Name: Legacy of a Legend
Brand: Sony Music Entertainment***
SKU: 23479735
Availability: OutOfStock

Performer Notes

Recording information: Basin Street, NY (04/19/1956); Berlin Philharmonie, Berlin, Germany (04/19/1956); Jazz Festival, Newport, R.I. (04/19/1956); Los Angeles, CA (04/19/1956); Mexico City (04/19/1956); NY (04/19/1956); Oakland, CA (04/19/1956); Pittsburgh, PA (04/19/1956); Basin Street, NY (04/22/1959-04/23/1959); Berlin Philharmonie, Berlin, Germany (04/22/1959-04/23/1959); Jazz Festival, Newport, R.I. (04/22/1959-04/23/1959); Los Angeles, CA (04/22/1959-04/23/1959); Mexico City (04/22/1959-04/23/1959); NY (04/22/1959-04/23/1959); Oakland, CA (04/22/1959-04/23/1959); Pittsburgh, PA (04/22/1959-04/23/1959); Basin Street, NY (05/14/1967); Berlin Philharmonie, Berlin, Germany (05/14/1967); Jazz Festival, Newport, R.I. (05/14/1967); Los Angeles, CA (05/14/1967); Mexico City (05/14/1967); NY (05/14/1967); Oakland, CA (05/14/1967); Pittsburgh, PA (05/14/1967); Basin Street, NY (07/07/1963); Berlin Philharmonie, Berlin, Germany (07/07/1963); Jazz Festival, Newport, R.I. (07/07/1963); Los Angeles, CA (07/07/1963); Mexico City (07/07/1963); NY (07/07/1963); Oakland, CA (07/07/1963); Pittsburgh, PA (07/07/1963); Basin Street, NY (10/12/1954-07/23/1955); Berlin Philharmonie, Berlin, Germany (10/12/1954-07/23/1955); Jazz Festival, Newport, R.I. (10/12/1954-07/23/1955); Los Angeles, CA (10/12/1954-07/23/1955); Mexico City (10/12/1954-07/23/1955); NY (10/12/1954-07/23/1955); Oakland, CA (10/12/1954-07/23/1955); Pittsburgh, PA (10/12/1954-07/23/1955); Basin Street, NY (11/1970); Berlin Philharmonie, Berlin, Germany (11/1970); Jazz Festival, Newport, R.I. (11/1970); Los Angeles, CA (11/1970); Mexico City (11/1970); NY (11/1970); Oakland, CA (11/1970); Pittsburgh, PA (11/1970); Basin Street, NY (11/26/1956-06/25/1964); Berlin Philharmonie, Berlin, Germany (11/26/1956-06/25/1964); Jazz Festival, Newport, R.I. (11/26/1956-06/25/1964); Los Angeles, CA (11/26/1956-06/25/1964); Mexico City (11/26/1956-06/25/1964); NY (11/26/1956-06/25/1964); Oakland, CA (11/26/1956-06/25/1964); Pittsburgh, PA (11/26/1956-06/25/1964); Basin Street, NY (12/26/1967); Berlin Philharmonie, Berlin, Germany (12/26/1967); Jazz Festival, Newport, R.I. (12/26/1967); Los Angeles, CA (12/26/1967); Mexico City (12/26/1967); NY (12/26/1967); Oakland, CA (12/26/1967); Pittsburgh, PA (12/26/1967).
Photographers: Dave Brubeck; Don Hunstein; Edward Kasper; Zinn Arthur; Bob Willoughby.
Just in time for Dave Brubeck's 90th birthday celebration, Sony Legacy issues this double-disc compilation of tunes recorded between 1954 and 1970, beginning a year-long birthday campaign at the label and predating the screening of Dave Brubeck: In His Own Sweet Way, a documentary film whose executive producer is Clint Eastwood. (Another clebratory release, the Concord Music Group's the Definitive Dave Brubeck--also a double disc--covers the rest of his career before and after what is represented here.) Legacy of a Legend's 21 tunes were handpicked by the pianist. Of course his selections include favorites like "Take Five," "Blue Rondo … la Turk," "Jeepers Creepers," and his familiar takes on tunes from the movies and the theater, including "Gone with the Wind," and "Somewhere." Hardcore Brubeck fans will have almost everything here, but there is one previously unreleased cut, a live take of "Three to Get Ready" from the Dave Brubeck Quartet's final concert in 1967. That said, hearing this music assembled in this way offers startling proof of Brubeck's truly iconic genius for the musical depth and range he displays as a composer, arranger, and pianist, both live and in the studio. He revisits the haunting (and now legendary) "Thank You (Dziekuje)," recorded live in Poland with its gorgeous tribute to Chopin that is still provocative. The harmonic interplay between the pianist and Paul Desmond showcased on "Camptown Ladies" and "Something to Sing About" (to mention just two places) is furthered by the subtly insistent but utterly innovative rhythm section of Eugene Wright and Joe Morello. There are trio cuts here as well, and a couple of memorable vocal performances, too: there's Carmen McCrae fronting on "My One Bad Habit" from 1961's The Real Ambassadors and Louis Armstrong from the same album in an unusual setting with two pianists (Billy Kyle being the other) on "Summer Song." While there can be no arguing this is yet another compilation of Brubeck's material for Columbia, the quirky picks by the pianist provide a solid introduction for new listeners. ~ Thom Jurek

Professional Reviews

JazzTimes (p.48) - "[He is] capable of chilling single-note lyricism, like his solos on 'Somewhere' and 'You Go to My Head'....And he has invented enduring melodies..."

Uncut (magazine) (p.79) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "[T]his set largely confirms the suspicion that the real genius of Brubeck's classic quartet was his featherweight altoist, Paul Desmond..."

Album: Legacy of a Legend
#	Song Title	Time
1)	Jeepers Creepers
2)	Taking a Chance on Love [From Cabin in the Sky]
3)	Duke, The
4)	Someday My Prince Will Come [From Snow White & the 7 Dwarfs]
5)	Ode to a Cowboy
6)	Thank You (Dziekuje)
7)	Camptown Races
8)	Gone with the Wind
9)	Blue Rondo … la Turk
10)	Take Five
11)	Evenin'
1)	My One Bad Habit
2)	Somewhere [From West Side Story]
3)	Unsquare Dance
4)	Summer Song
5)	Something to Sing About
6)	You Go to My Head
7)	Mr. Broadway
8)	Three to Get Ready - (previously unreleased)
9)	Out of Nowhere
10)	St. Louis Blues