusual meters on this date. Guy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlhoots Posted November 17, 2003 Report Share Posted November 17, 2003 Eugene Wright was a more than competent bass player. I saw Brubeck in person recently. He looks and sounds great. His touring schedule would "kill" someone half his age. There's no Desmond in the group, but it was still a great concert. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
king ubu Posted November 17, 2003 Report Share Posted November 17, 2003 Will those albums also be reissued as single CDs? I ask because I quite recentyl picked up the first two of those albums, and don't really know whether I'd jump for the set now. ubu Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andersf Posted November 17, 2003 Report Share Posted November 17, 2003 Five CDs on the Time theme; artistic commitment or commercial crassness? To tell the truth, I like the Time Out album, haven't heard the others, but can't keep wondering where the diminishing returns set in. BTW, there is also a four CD retrospective which appears good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrJ Posted November 17, 2003 Report Share Posted November 17, 2003 I'm really looking forward to this box...I'd been holding out on getting a new remaster of TIME OUT because I figured eventually it'd be in a box of some kind. Re: diminishing returns, I wonder about that myself not having heard the later albums in the box. But TIME FURTHER OUT is in many ways just as excellent as TIME OUT, in some ways better because the material is generally more adventurous to me yet the playing is even stronger. Plus the material has not been as over-played as the stuff on TIME OUT (which I still enjoy but seldom feel compelled to put on because you can hear it even on lousy jazz stations). If the rest are even close to as good, it will be a fine box indeed. I'd just written the above before looking back and seeing Guy Berger posted basically the same thing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jazzbo Posted November 17, 2003 Report Share Posted November 17, 2003 Time Further Out is one of my all time favorites, mainly because it was one of the first jazz lps I heard, being in my parents' collection. . . "It's a Raggy Waltz" and "Far More Drums" getting heavy rotation when I could. "Time In" is a great album, if this is in the box that will be a plus! I think this group was on fire during those years, and I like to compare them to the Monk Quartet on Columbia in many ways (in my brain at least). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Hiles Posted November 17, 2003 Report Share Posted November 17, 2003 So the release date for this has slipped to January? I wonder how missing the Christmas shopping season can be a good idea for Sony/Columbia? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shrdlu Posted November 17, 2003 Report Share Posted November 17, 2003 "Time Out" is such a classic that, as Rudy would say, it would be a desecration to open up the session reels and issue studio coughs and false starts etc. I doubt that there is anything extra available anyway. That album was hard work, according to Dave, and I am sure that Dave wouldn't want alternates to be released. I do not believe that there ever was a piano solo on "Take Five". They were still feeling their way in 5/4, and Dave was occupied with providing that constant vamp to help everyone know where "one" was. Possibly, the vamp was thought to be necessary to help the listener, too; there was quite a fuss about that time signature back then, and I remember people complaining about it. I still maintain that Gene Wright was just a journeyman bassist. Reliable, amiable and good, but nothing like the top jazz guys such as Oscar Pettiford, Paul Chambers, Doug Watkins, Ron Carter etc. He was just what that quartet needed, providing a steady background for the soloists. My favorite Brubeck bassist was Norman Bates, though he was not in the top echelon either. He only left the group because he didn't want to travel so much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
desertblues Posted November 18, 2003 Report Share Posted November 18, 2003 I will probably get this set. Time Out of course is a classic, and since I am not very familiar with the other 4 of the Time records this is a good way to get them. I think I agree with your comments on the familiarity of Time Out when heard coming from the 90s instead of when it originally came out; it's still a great listen. I recently picked up Brubeck's record from Starbucks in Manhattan, and although it isn't earth shattering it is still great music, and listening to that record made me interested in seeking out more of his music I also picked up the Starbucks disc-Dave Brubeck and his group still sound great, IMHO. I particularly like Bobby Militello's sound on that one-not at all like Desmond. Brubeck also turned in a nice bit with Jay McShann in the Clint Eastwood-directed "Piano Blues" documentary, the last film in the Martin Scorsese blues series. He's definitely a jazz icon, and I will most likely get this new set. "Time Out" and "Something Else" were the albums that got me interested in jazz. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Out2Lunch Posted November 19, 2003 Report Share Posted November 19, 2003 So the release date for this has slipped to January? I wonder how missing the Christmas shopping season can be a good idea for Sony/Columbia? Now its been postponed until March. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bebopbob Posted November 23, 2003 Report Share Posted November 23, 2003 MARCH Looks like it's going to be a very long winter waiting for more Brubeck on CD. There hasn't benn any domestic Brubeck reissues since the sping of 2001 when Sony/Legacy brought out Live at Carnegie Hall; Jazz Impressions of Japan and Jazz: Red Hot and Cool. At the rate Sony/Legacy is going with reissuing the Columbia Brubeck catalogue, none of us here today will ever see Jazz Goes to Junior College; Jazz Impressions of USA; The Last Time We Saw Paris and Jackpot reissued on compact disc. I'm sure there'll be a "Complete Kenny G" Mosaic set before any of the above albums see the light of day on compact disc!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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