Brubeck, Dave - Ralph Gleason's Jazz Casual

Year of Release: 2002
Label: Rhino
Catalog Number: 972591
Format: DVD
Total Time: 30:00:00

This DVD reproduces Dave Brubeck's appearance on Ralph Gleason's Jazz Casual show in 1961. The performance is in black and white capturing conversations with Brubeck in between songs and one interview with Gleason regarding the minutiae and timing of each composition. Brubeck explains that most jazz is in 4/4 time while his quartet ventures far beyond that and refuses to let that ?safe zone,? were most jazz musicians go, control their musical output. Each song has a different time signature and Brubeck does a great job explaining how that works with the instruments in each song.

The performances by each band member are extraordinary on every track. It was unfortunate that Eugene Wright stays in the background with his standup bass; I also noticed that the sound on his bass is much lower in comparison to the other instruments. The sound was also a problem when focusing on a single instrument during a solo. With the exception of Joe Morello's solos, Paul Desmond and Brubeck's moments in the spotlight need quick adjustments to the sound levels to get them were they should be. Unfortunately, it is quite noticeable and even to the untrained ear I think it would be obvious. It surprises me that with the technology available today something as minor as a sound level would blemish such a wonderful performance.

Regardless of my criticisms of the overall sound, the music is simply spectacular and a joy to witness. It is no wonder that this quartet was one of the most popular in the world and a true trailblazer for modern jazz improvisation. This helped me to realize more than ever the importance of Dave Brubeck to jazz and music as a whole. To actually see a performance and listen to Dave talk about his music has much more of an impact than listening to a CD.

Tracklisting:
Take Five / (It's a) Raggy Waltz / Castillian Blues / Waltz Limp / Blue Rondo A La Turk

Musicians:
Dave Brubeck - piano
Paul Desmond - saxophone
Eugene Wright - bass
Joe Morello - drums

Discography:
Brubeck Trio With Cal Tjader, Vol. 1 (1950)
Brubeck Trio With Cal Tjader, Vol. 2 (1950)
Dave Brubeck Quartet (1951)
Jazz At Oberlin (1953)
Dave Brubeck & Paul Desmond At Wilshire-Ebell (1953)
Two Knights At The Black Hawk (1953)
Jazz At The College Of The Pacific (1953)
Jazz At The College Of The Pacific, Vol. 2 (1953)
Jazz At The Blackhawk (1953)
Jazz Goes To College (1954)
Stardust (1954)
Brubeck Time (1955)
Dave Brubeck At Storyville: 1954 (1955)
Jazz At Storyville (1955)
Jazz: Red, Hot And Cool (1955)
Paul And Dave's Jazz Interwoven (1955)
Brubeck Plays Brubeck (1956)
Distinctive Rhythm Instrumentals (1956)
Dave Digs Disney (1957)
Dave Brubeck Plays Solo (1958)
The Dave Brubeck Quartet In Europe (1958)
Jazz Goes To Junior College (1958)
Jazz Impressions Of Eurasia (1958)
Newport 1958: Brubeck Plays Ellington (1958)
Gone With The Wind (1959)
Time Out (1959)
Brubeck & Rushing (1960)
Near-Myth (1961)
Brubeck Plays Bernstein Plays Brubeck (1961)
Time Further Out (1961)
Gold & Fizdale Play Dave Brubeck's Jazz Ballet (1962)
Countdown: Time In Outer Space (1962)
Music From West Side Story (1962)
Real Ambassadors (1962)
The Dave Brubeck Quartet At Carnegie Hall (1963)
Bossa Nova USA (1963)
Brandenburg Gate: Revisited (1963)
Dave Brubeck Quartet In Amsterdam (1963)
Dave Brubeck In Berlin (1964)
Jazz Impressions Of Japan (1964)
Angel Eyes (1965)
Time In (1966)
The Last Time We Saw Paris (1967)
Bravo! Brubeck! (1967)
Buried Treasures: Recorded Live In Mexico City (1967)
Compadres (1968)
Blues Roots (1968)
The Light In The Wilderness: An Oratorio For ... (1968)
The Gates Of Justice (1969)
Elementals For Jazzcombo, Orchestra And Baritone-Solo (1970)
The Dave Brubeck Trio With Gerry Mulligan & The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra (1970)
Live At The Berlin Philharmonie (1970)
Last Set At Newport (1971)
Adventures In Time (1972)
We're All Together Again (For The First Time) (1972)
All The Things We Are (1973)
Two Generations Of Brubeck (1973)
1975: The Duets (1975)
25th Anniversary Reunion (1976)
Back Home (1979)
Tritonis (1980)
Paper Moon (1981)
For Iola (1984)
Blue Rondo (1986)
Moscow Night (1987)
Once When I Was Young (1992)
Trio Brubeck (1993)
Late Night Brubeck: Live From The Blue Note (1994)
Jazz Sonatas (1994)
Just You, Just Me (1994)
Nightshift: Live At The Blue Note (1995)
Young Lions & Old Tigers (1995)
A Dave Brubeck Christmas (1996)
Brubeck: To Hope! A Celebration (1996)
In Their Own Sweet Way (1997)
So What's New? (1998)
40th Anniversary Tour Of The U.K. (1999)
Hold Fast To Dreams (1999)
Immortal Concerts: Take Five (2000)
One Alone (2000)
Double Live From The U.S.A. And U.K. (2001)
The Crossing (2001)
80th Birthday Concert: Live With The LSO (2002)
Park Avenue South (2003)
Classical Brubeck (2003)
Brubeck In Chattanooga (2003)
Private Brubeck Remembers (2004)
London Flat, London Sharp (2005)
Indian Summer (2007)
QSF Plays Brubeck (2009)

Ralph Gleason's Jazz Casual: Dave Brubeck (2000)
Brubeck Returns To Moscow (VHS/DVD) (2003/2005)
Rediscovering Dave Brubeck (DVD) (2003)
Take 5 In A Quartet (DVD) (2006)
Take Five (DVD) (2007)
Jazz Icons: Dave Brubeck (DVD) (2007)
Live In '64 & '66 (DVD) (2007)

plus a ton more compilations?

Genre: Jazz/Trad. Jazz

Origin US

Added: March 29th 2003
Reviewer: Keith "Muzikman" Hannaleck
Score:
Artist website: www.brubeckinstitute.org
Hits: 2207
Language: english