Way more than just a gimmicky bossa nova session – and a surprisingly great showcase for the inventive rhythms of the Brubeck group, and the sensitive alto work of Paul Desmond! The record's got a really different feel than some of Dave's other work for Columbia – in that the modernism is put slightly on the back burner – letting drummer Joe Morello snap out with some lightly gliding percussion that's a bit more straight ahead than usual, and which offers a unique take on the bossa groove. Paul Desmond's the real star of the set, though – and his alto steps out here with the best gentle presence of his later work for RCA and A&M – beautifully blown throughout, and with a tone that most other players would die for! Titles include "Bossa Nova USA", "Coracao Sensivel", "Theme For June", "Lamento", and "Cantiga Nova Swing". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Great live work from the Dave Brubeck Quartet – a batch of recordings from Boston's legendary Storyville night club! The lineup features Dave on keys and the mighty Paul Desmond on alto sax – already stepping out here with a clear, crisp tone that's simply beautiful – a style that's a surprisingly nice match for the Boston scene of the 50s, which was budding similar altoists like Charlie Mariano and Boots Mussulli – recorded here with bass by Bob Bates, and drums by Joe Dodge. Tracks are relatively long, and titles include "Back Bay Blues", "When You're Smiling", "Here Lies Love", and "Gone With The Wind". LP, Vinyl record album

Really great early work from Dave Brubeck – recorded with his early trio that included Cal Tjader on both drums and vibes – instruments he'd sometimes play on the same track! The rest of the trio is completed by Ron Crotty, an excellent bassist who did plenty of great work on the San Francisco scene in the 50s – and the package features material from the first 3 early 10" LPs on the Fantasy Records label! LP, Vinyl record album

A classic album from Dave – recorded at Oberlin College, the mid-Ohio haven of bohemiana, and a growing hotbed of jazz activity centered around students in the college's conservatory of music. Dave and crew made the trip at the request of the kids – breaking from their mostly San Francisco-based recording career to cut what would end up becoming a very successful album in Dave's catalog, and begin a whole "at" or "goes to" series in his career. The group's the early quartet with Paul Desmond, Lloyd Davis, and Ron Crotty – and tunes include long and jamming versions of "The Way You Look Tonight", "How High The Moon", and "Stardust". CD

Tracks include "Take Five", "Gone With The Wind", "Someday My Prince Will Come", "Pennies From Heaven", "Blue Rondo A La Turk", and "When You Wish Upon A Star". CD

Like Dave Brubeck's legendary Time Out set? Try this one – a great record that takes off from the concept of the first, but which goes in some very fresh new directions – using the same great group with Paul Desmond on alto, Eugene Wright on bass, and Joe Morello on drums! Dave's still working out some nutty time signatures here – but apart from the science, the thing that really makes the record cook is Desmond's alto – icy, edgey, floating, and always a treat – almost even more amazing in the space of some of these offbeat numbers. Titles include "Maori Blues", "Far More Drums", "Bluetee", "Far More Blue", and "It's A Raggy Waltz". CD features 2 bonus tracks "Slow & Easy" and "It's A Raggy Waltz (live at Carnegie Hall)". CD

Easily the crowning moment of genius for the legendary Dave Brubeck Quartet – the moment when all things came together magically, and the group somehow elevated themselves to a whole new level in jazz! At the time of the set, Brubeck, Paul Desmond, and the rest had already been making plenty of waves with their creative yet swinging approaches to modern jazz – heard on a number of successful albums for Fantasy and Columbia in the 50s. But with this record, they really knocked one out of the park – blending Desmond's cool alto, Brubeck's unusual piano phrasing, Joe Morello's melodic drum work, and Eugene Wright's pulsating bass into a waltzing, almost modal groove that crossed over to many camps at the time! The classics "Take Five" and "Blue Rondo Ala Turk" were both hits on their own – but all titles are great, and include "Kathy's Waltz", "Strange Medow Lark", "Everybody's Jumpin", and "Pick Up Sticks". CD

Easily the crowning moment of genius for the legendary Dave Brubeck Quartet – the moment when all things came together magically, and the group somehow elevated themselves to a whole new level in jazz! At the time of the set, Brubeck, Paul Desmond, and the rest had already been making plenty of waves with their creative yet swinging approaches to modern jazz – heard on a number of successful albums for Fantasy and Columbia in the 50s. But with this record, they really knocked one out of the park – blending Desmond's cool alto, Brubeck's unusual piano phrasing, Joe Morello's melodic drum work, and Eugene Wright's pulsating bass into a waltzing, almost modal groove that crossed over to many camps at the time! The classics "Take Five" and "Blue Rondo Ala Turk" were both hits on their own – but all titles are great, and include "Kathy's Waltz", "Strange Medow Lark", "Everybody's Jumpin", and "Pick Up Sticks". 2CD version features a set of previously unreleased Dave Brubeck material recorded at Newport in the early 60s – 8 rare bonus tracks on a separate CD – plus a DVD that features an interview with Dave on Time Out, historic Brubeck performance footage, a piano lesson, and a photo grallery too! CD

