"The 8 tracks on this album capture Brubeck at his best as a composer. He appeared to be consciously striving to achieve the simple, succinct, and profound features of haiku. "Rising Sun" is as understated and pretty a melody as I've ever heard from anyone. "Tokyo Traffic" is classic, west-coast cool. "Toki's Theme" is 60's camp. "Fujiyama" is a contemplative piece that features Brubeck sounding like Bach chasing notes around in a circle. "Zen is When" is an atmospheric, peaceful, and hypnotic lullaby. "The City is Crying" is vintage Brubeck Quartet that showcases Paul Desmond. "Osaka Blues" is a straight forward swing that allows Brubeck to stab harmonic chords over the pitch-perfect bass and druming of Wright and Morello, respectively. "Koto Song" is the most Japanese-sounding track on the album. Again, very atmospheric, very contemplative and very hypnotic.
I like this album every bit as much as "Time Out" and "West Side Story". "Jazz Impressions of Japan" should be in everyones jazz collection. It's great if you blast it and just as great if you have it as background music."
Beautiful music, beautiful jazz
R. Kerr | Australia | 06/10/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I heard this CD on the radio and was instantly hooked. I have to say however that I am biased having been a Brubeck fan since the Fifties. This CD is a fine example of his ability to compose beautiful music with real meaning. It brings the music of Japan into the jazz idiom wonferfully. I love it."
Sugei
jokamachi | california | 08/14/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Unmentioned in previous reviews is the fact that Japan itself was going through a economic transformation in the sixties and that reality permeates the music thoroughly. You can almost feel the progress on faster tracks such as the dizzying Tokyo Traffic and Toki's Theme, an infectious foot-tapping tune written to a busy, Japanese secretary. Overall, you've got more than just a couple things going on thematically; Jazz Impressions of Japan is both culturally and musically interwoven, jostling between an ancient medieval society and the economic juggernaut it has become. Musically, it's mostly traditional; pentatonic Japanese scales are utilized creatively and respectfully throughout the recording, although, as soloists, it sounds like Desmond covers more ground than Brubeck. But I also get the feeling Dave's composing thematically to a set of minimalist, rhythmic patterns distinct to Japanese music. Whatever the case, this recording only draws one deeper into a culture you really have to live in to fully understand; it's a complex record, but one that succeeds.
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A Flawed Gem
Dr. Debra Jan Bibel | Oakland, CA USA | 07/31/2009
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Brubeck, like Ellington, composed jazz works influenced by the lands he visited. Both were never literal; they never adapted or borrowed ethnic melodies, although Brubeck did take home rhythms. Jazz Impressions of Japan is a little heard, somewhat flawed gem whose gleem offsets some of the silliness. Tokyo Traffic, the first track, sounds a little too Oriential stereotypic, more Chinese-like, but the helter-skelter feeling was conveyed along with a great central musical development of the tune. In immediate contrast is Rising Sun, a beautiful ballad of a dawn. Brubeck consciously wrote Toki's Theme as a parody, a comment on East-West pop. Fujiyama is as wonderful as the mountain, and Brubeck and Desmond do justice to this Japanese icon with cloudlike swirls on the piano and a haunting saxophone tune in the sky. Zen is When again applies stereotype Orientalisms in the arrangement, particularly the percussion and is so un-Zen, though Brubeck knew the underlying philosophy. We are relieved to hear next The City is Crying, with its West Coast jazz flow: very cool indeed. Osaka Blues, largely forgetable, marks the end of their tour, but the album closes with Koto Song, which best reaches into the traditions of Japan: quiet, reflective, with a touch of sweet melancholy. Another, more inventive rendition of this piece may be found on their 1975: The Duets album."
Best Jazz album I have ever heard
Vadim F | NY | 03/15/2010
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This is by far the best Jazz album ever written. Every note is masterfully arranged, every feeling perfectly expressed. I recommend this for anyone who is a fan of good music."