Tripping Through the Past

THE DAVE BRUBECK QUARTET
Jazz: Red Hot & Cool
At Carnegie Hall
Jazz Impressions of Japan
Vocal Encounters
(Columbia/Legacy)
Jazz pianist/composer Dave Brubeck turns 80 this year, and to celebrate Columbia is reissuing three classic albums with his Quartet from the 50s and early 60s, as well a compilation. Jazz: Red Hot & Cool, originally released in 1955 and never before on CD, is the Brubeck of his Time cover from a year earlier: the classically-trained virtuoso who allegedly cleaned up jazz (which was never his intention) for both the snobs and the masses with his laid-back West Coast style. Brubeck's greatest strength was and still is his lyrical sense of melody, and at this point in his career his biggest weakness was an inability to convincingly swing. Recorded live at Basin Street, this album is an accurate snapshot of this period. Playing it safe with standards and pop tunes like "Lover," "Little Girl Blue" and "Love Walked In," Brubeck and band (including foil Paul Desmond on sax) wisely emphasize melody over rhythm. The leader nods to his formal training by dropping snippets of tunes like Bach's "Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring" into his solos, not that the urbane crowd seems to notice. Brubeck is in good form, but Desmond isn't yet the devil he would later become, and bassist Bob Bates and drummer Joe Dodge lay back so much their work is almost subliminal. There's nothing wrong with the song selection, but there's a lack of passion here (no chemistry with the crowd, perhaps?) that makes Jazz: Red Hot & Cool more suited to a cocktail lounge than a jazz club. Of course, for some folks, that's a major recommendation.

By contrast, 1963's At Carnegie Hall crackles with excitement and verve. Two important things had happened since 1955. Firstly, Brubeck and Desmond had traded in their competent but uninspired rhythm section for the casually swinging Eugene Wright on bass and Joe Morello on drums, completing the classic Brubeck Quartet. Secondly, the band had recorded the dazzling Time Out, a courageously experimental yet amazingly accessible record that contained the hugely popular Desmond composition "Take Five." By the time the Quartet hit Carnegie Hall in February 1963, they were genuine jazz superstars, and they were out to prove that the music belonged in the venue's hallowed halls. The first disc starts auspiciously with a playful, 12-minute version of the old warhorse "St. Louis Blues," in which the four musicians push, prod and poke at each other good naturedly, like old buddies after a couple of beers, spurring each other on to greater flights of fancy and enlivening a too-often covered standard. "Pennies From Heaven" also gets a long, joyful reading, as Desmond's impish riffs and Morello's boisterous trap work keep the heat turned up high. Disc two eschews standards for an all-original program that begins with a swinging, melodic "Eleven Four" and ends with mesmerizing takes on "Blue Rondo a la Turk" (possibly Brubeck's finest composition) and, of course, "Time Out." The band sounds like they're having a grand old time, and the audience is happily in sync with them. For the Brubeck neophyte, you couldn't ask for a more perfect introduction.

1964's studio follow-up Jazz Impressions of Japan, a chapter in the band's Impressions series, was inspired by the Quartet's Nipponese tour and has been out of print in any form for many years. God knows why—it's a delight from start to finish. With stellar support from Wright, Morello and Desmond, Brubeck superbly showcases his remarkable gift for melody, writing and playing with stunning lyricism at the keyboard. He draws on Japanese folk motifs as a starting point for the catchy melodies of "Tokyo Traffic" and "Toki's Theme" (also the theme for the TV show Mr. Broadway). The songs border on cheese but boast tunes sharp enough and improvisations deft enough to avoid parody. Brubeck's ballad work is particularly striking here; "Fujiyama" and "Rising Sun" (a solo piece) produce the same languid beauty as Charles Mingus' "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat." "Osaka Blues" pulls off the remarkable feat of sounding Asian and African-American at the same time, and features a Zen-like bass solo from Wright. Put it all together and you have a gloriously shining jewel in the Quartet's crown.

Vocal Encounters is a compilation of tracks featuring guest vocalists, some with the Quartet, some with other Brubeck ensembles. Some of the pairings are obvious, as with Tony Bennett on "That Old Black Magic" or Carmen McRae on her various contributions (including a vocal take on "Take Five"). Some are eyebrow-raising, like the Quartet's surprisingly sympathetic collaboration with jump blues crooner Jimmy Rushing on "Ain't Misbehavin'," "There'll Be Some Changes Made" and others, and one is just puzzling (Peter Paul & Mary?). There's also the brooding "Autumn in Our Town," featuring the smoky singer/lyricist Ranny Sinclair, who spent her career behind the scenes following this strong performance. The best tracks hook Brubeck up with the tag team of Louis Armstrong and the wonderfully eccentric vocalese trio Lambert, Hendricks and Ross. Taken from a show called The Real Ambassadors written by Brubeck and his wife Iola, the witty "Cultural Exchange," wry "They Say I Look Like God" and joyous title tune showcase an unique and intriguing meeting of musical minds. Brubeck's formal lyricism, Armstrong's blues-drenched growl and LHR's Manhattan Transfer-on-acid harmonies blend together shockingly well. Even better are "Since Love Had Its Way" and "Summer Song," with feature Satch in the vocal booth on his own—they're two of his most subtle and heartfelt performances. Vocal Encounters is uneven but at its best as rewarding as anything in Brubeck's memorable catalog. Michael Toland

For fans of: Oscar Peterson, Bill Evans, Keith Jarrett