The Bebop Shop : West Coast & Cool: Baker, Mulligan, Getz & More : Dave Brubeck & Paul Desmond
This 50-track set comprises recordings which he made for the newly-established San Francisco label owned by Max and Sol Weiss, with Brubeck also an early investor, initially devoted to releasing Brubeck’s recordings, although other artists were soon signed.
The collection includes recordings Brubeck made over the next couple of years which were released on Fantasy singles, with performances in various formats – solo, Trio, Quartet and Octet. The groups feature some notable musicians, including bassists Ron Crotty, Jack Weeks, Fred Dutton and Wyatt Ruther, drummers Cal Tjader, Herb Barman and Lloyd Davis, saxophonists Paul Desmond, Dave Van Kriedt and others. (Trapeze Music) Price: £12.99
Featuring classic tracks "Take Five" and "Blue Rondo a la Turk," this is Brubeck's 1959 exploration of exotic time signatures (3/4, 5/4, 9/8), classical forms and counterpoint rhythms. While some over-heavy block chording too often structures the leader's earlier piano work, this album is immaculately executed, with alto-saxist Paul Desmond, bassist Eugene Wright and drummer Joe Morello contributing to the group dynamic. "Take Five" became a legendary juke-box smash hit, and the album overall excitingly extended the metric barriers of jazz and popularized access to the music. Recommended. (Andrew Clark, Editor, Riffs & Choruses: A New Jazz Anthology. Continuum Publishing.)
A BEBOP SHOP MILESTONE- An essential recording for your jazz CD shelf Price: £9.99
TIME OUT is one of the most rhythmically innovative albums in jazz history and is essential to every jazz collection. This year it turns FIFTY years old and to celebrate Legacy is releasing a beautiful Legacy Edition of this classic album.
The 50th Anniversary Legacy Edition of Time Out features the original album, re-mastered, plus a full second CD of previously unreleased recordings from the Newport Jazz Festival 1961-1964, and rare photos, correspondence and clippings including a typed, signed description by Paul Desmond of his composition Take Five.
In addition to the two audio CDs, the set comes with a 30 minute previously unreleased documentary featuring recent interviews with Dave Brubeck (seen illustrating selections from Time Out at the piano) and extensive historic performance footage. (Sony Music) Price: £21.99
The tapes were recorded in April, 1959 at the Multnomah Jazz Club and Clark College, both in the Portland, Oregon area. On this recording you can hear the Quartet’s mastery of spontaneous counterpoint improvisation. Four months later, the Dave Brubeck Quartet’s focus shifted to polytonal and polyrhythmic approaches when the group recorded the legendary “Time Out”, and changed the course of jazz forever. (Wienerworld) Price: £15.99
"Jazz Red Hot & Cool", "Newport 1958", and "Jazz Goes To Junior College" plus an extra bonus track from the First Timex All Star Jazz Festival….the classic "St. Louis Blues!". We begin with "Jazz Red Hot & Cool" where the great man is accompanied as ever by Paul Desmond on alto alongside Joe Dodge on drums and Bob Bates on bass. Here we find the fully formed quartet with all the elements of the Brubeck style firmly in place. At "Newport 1958" we find Brubeck paying tribute to the legendary composer and bandleader Duke Ellington with a programme of tunes either written by or associated with the Duke. Here once again he is joined by Desmond but with Joe Morello on drums and Joe Benjamin on bass. Finally we hear Brubeck breaking new ground as he takes his jazz improvisations onto the college circuit for the first time accompanied again by Desmond and Morello but with Norman Bates taking over on bass. With "Jazz Goes To Junior College" Brubeck met the college audience on their own ground where previously they had only been allowed to hear classical concerts. Of course, as we now know, this innovation was a resounding success opening the door to all kinds of music being performed at colleges and universities. We conclude with our bonus track (slipped in on CD1 for timing considerations), "St. Louis Blues" from "The First Timex All-Star Jazz Festival" featuring the same line up as on "Jazz Red Hot And Cool"
All three albums have been digitally re-mastered for probably the finest sound quality ever! (AVID Entertainment) Price: £8.99
For our latest in a mini series of tributes to Mr Brubeck we have chosen three albums that are vastly different from the experimental album that became the all time classic Time Out (featured on AMSC998). On two of our classic albums, "Southern Scene" and "Digs Disney" Brubeck has mainly chosen southern folk songs and spirituals and of course music from the wonderful world of Disney! And he still found time during his busy touring schedule to record new tracks for the "Quartet In Europe" album. Finally we complete a promise made on our earlier Brubeck CD AMSC998 and feature side 2 of "Jazz Impressions of the U.S.A." All three albums plus have been digitally re-mastered for probably the finest sound quality ever! (AVID Entertainment) Price: £8.99
Since 1955, Brubeck had composed and performed pieces originating from influences outside of the European musical tradition, in which this album, released during the bossa nova craze in the United States of the late 1950s and early 1960s, can be best categorized as "impressionistic" of "the cool wave from Brazil. Recorded through most of 1962, and released early in 1963, the album was designed to be effective on the pop charts. (Proper Music) Price: £11.99
Limited edition high-definition 180 g vinyl LP. Includes free MP3 download. Price: £22.99
The music on the second album features Don Elliott on mellophone in a pianoless quartet that follows the soft-styled approach they both favored. Desmond’s alto playing is relaxed and inventive in keeping with the delicate sound. He maintains even control through all the registers of the instrument, quite a remarkable feat in itself. (Fresh Sound Records) Price: £17.99
