The Dave Brubeck Quartet (With Bill Smith) – Near Myth 1961

The Dave Brubeck Quartet (With Bill Smith) – Near Myth 1961
1995 Issue.OJCCD-236-2

JAzz

This is the third and final guest appearance by clarinetist Bill Smith in the place of Paul Desmond with the Dave Brubeck Quartet. Like the earlier record dates, this 1961 session focuses exclusively on Smith's compositions, resulting in a very different sound for the band than its normal mix of the leader's songs and standards. Smith was a member of Brubeck's adventurous octet of the late '40s and, like the pianist, also studied with French composer Darius Milhaud. So the clarinetist is willing to take chances, utilizing a mute on his instrument in "Pan's Pipes," and having drummer Joe Morello use his timpani sticks on the piano strings in the swinging "The Unihorn." Smith proves himself very much in Desmond's league with his witty solos and equally amusing, pun-filled liner notes. While none of these songs became a regular part of Brubeck's repertoire, even after Smith replaced tenorist Jerry Bergonzi as a member of the quartet in 1982, this is easily the best of the three albums that he made with Dave Brubeck during the late '50s and early '60s.
By Ken Dryden. AMG.
**
I think this CD is yet another display of how great a musician Dave Brubeck, and every musician he works with, is. I have always enjoyed the Quartet, but have never found anything on the Octet. This, just shows me how awesome Dave Brubeck can be.The solos are phenomenal. From the alto sax solos, which go beyond anything I could ever imagine, to the clarinet solos which range from octive to octive so effortlessly, the whole CD is a magnifiscent work of art.
**
Dave Brubeck (Piano)
Bill Smith (Clarnet)
Eugene Wright (bass)
Joe Morello (Drums)
**
01. The Unihorn5:13
02. Bach an’ All 3:49
03. Siren Song 5:41
04. Pan’s Pipes 4:10
05. By Jupiter 3:54
06. Baggin’ the Dragon 6:46
07. Apollo’s Axe 3:22
08. The Sailor and the Mermaid 4:13
09. Nep-Tune 2:51
10. Pan Dance 3:43
**

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The Dave BRUBECK Quartet feat. Paul Desmond - Portland OR, April 1959

The Dave BRUBECK Quartet feat. Paul Desmond - Portland OR, April 1959
Portland, OR (USA)
April 1959
Bootleg
All Credits Go To *UBU*

Jazz

This wonderful stereo broadcast recording was made just a couple of months before the group went into Columbia Records 30th Street Studios in New York City to record Time Out and has exactly none of the tracks that would make up that second most famous of jazz albums (I’d say that Miles Davis’s Kind of Blue is top of the heap—and oh yeah, we’ll be going there, to the Davis group of the late ‘50s for sure). Instead you get some wonderful standards (Time Out was all-original, very unusual for the time) with an opening tune that to my ears foreshadows some of the lines in “Take Five” and an unusual closing drum solo. This is a great recording and a perfect introduction to the other, slightly cooler side of jazz from the hard-core bebop that so often defines the term.
**
Continuing the drummer theme, here's a great show featuring Joe Morello! The drum solo ending this partial concert recording is quite amazing!
Brubeck may not be everyone's cup of tea, but there's always Paul Desmond to listen to, one of the few original alto players in modern jazz that has a sound and conception quite unlike Charlie Parker and all his followers (of course Lee Konitz comes to mind, and Charlie Mariano as well - both of them still alive and kicking!)
**
Paul Desmond- Alto Sax
Dave Brubeck- Piano
Gene Wright- Bass
Joe Morello- Drums
**
01. Two Part Contention (13:15)
02. The Lonesome Road (8:17)
03. Take the A-Train (1517)
04. When the Saints Go Marching In (7:22)
05. I'm In a Dancing Mood  Pause Announcement DB (3:47)
06. Someday My Prince Will Come (10:09)
07. Drum improvsation (11:00)
**
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Dave BRUBECK Quartet Featuring Jimmy RUSHING - Brubeck & Rushing 1960

Dave BRUBECK Quartet Featuring Jimmy RUSHING - Brubeck & Rushing 1960

Jazz

Although associated with the more modern styles of jazz, Brubeck always had a great respect (if not reverence) for the masters of the past. On ten standards Brubeck, altoist Paul Desmond and the Quartet fit in perfectly behind the great swing/blues singer Jimmy Rushing who sounds rejuvenated by the fresh setting. This disc, a surprising success, is well worth searching for. Scott Yanow, All Music Guide.