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

Third album with The Dave Brubeck Trio performing with Erich Kunzel and the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, with with guest Gerry Mulligan. LP, Vinyl record album

One of the best Dave Brubeck albums from later years – and one of the hippest! The record is noteworthy for its pairing of Anthony Braxton and Lee Konitz – the former a rising star at the time, influenced strongly by the latter in his roots – showcased here in some rare moments of Braxton straight-aheadness! Brubeck's contribution is heard most strongly on the album's extended trio "Jimmy Van Huesen Medley" – played by Dave with Jack Six on bass and Alan Dawson on drums. But we're most partial to the saxophone tunes – Konitz playing a spare duet with Brubeck on "Don't Get Around Much Anymore", soloing with the group on "Like Someone In Love", duetting with Braxton on "All The Things You Are" – and stepping back to let Anthony play with Dave on a version of "In Your Own Sweet Way". Really great stuff throughout – and a unique Brubeck moment! CD

Like Dave Brubeck's legendary Time Out set? Try this one – a great record that takes off from the concept of the first, but which goes in some very fresh new directions – using the same great group with Paul Desmond on alto, Eugene Wright on bass, and Joe Morello on drums! Dave's still working out some nutty time signatures here – but apart from the science, the thing that really makes the record cook is Desmond's alto – icy, edgey, floating, and always a treat – almost even more amazing in the space of some of these offbeat numbers. Titles include "Maori Blues", "Far More Drums", "Bluetee", "Far More Blue", and "It's A Raggy Waltz". LP, Vinyl record album

An overlooked Dave Brubeck from the 60s – and one of his most striking sessions at the time! The album steps a bit into the Blues Roots promised in the title – but overall, it's more of a unique meeting between Brubeck's piano and the baritone sax of Gerry Mulligan – coming together here in warm, open quartet company – with a sound that's quite different than some of the Brubeck/Paul Desmond sessions of the time! Dave really sets the tone on piano – and is maybe a bit less concerned with overall jazz concepts than just laying down some expressive solo passages – and the group also features Jack Six on both acoustic and electric bass, and Alan Dawson on drums. Mulligan is as fluid as ever – and has that great sound he was bringing to his own small group sessions of the time – a mode that burns a gentle fire on titles that include "Broke Blues", "Journey", "Cross Ties", "Blues Roots", and "Moving Out". LP, Vinyl record album

... CD

A weird one. Dave Brubeck's son Darius plays music from Charlie Chaplin films like Modern Times, City Lights, and The Great Dictator. The sound's a bit hokey, but he does have a lot of hip bandmates helping him out, like Amos Garrett, Michael Brecker, and Perry Robinson. Amos Garrett sings on "Weeping Willow", which we could do without, but other tracks have some nice loose improvisation. LP, Vinyl record album

A really great take on the sound of the Dave Brubeck/Paul Desmond quartet of the 50s and 60s – that magical unit that really transformed the sound of jazz at the time, and continues to hold strong over the decades! The approach here, though, is also a nice change from Paul and Dave – in that Jens Sondergaard has maybe a bit more spirit in his alto, and also plays soprano sax too – and is matched by some fantastic piano from Ole Kock Hansen, a player with a much more organic flow than Brubeck – not that we don't like Dave's piano, but Ole's got a warmth that really changes things up – as does the bass work of Lasse Lundstrom, who's upfront and full in the mix, and also brings a lot of humanity to the proceedings! Tunes are all gems from the key years of the original group – and titles include "Why Not", "Bossa Antiqua", "The Duke", "Broadway Bossa Nova", "Embarcadero", "In Your Own Sweet Way", and "Brandenburger Gate". CD

A huge amount of 70s material from the legendary Paul Desmond – all recorded during the year of 1975, with backing from a shifting group of Canadian players – and most of it unissued until now! You'll know some of these tracks from the albums Paul Desmond Quartet Live (A&M), Paul Desmond (Artist House), and Like Someone In Love (Telarc) – but together, the tracks present a much bigger picture of Desmond's genius at the time – really moving past some of the more rigid roles he'd have in his 60s work with Dave Brubeck. Players on most numbers are the trio of Ed Bickert on guitar, Don Thompson on bass, and Jerry Fuller on drums – a really great combo, and the mix of guitar with Desmond's sharply-blown alto is wonderful – a perfect upfront setting for his sound. A few more tracks feature trombonist Rob McDConnell in place of Bickert – which makes for a different, but equally compelling sound – and the whole thing features 51 long tracks, 32 of which appear here for the first time ever – all with the usual great Mosaic Records booklet of notes and presentation. CD

