Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Dave Brubeck: Live at the Monterey Jazz Festival 1958-2007

496

Dave Brubeck: Live at the Monterey Jazz Festival 1958-2007

By

Sign in to view read count
Dave Brubeck: Live at the Monterey Jazz Festival 1958-2007
One of the paradoxes of jazz is that the individual is highly valued, yet iconoclasts are often undervalued, either by critics or audiences. Pianist Dave Brubeck has had no trouble attracting fans over more than half a century, but critics have been less embracing, often saying he doesn't swing.

Brubeck became wildly popular in the '50s, when his quartet with alto saxophonist Paul Desmond pioneered jazz concerts at colleges. Students then were familiar with classical music—music appreciation classes were still taught—so Brubeck's counterpoint and Bach references were familiar (more so than to the average jazz fan), while his hard-pounding piano and rhythms connected his sound to the R&B and early rock of the day. That quartet, with bassist Eugene Wright and drummer Joe Morello, are represented here in its three dominant modes: the counterpoint of "Two Part Contention" (1958), personalizing a pop song on "Someday My Prince Will Come" (1962), and exploring odd time signatures on its jukebox hit, the 5/4 "Take Five" (1966).

Brubeck's solo on "Prince" offers a template to his logical approach to improvising, heard again and again throughout the CD's 50-year span of Brubeck's Monterey gigs. He begins creating small kernels of single notes from chords, developing phrases that reference "I Got Rhythm" then rumbles into block chords, yielding a new riff logically clambering up through two-handed chords to a melodic resolution.

While his solo is more back-and-forth rollicking on 2007's "Margie," it develops largely in the same, internally logical, way. The lapidary Desmond style was the perfect foil for the lumberjack penchants of Brubeck, while altoist Bobby Militello, with Brubeck since the '80s, is more predictably hard-boppish. But his flute on 1985's "Tritonis," another 5/4 exploration, is a welcome diversion—as are two 1971 tracks from the surprisingly compatible quartet Brubeck had with baritone saxophonist Gerry Mulligan, as well as the bass solo contributions of Christian McBride and Michael Moore on the disc's most recent outings.

Track Listing

Two Part Contention; Someday My Prince Will Come; Take Five; Sermon On the Mount; Jumping Bean; Tritonis; Goodbye Old Friend; I Got Rhythm; Sleep; Margie.

Personnel

Dave Brubeck: piano; Paul Desmond: alto sax; Eugene Wright: bass; Joe Morello: drums; Gerry Mulligan: baritone sax; Jack Six: bass; Alan Dawson: drums; Bill Smith: clarinet; Bobby Militello: flute, alto sax: Chris Brubeck: bass; Randy Jones: drums; Stan Poplin: bass; Christian McBride: bass; Michael Moore: bass.

Album information

Title: Live at the Monterey Jazz Festival 1958-2007 | Year Released: 2008 | Record Label: Monterey Jazz Festival Records

Comments

Tags


For the Love of Jazz
Get the Jazz Near You newsletter 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.
View events near New York City
Jazz Near New York City
Events Guide | Venue Guide | Local Businesses | More...

More

Sensual
Rachel Z
Over and Over
Tony Monaco Trio
Love Is Passing Thru
Roberto Magris

Popular

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.