Search - Dave Brubeck :: Music From West Side Story

There's No COOL, But It's Cool

Unlucky Frank | Lalaland, CA United States | 12/13/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The full title is DAVE BRUBECK QUARTET PLAYS MUSIC FROM WEST SIDE STORY AND WONDERFUL TOWN. And, there are only four tunes from Bernstein's great Broadway Musical, West Side Story. The only tune from WT is Bernstein's QUIET GIRL. Before the recording of these culled sessions, between '62 and '65, the film of West Side Story had already swept The Academy Awards with 10 Oscars in 1961. But, as they did with DAVE DIGS DISNEY, Brubeck and Desmond turn these charts into their own vehicles for improvisational cool. Certainly, this is another West Coast Showcase for Paul Desmond on alto. Which is what I like most about The Quartet. SOMEWHERE from West Side Story is a unique interpretation and has a wonderful swing quality. But it's WHAT IS THIS THING CALLED LOVE? and THE MOST BEAUTIFUL GIRL IN THE WORLD, by Cole Porter and Rogers & Hart, that are worth the whole price of admission on this one.



One wonders what The Quartet could have improvised from the COOL riff in WSS. "Got a rocket in your pocket." And, I can only imagine in my head what it would have sounded like, with Dave hammering out the rhythm and Desmond swinging cool on Bernstein's MAMBO riff. A missed opportunity.



But, don't miss this one. Along with DAVE DIGS DISNEY, and JAZZ GOES TO COLLEGE, it's another little Columbia Era gem from Brubeck & Co. Approx. 42 mins. But, the price is nice.



Enjoy."

Warning: New Edition Packing

Dr. Debra Jan Bibel | Oakland, CA USA | 01/06/2010

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Aside from the excellent recordings of some Bernstein's music performed by the outstanding Dave Brubeck Quartet, a collector wants certain information about the music and engineering as well as reflective commentary that normally appears on liner notes. WARNING: this latest edition [2009] from the Legacy group of SONY [Columbia] lacks any such information; the insert is essentially naked. Moreover, the list of tracks lacks timing and the sequence is WRONG! Thus, we do not know even when the quartet was in the studio to produce this album. The .mp3 generation could care less about such incidentals, but we audiophiles and collectors expect minimal details.....and accuracy! **** for the music; * for the packaging."

Brubeck on Broadway

bruce85 | SF Bay Area | 12/11/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The Deeper I go into the Brubeck catalog, the happier I get. If you have a copy of Time Out, and want to go a little further, this is a great place to start.



The joyful, brilliant rendition of "Maria" justifies twice the cost of this record all by itself. It is not all that often that a timeless classic is actually improved upon. This material might as well have been written for Paul Desmond.



Almost 50 years after its release, this music remains sophisticated, edgy and elegant. Highly Recommended."