It’s a sleeper, but between the music and Bru’s liner notes, this album is still relevant and perfectly explains what Brubeck’s jazz ideology and piano approach was all about. Many of the tunes on this album would appear in his later albums, with “In Your Own Sweet Way” becoming the most famous. This synthesis is what Brubeck is all about. The Brubeck sound is amply displayed, proving to be something of a hybrid between the stride of Fats Waller, the fugal side of Bach, the Impressionism of Ravel and Milhaud, and the modern jazz sounds of the day. It features him alone at the piano, recorded with a home tape recorder, which makes for a more intimate, cozy-sounding vibe.Ĭomprised entirely of originals, the album beautifully captures Brubeck at his unadulterated and creative best, hindered only by his mind and lack of a third hand. This engaging album was recorded by Brubeck in his Oakland, California home late at night in 1956. This is a great introductory album to Brubeck the pianist and Brubeck the artist, quite simply because Brubeck plays solo piano and even wrote the voluminous liner notes on the album that amounts to a personal treatise and manifesto on Brubeck’s ideas on jazz. This is a rare example of an actually clever tie-in. Philip Clark wrote an excellent book (shameless plug: Buy it here!) that uses ‘time’ in the title.It’s not an official list by any means, just a fun one! This list is purely my personal, unadulterated opinion.This list draws upon the formative years of his career when he led the Dave Brubeck Quartet from 1951-67. Brubeck’s career, as I mentioned earlier, spanned 70 years.This is for the general public and jazz fan whose only knowledge of Brubeck involves corny wordplay with time. In my attempt to help change this narrative of Brubeck and not just be the guy shaking his fist at his phone screen and then not doing anything, I came up with a list of ten Brubeck albums that make for a well-rounded introduction to Brubeck the musician, Brubeck the bandleader, and Brubeck the artist. It’s ‘time’ to let this tired, one-dimensional trope of Brubeck go to pasture. Brubeck enjoyed a career that spanned 7 decades, yet ‘Time Out’ and “Take Five” (which, many writers seem to not know, was written by saxophonist Paul Desmond and NOT Dave Brubeck) are the main things he continues to be defined by. Reading all of these tributes and reflections, however, I found myself growing more and more annoyed at the ubiquitous (and honestly lazy) references to Brubeck’s hit album ‘Time Out’ and the varying degrees of cleverness involved in the making of these references. Born December 6, 1920, this year would’ve been his 100th, yet despite passing away in 2012, his legacy and controversy has been celebrated in articles and writeups all year leading up to flurry of publicity surrounding his birthday this past weekend. Pianist, composer, arranger, and all-around nice guy Dave Brubeck was a remarkable individual and musician from the very beginning, and his life and music continues to be discussed today.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |