Search - Dave Brubeck, Gerry Mulligan :: Dave Brubeck & Gerry Mulligan With Cincinnati Orch

Quite Literally, Classical Jazz

Bobby Arroyo | Manila, Philippines | 06/04/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The first time I bought this album was on cassette. I didnt think much about it until I arrived home and played it. Wow, the fusion of Jazz by the Dave Brubeck Trio and Gerry Mulligan, backed up by the classical input of the Cincinnati Symphony was new to me, and soon I was enthralled. I especially like the haunting 'Blessed are the Poor'. Its like I know the tune somehow, deep in my subconscious, as if I only hear it in my dreams. Brubeck was able to come out and make it music. Fantastic."

When you find good orchestral jazz, grab it

James A. Vedda | Alexandria, VA USA | 02/18/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Jazz comes in all sizes and flavors. Orchestral jazz is the largest and, if done properly, one of the most flavorful. The best material does more than just provide schmaltzy string backup to a solo artist; it integrates everything that the strings, woodwinds, brass, and percussion have to offer. This album lives up to that high standard.

"Happy Anniversary" is a spirited opening track that has everyone interjecting familiar phrases but somehow always returning to the piece's main theme. "The Duke" is a very different and interesting arrangement of Brubeck's well-known tribute to Duke Ellington. "Blessed Are the Poor" and "Forty Days" are both hauntingly beautiful, but in different ways. The real showpiece of the album is the 15.5-minute final track "Elementals." It starts slow and mysterious, then gradually builds in tempo and intensity. The recurring themes in the full ensemble will take you soaring, and the big finish demonstrates a power that only an orchestra can wield.

This 1970 recording was not the first collaboration between the Dave Brubeck trio and the Cincinnati Symphony under conductor Erich Kunzel, but the addition of Gerry Mulligan on baritone sax makes it stand out. This kind of musical experience doesn't happen as often as it once did, and seldom gets recorded for wide release anymore. This is a gem - pick it up if you have any fondness for orchestral jazz or for any of these artists."