DAVE BRUBECK QUARTET - Brubeck Plays Bernstein
Essential Jazz Classics – EJC 55487
Dave Brubeck (piano) Paul Desmond (alto sax) Eugene Wright (bass) Joe Morello (drums) with The New York Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Leonard Bernstein on tracks 1 to 4. Recorded New York Jan. 30th and Feb. 14 to 17th 1960, Jan 31st and June 16 & 17th 1960.
Originally issued by Columbia under the rather ponderous title `Bernstein Plays Brubeck Plays Bernstein` the main feature is a four movement symphonic jazz suite composed by Brubeck’s elder brother Howard in which the Brubeck Quartet is placed within the context of The New York Philharmonic performing a sort of concerto entitled `Dialogues for Jazz Combo and Orchestra`. As dialogues go it is rather one sided, the quartet being frequently overwhelmed by the rather portentous orchestration, struggling to break free of the somewhat stultifying faux classicism of the score which musicologist Wilfrid Mellors once described, with acuity, as “Hollywooden”. Not that Dave was any stranger to classical conceits; one recalls his pounding allusions to Rachmaninov and his baroque contrapuntalism in such albums as `Jazz Goes To Junior College` and `Jazz At Oberlin` to name but two. Confined to the quartet those tendencies seemed deliciously subversive running counter to the jazz lingua- franca of the day but in this context the music sounds archaic and moribund. Only in the last movement, `Allegro Blues`, do things catch fire with Morello’s crisp, rapid fire drumming cutting through the constraining layers of strings.
I have to say I’ve never found Brubeck’s orchestral collaborations very satisfying and would level the same criticism at `Brandenburg Gate Re-Visited` and the `Elementals ` score from `Time Changes`. In the original LP release `Dialogues` occupied one side of the disc but on the flipside things improved considerably with four unadorned quartet renditions of songs from Bernstein’s` `West Side Story` and `A Quiet Girl` from `Wonderful Town` . These are beautifully realised and amongst the finest examples of the quartet’s collective artistry, however , what makes this re-issue really valuable is the inclusion of `Jazz Impressions Of Japan` , tucked away as a `bonus album` with nary a mention on the jewel case front cover. The penultimate album in the `jazz impressions` series it opens rather unpromisingly with the phony orientalism of `Tokyo Traffic` but soon gets down to employing the exotic scales and time signatures to much better use in the crafting of music of genuine value like the haunting `Koto Song`, a piece that ultimately became firmly established in the quartet’s concert repertoire.
The package is completed by the usual excellent EJC booklet which as well providing a useful re-appraisal of the music and the circumstances of its creation includes original sleeve notes and artwork, always an important addition for serious collectors.
Reviewed by Euan Dixon
Essential Jazz Classics – EJC 55487
Dave Brubeck (piano) Paul Desmond (alto sax) Eugene Wright (bass) Joe Morello (drums) with The New York Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Leonard Bernstein on tracks 1 to 4. Recorded New York Jan. 30th and Feb. 14 to 17th 1960, Jan 31st and June 16 & 17th 1960.
Originally issued by Columbia under the rather ponderous title `Bernstein Plays Brubeck Plays Bernstein` the main feature is a four movement symphonic jazz suite composed by Brubeck’s elder brother Howard in which the Brubeck Quartet is placed within the context of The New York Philharmonic performing a sort of concerto entitled `Dialogues for Jazz Combo and Orchestra`. As dialogues go it is rather one sided, the quartet being frequently overwhelmed by the rather portentous orchestration, struggling to break free of the somewhat stultifying faux classicism of the score which musicologist Wilfrid Mellors once described, with acuity, as “Hollywooden”. Not that Dave was any stranger to classical conceits; one recalls his pounding allusions to Rachmaninov and his baroque contrapuntalism in such albums as `Jazz Goes To Junior College` and `Jazz At Oberlin` to name but two. Confined to the quartet those tendencies seemed deliciously subversive running counter to the jazz lingua- franca of the day but in this context the music sounds archaic and moribund. Only in the last movement, `Allegro Blues`, do things catch fire with Morello’s crisp, rapid fire drumming cutting through the constraining layers of strings.
I have to say I’ve never found Brubeck’s orchestral collaborations very satisfying and would level the same criticism at `Brandenburg Gate Re-Visited` and the `Elementals ` score from `Time Changes`. In the original LP release `Dialogues` occupied one side of the disc but on the flipside things improved considerably with four unadorned quartet renditions of songs from Bernstein’s` `West Side Story` and `A Quiet Girl` from `Wonderful Town` . These are beautifully realised and amongst the finest examples of the quartet’s collective artistry, however , what makes this re-issue really valuable is the inclusion of `Jazz Impressions Of Japan` , tucked away as a `bonus album` with nary a mention on the jewel case front cover. The penultimate album in the `jazz impressions` series it opens rather unpromisingly with the phony orientalism of `Tokyo Traffic` but soon gets down to employing the exotic scales and time signatures to much better use in the crafting of music of genuine value like the haunting `Koto Song`, a piece that ultimately became firmly established in the quartet’s concert repertoire.
The package is completed by the usual excellent EJC booklet which as well providing a useful re-appraisal of the music and the circumstances of its creation includes original sleeve notes and artwork, always an important addition for serious collectors.
Reviewed by Euan Dixon
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