[1] Take Five (Desmond) - 5:24
[2] I'm in a Dancing Mood (Goodhart/Hoffman/Sigler) - 2:59
[3] In Your Own Sweet Way (Brubeck) - 4:58
[4] Camptown Races (Foster) - 1:57
[5] Duke (Brubeck) - 6:30
[6] It's a Raggy Waltz (Brubeck) - 5:12
[7] Bossa Nova U.S.A. (Brubeck) - 2:23
[8] Trolley Song (Blane/Martin) - 3:03
[9] Unsquare Dance (Brubeck) - 2:00
[10] Blue Rondo À la Turk (Brubeck) - 6:44
[11] Theme from Mr. Broadway (Brubeck) - 2:27
Dave Brubeck - Piano
Paul Desmond - Alto Saxophone
Joe Morello - Drums
Eugene Wright - Bass
Mark Wilder - Digital Mastering
George T. Simon - Liner Notes
Seth Rothstein - Director
Howard Fritzson - Art Direction
Rene Arsenault - Production Coordination
Rob Schwarz - Digital Mastering
1966 LP Columbia PCT-298
1990 CS Fantasy 4528
1991 CS Columbia PCT-298
1997 CD Sony 65417
1997 CS Sony 65417
Recorded between April 18, 1956 and July 15, 1964. Includes liner notes
by George T. Simon. Digitally remastered by Mark Wilder and Rob Schwarz
(Sony Music Studios, New York, New York).
While Greatest Hits albums from jazz artists are sometimes dubious
propositions, Dave Brubeck is the rare exception to the rule. Brubeck
concentrated on the song as much as the performance, which is one of
the reasons why he appealed to such a wide audience and it's also the
reason why Greatest Hits is such an entertaining and effective sampler.
Featuring such familiar items as "Take Five," "In Your Own Sweet Way,"
"The Duke," "Trolley Song," "Unsquare Dance" and "Blue Rondo à
la Turk," the collection provides a fine introduction to Brubeck's
collegiate jazz for the uninitiated. Time Out remains the best place to
start a Brubeck appreciation, but this is an excellent single-disc
sampler.
Stephen Thomas Erlewine,
All-Music Guide
While greatest-hits CDs abound, Dave Brubeck has been one of the few
modern-jazz musicians to have actually enjoyed an occasional hit
record. This CD compiles material from Brubeck's Columbia recordings of
the 1950s and 1960s, revealing his deft combination of modernist
harmony and unusual time signatures with the immediately accessible.
Whether it's his own fine song "In Your Own Sweet Way" or Stephen
Foster's "Camptown Races," his homage to Duke Ellington or the
Mozart-inspired "Blue Rondo," Brubeck balances his taste for innovation
with traditional melodic values. The quartet with altoist Paul Desmond
was Brubeck's finest instrument. Desmond's gauzy sound and fluent
improvisations provided effective contrast to Brubeck's own assertive,
slightly stiff piano playing, and drummer Joe Morello smoothed out the
most challenging rhythms. Desmond's "Take Five" has become a jazz
standard, and this once-controversial music now conveys a special
period charm.