Sunday, September 27, 2009

Bob BROOKMEYER - Bob Brookmeyer & Friends 1964


Bob BROOKMEYER - Bob Brookmeyer & Friends  1964
Recorded in New York on May 26-27, 1964

Jazz

This album is beautiful. Who would of thought that this pairing would work so well. You got an East Coast rhythm section, (Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, Elvin Jones), West Coast horns, (Brookmeyer, Stan Getz) and a midwest vibraphonist, (Gary Burton in one of his early and few appearences as a sideman.)
The reviewer who thought this album was commercial represents everything thats wrong with most jazz listeners and musicians. There's nothing commercial at all about the first track. Because it's in a major key?
It's almost like a folk song, soulful and groovy. And nothing else on the album is really very commercial at all. This is jazz! And jazz at it's best.
I recommend this to anybody who likes great music. Don't be fooled by people who don't know what they're talking about, and who are afraid to listen to anything that's not bebop.
By Chris Covais.
**
I waited years for "Bob Brookmeyer and Friends" to get reissued, and when Sony pulled all of their infamous copy-protected, virus-attracting CDs, I was nervous that I would never have a chance to hear this album. Thankfully, Sony has produced new discs without the notorious software, and I have finally been able to purchase and listen to "Friends." Well it was probably inevitable that after all the hype and drama surrounding this title, I would be in for a let down. Don't get me wrong this is a solid session. Recorded in 1964, it features the incredible lineup of Brookmeyer, Stan Getz, Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, Elvin Jones, and (then) newcomer Gary Burton. Unfortunately, in my opinion, the whole doesn't equal the sum of the parts. From the opening bars of "Jive Hoot," I could tell the emphasis here was more on a commercial sound than an experimental, modern one. Brookmeyer's arrangements and compositions surprisingly favor a more conventional and accessible approach. The playing throughout is subdued, and even Getz only simmers in a setting best suited to his style. (Come to think of it, '64 was when another Getz disappointment was made -- "Stan Getz & Bill Evans.") Of course, this approach really stymies the rhythm trio, particularly Jones who is pushed back in the mix. Even Tony Bennett, making a guest appearance on "Day Dream," one of three bonus tracks not on the original vinyl, can't save the day. Overall, this "Friend" is not tried and true, but instead a bit of the fair-weather variety.
By Michael B. Richman.
**
For this 1964 session, Stan Getz brings his working band into the studio with his old costar Bob Brookmeyer, the trombonist and arranger. Getz's group at the time was made up of Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, Elvin Jones and Gary Burton, so every moment of it is a sublime meeting of '50s cool and '60s post-bop. Tony Bennett (probably touring with Getz at the time), guest croons on a lovely reading of Ellington's "Day Dream."
By Nick Dedina.Rhapsody.
This somewhat obscure session was reissued on LP by Columbia in 1980. Valve trombonist Bob Brookmeyer and tenor-great Stan Getz (who had played together regularly a decade prior) had a reunion for this date, performing five standards and three Brookmeyer originals. The young rhythm section (pianist Herbie Hancock, vibraphonist Gary Burton, bassist Ron Carter, and drummer Elvin Jones) uplifts what would have been a fairly conventional (although high quality) bop date.
By Scott Yanow.AMG.
**
Bob Brookmeyer-  Trombone (Valve)
Gary Burton-  Vibraphone
Ron Carter-  Bass
Stan Getz-  Tenor Sax
Herbie Hancock-  Piano
Elvin Jones-  Drums
**
01.  Jive Hoot  Brookmeyer  4:43
02.  Misty  Garner  5:18
03.  The Wrinkle  Brookmeyer  5:21
04.  Bracket  Brookmeyer  4:59
05.  Skylark  Carmichael, Mercer  5:02
06.  Sometime Ago  Mihanovich  4:05
07.  I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face  Lerner, Loewe  5:05
08.  Who Cares  Gershwin, Gershwin  7:04
09.  Day Dream   Ellington, Latouche ...  5:21
10.  Time for Two   Rosner  3:39
11.  Pretty Girl   Brookmeyer  4:50
**
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