Jimmy Rushing(former Count Basie vocalist) started singing in the late 20's and recorded with the great count Basie Orchestra as early as 1930. He had plenty of experience by the 50's, when he recorded this session with Dave Brubecks's very popular group featuring georgious sax playig of Paul Desmond, with Rushing's warm raspy, yet smooth and ageless baritone. The results are much better then one would expect, in fact this then LP, now CD isa classic, and ranks as one of Rushing's few re-issues. Rushing has a timeless voice like Billie Holiday, or Lee Wiley, it never goes out of style or sounds dated, and jazz like Brubeck's is always hip and classy. The Most enjoyable jazz session. Highly Recommended.
**
Jimmy Rushing- (Vocals)
Dave Brubeck- (Piano)
Paul Desmond- (Alto Saxophone)
Eugene Wright- (Double Bass)
Joe Morello- (Drums)
**
01. There'll Be Some Changes Made (Billy Higgins/W. Benton Overstreet) 2:14
02. My Melancholy Baby (Ernie Burnett/George Norton/Maybelle Watson) 4:05
03. Blues In The Dark (Count Basie/Jimmy Rushing) 4:46
04. I Never Knew (I Could Love Anyone Like I'm Loving You) (Raymond Egan B./Roy Marsh/Thomas Pitts) 2:36
05. Ain't Misbehavin' (Harry Brooks/Andy Razaf/Fats Waller) 3:29
06. Evenin' (Mitchell Parish/Harry White) 4:18
07. All By Myself (Irving Berlin) 2:38
08. River, Stay 'Way From My Door (Mort Dixon/Harry Woods) 4:30
09. You Can Depend On Me (Charles Carpenter/Louis Dunlap/Earl Hines) 3:37
10. Am I Blue? (Harry Akst/Grant Clarke) 2:59
11. Shine On Harvest Moon (Nora Bayes/Jack Norworth) 2:09
**
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Dave BRUBECK - All The Things We Are 1976

Dave BRUBECK - All The Things We Are 1976

Jazz

All the Things We Are is a bit unusual in the Dave Brubeck discography. The pianist is heard in a quartet with altoist Lee Konitz on "Like Someone in Love" and a brief "Don't Get Around Much Anymore," with avant-garde giant Anthony Braxton (also on alto) featured on "In Your Own Sweet Way," while both Konitz and Braxton team up for "All the Things You Are." In addition, the Brubeck Trio (with bassist Jack Six and drummer Alan Dawson) plays an exquisite and frequently exciting 21-minute, five-song "Jimmy Van Heusen Medley." A total success, this "experimental" Brubeck set is highly recommended.
By Scott Yanow, All Music Guide.
**
Demonstrating the innovative pianist's wide musical range, this early-1970s set features Dave Brubeck in a variety of settings, from a traditional combo featuring the West Coast saxophonist Lee Konitz on "Like Someone in Love," to the more experimental ...    Full Descriptiongroup of "In Your Own Sweet Way," featuring the avant-garde saxophonist Anthony Braxton demonstrating his command of more conventional jazz idioms. The album's centerpiece is an extended medley of delicate, lyrical improvisations on five pieces
by the songwriter Jimmy Van Heusen.
From CD Universe.
**
Dave Brubeck- (Piano);
Anthony Braxton, Lee Konitz- (Alto Sax);
Jack Six- (Bass);
Alan Dawson, Roy Haynes- (Drums).
**
01. Like Someone In Love 6:22
02. In Your Own Sweet Way 7:40
03. All The Things You Are 7:28
04. Jimmy Van Heusen Medley: Deep In A Dream / Like Someone In Love / Here's That Rainy Day /
    Polka Dots and     Moonbeams / It Could Happen To You 20:49
05. Don't Get Around Much Anymore 2:47
**
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