A great Brubeck side project – featuring music by Dave and lyrics by Iola Brubeck – kind of a reworking of the Gilbert & Sullivan musical, but with a hip 60s swinging jazz vibe – and a story about the importance of American jazz musicians as cultural ambassadors in the postwar years! There's some especially great vocal numbers from Lambert Hendricks & Ross – and Carmen McRae sings a bit in a mode that's similar to her Brubeck albums. And even Louis Armstrong is pretty charming, too! (Jazz, Vocalists) LP, Vinyl record album

Dave Brubeck's probably best known for the instrumental work by his classic quartet on Columbia Records, but during his years at the label, he also recorded some great work with singers too! Most of the tracks on the set are from the years 1960 and 1961 – a time of intense recording for the Brubeck group on Columbia, and a time when Dave's combo was paired with other artists on a variety of different sessions. The most famous of these tracks are probably the ones that feature Carmen McRae, and others are from The Real Ambassadors album – which included Louis Armstrong and Lambert Hendricks & Ross – and a great overlooked date with Jimmy Rushing, who was wrapping up Columbia work at the time. The core combo here features Paul Desmond on alto sax, Eugene Wright on bass, and Joe Morello on drums – and titles include "Take Five", "Travelin Blues", "In The Lurch", "Weep No More", and "My One Bad Habit" with Carmen McRae; "My Melancholy Baby", "Ain't Misbehavin", "There'll Be Some Changes Made", and "Blues In The Dark" with Jimmy Rushing; "Since Love Had Its Way" and "Summer Song" with Louis Armstrong; "The Real Ambassador" and "Cultural Exchange with Armstrong and Lambert Hendricks & Ross; "That Old Black Magic" with Tony Bennett; and the incredible "Autumn In Our Town" with Ranny Sinclair – issued here for the first time ever, and a marvelously dark tune that carries echoes of later work by Karin Krog and Monica Zetterlund! (Jazz, Vocalists) CD