Brubeck

[Neal Pomea]

What's not to like? I like heavy handed, even more so with Monk and Mal Waldron, as well as a light touch.

Edited September 9, 2006 by It Should be You

[Guy Berger]

Put me in the like him, don't love him category.

Guy

[Tom Storer]

I like a few of Brubeck's recorded efforts, and he conceived a fabulous band with his Desmond/Wright/Morello quartet--if only he could have found a better piano player.

But seriously, his playing on "Time Out" is, I think, representative of his best--he toned down that bombastic pounding that mars so much of his work. (To his credit, Brubeck once said "If I want to be bombastic, I have my reasons.") He and Desmond are both stellar on "Strange Meadowlark." But on the early quartet sides, prior to Wright/Morello and when Desmond was at his hottest and most inventive, Brubeck would stomp in and just bore the hell out of any living creature with those long, heavy-handed solos. I return to those sides for Desmond, but it takes some effort to sit through Brubeck.

His post-quartet years I liked better--for example "We're All Together Again For the First Time" and the record with Konitz and Braxton. He's a serious artist whose choices don't always sit well with my own tastes. I respect him. Can't say I follow him anymore.

[medjuck]

I saw Brubeck in concert a couple of weeks ago. (It's been more than 40 years since I last saw him.) I enjoyed it but found that his piano style (for better or for worse) was not as distinctive as it had been earlier. He played a lot of standards ("Margie"??!) and ended with Take 5. I'd have preferred The Duke or In Your Own Sweet Way.

He had a good saxaphone player but I sure miss Paul Desmond.

[Late]

What do you guys think of Brubeck Plays Brubeck? I'm listening to it right now, and, while I could see myself calling it "boring" at times, some of the numbers are fairly affecting. Nothing that will change your world, but nice with a snifter, the sky black outside.

[Chuck Nessa]

What do you guys think of Brubeck Plays Brubeck? I'm listening to it right now, and, while I could see myself calling it "boring" at times, some of the numbers are fairly affecting. Nothing that will change your world, but nice with a snifter, the sky black outside.

3 stars.

[alocispepraluger102]

perhaps players who had to play pianos in clubs after dave would not enjoy the condition of the pianos. used to beat pianos to death, i'm told.

would we have heard of dave if there had been no desmond?

in a fair world red garland(and several others) would have been 10 times more popular than dave.

that being said, his brandenburg gate(original recording with string orchestra) and elementals are recordings i have loved very much for 40 years.

the matt dennis, dave digs disney, and jazz goes to college, and several others are favs.

Edited February 26, 2007 by alocispepraluger102

[AllenLowe]

he's no Oscar Peterson -

[Teasing the Korean]

He was one of the first jazz artists I explored. I have several of his albums, and don't listen to them all that often. But I wouldn't unload any of them either.

[Peter Friedman]

The early Brubeck Quartet recordings on Fantasy and the sessions on Columbia are the ones I like. Once Desmond was no longer in the group, my interest waned greatly. I would not consider Brubeck to be among the piano players I like best, but nonethless do enjoy hearing him play.

[DMP]

I remember hearing the Brubeck group in a college auditorium once in the early '60's, and Brubeck is pounding away - one of his typical heavy-handed solos - I'm thinking " geeze, this is terrible" - and, at about that point, the audience breaks out in cheers! Live and learn. Wonder what they would have thought of Wynton Kelly?

(But I like Brubeck, how can you not? "Gone With The Wind" is a favorite that hasn't been mentioned.)

[Shrdlu]

I think he's awesome. One of my earliest favorites, especially the quartets with Desmond (another giant). And you couldn't meet a more friendly guy.

Some people said he was commercial, after he hit the big time, but he never was. He had always played the way he wanted, long before he was really famous.

It's great that he didn't just stick with well-worn things, but, instead, kept exploring and giving us something fresh.

He can play funky, root blues. Listen to "Jazz Goes to Jr College". You can even hear him singing when he digs in.

I don't like some of his heavy-handed solos as much - from the early 50s. But he could play with a very light touch. Try "Time Further Out"; I love the way he ends some tracks on that. Real moving. And on "Maori Blues", dig how he and Joe Morello go in and out of different times!

[Teasing the Korean]

I really love "Jazz Impressions of Japan" and a few oddball things like "Brubeck Plays Bernstein Plays Brubeck."

[Shrdlu]

Ooh, yeah!

That Japan album is awesome.

And that LP side with Leonard and the orchestra goes down well. Not on CD yet, as far as I know. Side 2, the trio and quartet tracks, is no slouch either.

Another nice Brubeck: "Jazz Impressions of Eurasia".