Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Various: In His Own Sweet Way: A Tribute To Dave Brubeck

Various: In His Own Sweet Way: A Tribute To Dave Brubeck

By Mark Corroto
April 1, 2000
Sign in to view read count

Various: In His Own Sweet Way: A Tribute To Dave Brubeck

The standard I apply to critique a recording is twofold: 1) determine what the artist(s) set out to accomplish with the recording, 2) decide whether they were successful. Employing the test: yes, this is a Dave Brubeck tribute, and no, for most artists involved, they didn’t capture the spirit of Brubeck. But, interestingly I think the record is a success. Executive producer John Zorn has participated in numerous tribute records. The best of them being The Big Gundown (Ennio Morricone, 1984), Voodoo: The Music Of Sonny Clark (1985), Spy Vs. Spy: The Music Of Ornette Coleman (1988), More News For Lulu (Sonny Redd, Sonny Clark, Hank Mobley 1989), Spinning Song: Duck Baker Plays The Music Of Herbie Nichols (1996). Each, in its own way captured the essence of the artists’ musical concepts.

Brubeck’s button-down jazz just doesn’t work in the Sex Mob’s scheme of slide trumpet and screeching saxophone. Nor does his “Far More Blues” fair well as a deconstructive piano piece by Uri Caine nor does the Eastern European take on “In Your Own Sweet Way” remind us of the original composition. Before mailing letter bombs to this infidel, I must say I am a fan of the above artists and enjoyed the music. It just is impossible to make a Brubeck connection.

The tracks that do connect were those by Joey Baron, Bill Frisell, Anthony Coleman, Erik Friedlander, and Medeski, Martin & Wood. Perhaps it is the reverence of their approach to Brubeck’s music that is so appealing. Coleman, at times a wild man at the keyboards, settles into an almost romantic version of “The Duke.” And drummer Joey Baron, accompanied only by Tony Scherr’s bass, gives the best performance of the disc by faithfully covering “Three To Get Ready.” Does the majority of the record pay tribute to the great one? No. Is the music inherently satisfying in itself? Yes.

Track List:(1)Blue Shadows In The Street; (2)Far More Blues; (3)In Your Own Sweet Way; (4)Summer Song; (5)Blue Rondo A La Turk; (6)Tokyo Traffic; (7)The Duke; (8)Calcutta Blues; (9)Sixth Senth; (10)Winter Ballad; (11)Jumpin; (12)Nomad; (13)Three To Get Ready; (14)Golden Horn.

Personnel

(1) Dave Slusser - Electronics, Piano; Dan Seamans

Album information

Title: In His Own Sweet Way: A Tribute To Dave Brubeck | Year Released: 2000 | Record Label: Avant

< Previous
Dave Douglas: Moving the Music Forward

Next >
Seasoned

Comments

Tags

For the Love of Jazz

All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who create it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

You Can Help

To expand our coverage even further and develop new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for a modest $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination will vastly improve your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.