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

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.

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