This Is Jazz #3 Review

07/13/2005 6:40 AM, AMG


Columbia takes yet another stab at a basic pocket Brubeck collection with this single-disc anthology. Drawing from the albums Brubeck Time (now on the CD Interchanges '54), Dave Digs Disney, Gone With the Wind, At Carnegie Hall, and the breakthrough Time Out, the set saunters through the years when the Dave Brubeck Quartet's rhythm section of Bob Bates and Joe Dodge gradually gave way to the classic tandem of Gene Wright and Joe Morello, with Paul Desmond on alto throughout. While there are some good picks -- a great, swinging "Gone With the Wind" for one -- it is by no means a representative view of all of Brubeck's years with Columbia. To cite the most crucial omission, Brubeck's formidable achievements as a composer are slighted, save for "Blue Rondo A La Turk." With other greatest-hits collections still available, this one is a bit redundant. ~ Richard S. Ginell, All Music Guide