One of Dave's Lesser-Known Albums But a Great One!
S. Kelly | Washington, DC | 01/13/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This is one of Dave's better albums and after being available only on LP for so many years, was released on CD in 2006 (along with Brubeck's "My Favorite Things", another great album) in limited distribution. Sony, who has been among the most aggressive labels in re-issuing older LP albums on CD has done jazz lovers a great service by making this treasure available as an import from Japan.
In this particular case, they have re-issued the old Columbia Records red "six eye" label LP by the same name but now re-mastered in stereo on CD. Since it has been available only on LP for so long (and even then apparently not widely distributed), it seems to be one of his less well-known albums and I found it difficult to locate opinions of it.
Also, since there are no online "sound samples" available for this album (at least as of this writing), it is somewhat more difficult for those who haven't heard the album before to know what it sounds like and make a purchase decision. I hope this review can be of some assistance to those in that category.
"Anything Goes" is one of several of Dave's albums containing music specific to particular composers, in this case the music of Cole Porter. I once read a comment that Dave resisted the release of this album on CD for many years because he had been disappointed in the LP version (and hadn't thought the quartet sounded as good on it as it had on other albums).
I don't know if that's true but if it is, he needn't have worried. I haven't heard the LP version but the selection of music on the CD album is terrific, a collection of classic works by a legendary American composer of popular music. The Brubeck quartet sounds as good (and plays as well) as ever and Sony's stereo re-mastering on this album is superb, as is usual for them. It ranks with the best I have yet heard on any jazz album.
It's an album well worth having if you like good jazz. If you are a Brubeck fan and also like Cole Porter's music, this album is definitely a "must have" for your collection.
"
Old wine in new bottles: Brubeck swings Cole Porter
M. Bromberg | Atlanta, GA United States | 09/01/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"As Gene Tuttle's original liner notes to this album state flat-out, Cole Porter's elegant tunes seemed "old hat" when this album was recorded. Maybe so, but the Brubeck Quartet interprets these eight Porter standards in a cool, sophisticated west-coast style that swings like mad. Listen how Brubeck and Paul Desmond solo around the melody of "You're the Top," turning the 1934 chestnut into a flash of unexpected chord changes. "I Get a Kick Out of You" is a straight-ahead number pushed along by Brubeck's incredible, doubletime riffing. He even manages a Bach quote in the quieter, introspective mood of "What Is This Thing Called Love." After the ground-breaking music of "Time Out" maybe it is true that Brubeck felt he was taking a step back when this album was released in 1966, but fans old and new will hear this as a classic Quartet album. Sadly out-of-print but highly recommended."
It makes me want to cry....
E. S. Robinson | OLYMPIA, WA United States | 05/24/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"it's heartbreaking to even write this review... this is easily one of my favorite albums of any genre, by any artist... it's one of those exceedingly rare types of albums which is absolutely incredible from start to finish, and i can listen to it over and over and it still stays fresh... and it would be very seldom that i wouldn't be in the mood to listen to it... just to hear that dave didn't like this album too much, is such a freaking letdown...these guys are truly in rare form here, i mean, no--this isn't typical d.b. quartet stuff, technically it's quite a bit less tight and controlled than, say, the "gone with the wind" album... but that leads right into my point. the album "time out," which is so huge and is considered to be so groundbreaking and influential, is to my personal tastes a little tired-- not just because it's so overplayed as a whole, but because a lot of the playing on it was tired to begin with-- desmond tooted out little bluesy lines which were nothin' new-- i mean maybe the compositions gave us somethin' fresh, but time out was only fresh on paper. but anything goes... anything goes was and is explosively fresh, moving, grooving, progressive (practically, like, mid-seventies weather report progressive,) electrically energetic, and above all spontaneous, above all spontaneous... no, every note isn't planned out and put properly in place, it's not so much strictly executed according to a pre-meditated set of details...but this just ain't that kind of album, this is living vibration...these four guys are crackin' like whips, up and down the line, top to bottom on this one...and the electricity really freaking burns on the slow tunes...yah, i grew up hearing dave's music, since infancy, thanks to my dad, and i was certainly very into brubeck a good while before i heard the anything goes record, but...the more i think about it, this album is probably the one reason i feel sure that anything dave ever does is going to be something that i'll be open to listening to, and learning to enjoy in some way or other. for me anything goes is just a very soulful listen, that's it in a nutshell. i suppose that as far as the universe is concerned, this album is essentially just a happy(-for-me) accident-- and definitely for a few other people of course; though i'd guess that the majority of brubeck quartet fans won't count it among their faves, and i know there have to be a fair number of cats who haven't heard this one but'd be into it if they did, and hopefully, hopefully they do...
i just hope that at least i'll always have a copy to share."