Oliver Nelson's follow-up to his classic Blues & The Abstract Truth session for Impulse – and like that one, a tremendous little album – filled with deep tones and wonderful colors in sound! The group here's a bit larger than before – an ensemble that includes Phil Woods on alto, Ben Webster on tenor, Thad Jones on trumpet, Pepper Adams on baritone, Roger Kellaway on piano, Richard Davis on bass, and Grady Tate on drums. The album includes some superb original compositions by Nelson – just the kind of overlooked jazz numbers that make the set great – and as with most of his arrangements from the time, there's a perfect balance between group force and intimate solo space! Titles include "The Critic's Choice", "Blues & The Abstract Truth", "One For Bob", and 2 versions of Dave Brubeck's "Theme From Mr. Broadway". LP, Vinyl record album

A cool set of modern jazz numbers put together by the Qualiton Records label in Hungary – a small but strong outlet of jazz during the years of the Iron Curtain! The combo here is led by pianist Janos Gonda, and features Attilla Savari on saxes, Peter Kaldor on vibes, and Tibor Buvari on bass – plus a vocal solo from Marta Szirmai in one spot – and the group take on tunes by Thelonious Monk, Dave Brubeck, John Lewis, and others! LP, Vinyl record album

A very unusual album from bassist Eugene Wright – one of his few dates as a leader, despite famous work in the Dave Brubeck quartet! The set is great – with very strong work from Wright, who's maybe more soulful than usual – and recording here in New Zealand with a hip quartet that features Lew Campbell on piano, Laurie Lewis on baritone, and Don Branch on drums. The music is as creative as the Brubeck work from a rhythmic perspective, but has a deeper vibe overall – given the strong presence of the bass, the very strong baritone solos, and excellent piano from Campbell. All tunes are originals from Wright – very nice material! LP, Vinyl record album

Genius in one of its purest forms! Paul Desmond's alto sax was honed to perfection by the time of these recordings – worked out through fame in the Dave Brubeck Quartet years of the late 50s and early 60s, but also relaxed in a confidence that makes these sides completely majestic, and utterly fantastic! Desmond's tone and approach are languid – but in a way that's incredibly compelling: notes just floating out of the horn, almost effortlessly, seeming not to come from Desmond himself, but to him, gathered together by his warmth and good wit, honed in further by the spare and gentle guitar work of the great Jim Hall. This package is the finest tribute we could think of to their brilliant work together – a wonderfully-done 5CD set, with a lovely slipcase and book, done in a way that retains the structure of the original albums, yet also adds in bonus tracks. There's a whopping 55 cuts in all – and every single one of them's a gem! CD

A great pairing of two of the coolest jazz talents of the 50s – icy-cool altoist Paul Desmond and warm-toned baritonist Gerry Mulligan! The group here continues the pianoless tradition of some of Mulligan's work of the decade – leaving plenty of room for amazing interplay between the horns, and a rare chance to hear Desmond away from the instrument – especially considering his work with Brubeck – blowing here in an airy, willowy tone that's totally great. Other players include Joe Benjamin on bass and Dave Bailey on drums – and titles include "Blues In Time", "Standstill", "Line For Lyons", and "Fall Out". CD includes bonus tracks – "Tea For Two", "Wintersong", and "Lover". CD

A great entry in the ever-diverse catalog of guitarist Larry Coryell in the 70s – a set that has him both returning to Vanguard Records, and to more electric modes than on a few previous records – and also working with the sons of Dave Brubeck in a nicely tight mode! The album's maybe a bit more of a conventional jazz outing than Coryell at the start of the decade – given the Darius, Chris, and Dan Brubeck play acoustic piano, bass, and drums, respectively – but Larry's always changing up the rhythms and tones in these really great ways, and getting some nice inspiration from the percussion of Ray Mantilla, who's also in the group. Titles include "Mediterranean Sundance Entre Dos Aguas", "Sweet Shuffle", "Return", "Rue Gregoire Du Tour", and "Three Mile Island". CD

A great set of mod jazz from this excellent Italian series – mostly 60s numbers from bigger labels, and a great mix of Latin, soul jazz, and hardbop numbers! There's a snapping little groove to every single tune – and the whole thing's a great jazz dance party in one tight little package. Titles include "Midnight Blue" by Kenny Burrell, "Upstage Rumba" by Dave Brubeck, "Lucero" by Cal Tjader, "All About My Girl" by Jimmy McGriff, "Coming Home Baby" by Herbie Mann, and "Afrodisia" by Kenny Dorham. CD