The last studio album, devoted to original compositions (save a reunion album they would record in 1976 for A&M), that the Paul Desmond/Joe Morello/Gene Wright quartet would record, 1966. This was the most famous and successful quartet, performing from 1958-66.Dave Brubeck: “They Said I Was Too Far Out” by Ralph Gleason — 8/8/1957 An Exclusive Online Extra
A live recording of the quartet's arrangement of music from his oratorio, The Light in the Wilderness...one of the reasons for the end of the Desmond/Morello/Wright quartet, so that Brubeck could write some of his longer works, most with some spiritual import.
Iola Brubeck was the usual lyricist for her husband's songs...such as this from the song cycle, The Real Ambassadors. Louis Armstrong sings lead, supported by Lambert, Hendricks and Ross on "They Say I Look Like God."
An instrumental version of a work written in response to the murders at Kent State and Jackson State, Truth Is Fallen. This piece of the longer work is called, simply "Truth." Gerry Mulligan was actually not a "guest" here, but a regular member of the Brubeck/Mulligan quartet, with Allen Dawson and Jack Six.
The Octet was made up of largely of jazz players who were fellow students of Darius Milhaud, as Brubeck was, and was sort of a West Coast parallel to what the Gil Evans/John Lewis/Gerry Mulligan "Birth of the Cool" group was doing in NYC.
Brubeck and his sons performed for a while as Two Generations of Brubeck...this is an even larger, if slightly less purely Brubeckian, assembly.
A latter-day quartet version of one of the movements from Howard Brubeck's Dialogues.
And from the initial recording of Dave Brubeck's brother's composition, by the Brubeck Quartet and the New York Philharmonic under the direction of Leonard Bernstein.
The final track from the suite Miro Reflections, the lp having been released as Time Further Out...my default choice as a kid for my favorite record.
Teo Macero on how "Take Five" became a hit.
I got to go two a couple of Brubeck concerts here in the UK and I'm really glad I did. Been listening to TIME OUT and TIME FURTHER OUT constantly for the last few days (in my head and through my earphones). Thanks Todd.
ReplyDeleteI got to see the Quartet in concert in Chicago in 61-62 and during the drum solo in "Take Five," the rest of them literally walked off stage and took five. Thanks for Teo Macero's story of how the single was released. Enjoyed that. I truly wore out the 2 LPs I had back then in college days of TIME OUT and TIME FURTHER OUT.
ReplyDeleteThanks, guys. You need to pick up the FOR ALL TIME box...COUNTDOWN: TIME IN OUTER SPACE, TIME CHANGES, and TIME IN are brilliant albums, as well, and while not all that quartet's brilliant work, perhaps the core of it.
ReplyDeleteOne of the happiest moments of my brief, not happy Tower Records career was being asked for advice as to what to try for a certain customer's first extended exposure to jazz, and putting into his hands, advisedly, TIME FURTHER OUT: MIRO REFLECTIONS and MINGUS MINGUS MINGUS MINGUS MINGUS.
Wonderful post, Todd. I loved Dave Brubeck's work, especially the early stuff. I know he was much more than TIME OUT, but that album loomed large in my checkered youth. We saw Dave and his quartet at Hunter College eons ago.
ReplyDeleteThanks. And, really, I should not discount the JAZZ IMPRESSIONS albums, nor, certainly, BRUBECK PLAYS BERNSTEIN PLAYS BRUBUECK. And, of course, will Bill Smith sitting in for Paul Desmond , there were the two impressive albums they recorded for Fantasy in the early '60s...and the live album of songs featuring Carmen McRae...and...
ReplyDeleteWhat do you think of Brubeck's album with the London Symphony Orchestra, Todd?
ReplyDeleteWhich one, George? I haven't yet picked up my own copies of either CLASSICAL BRUBECK or LIVE, yet...though I've heard tracks from both. I've been relict! How do you like them?
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