Search - Bob Brookmeyer, Kenny Wheeler :: Island (Bonus Dvd)

A subtle tour de force from grand masters.

Onur K. Orhon | Portsmouth, NH United States | 09/01/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Great music from Mr. Brookmeyer and Mr. Wheeler, two of my favourite musicians, not only as jazz performers but also as composers. The album is genuinely creative, both in terms of the uniqueness of the compositions and the top-notch performance from every member of the 5 piece band. The two leaders are accompanied by a solid rhythm section and everyone sounds very enhusiastic about creating "good music". I cannot believe how comfortable they all play together, something like you would only expect from a group that has been working together for years. I hope these guys will go on a US tour in the north east so that we can all watch the live performance.The album also offers some very valuable content for the music enhusiasts. It comes with a cd and a dvd for the price of one cd. The content on the dvd is not gimmicky as you would expect, quite the contrary, it's full of videos of the actual recording performance, interviews, transcripts, solo alaysis and much more. Also a 24bit/96K version and a dolby digital surround mix is included. The production quality of the videos could have been much better, the camera is shaky, the framing and editing is very amateurish, but it's still great to see the musicians performing in the studio and talking about the music.Overall, I would highly recommend "Islands" not only to Brookemeyer and Wheeler fans but also anyone who wants to listen to something fresh. The compositions will stick to your head even after listening for the first time and you will then start enjoying all the subtle details within each tune.One last thing. Although the sound quality is really good, (especially the 24bit version) I have to say that this is a noisy recording. You can hear things in the background, mechanical instrument sounds, Frank Carlberg singing while he's playing a solo, John Hollenbeck switching the percussion pieces and even somebody coughing! I can understand all these are part of the genuine live studio performance and I appreciate all these kind of details and I'm sure all of those are intentionally un-edited but still, sometimes it can take away from the mood of the music, especially if you are a really focused listener. I don't want to sound negative though, all in all it's a great album."

Made For Each Other

Bill Wood | 06/11/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Whoever thought of putting Brookmeyer and Wheeler together had it right. There has always been a strain of melancholy in Brookmeyer's playing, and Wheeler's compositions, even the ones with the punning titles in the ECM days, are deeply touched with sadness. Brookmeyer was born to play Wheeler, and Wheeler was born to write for Brookmeyer. The synergy is instant. These subtle, keening melodies are intelligent, instrospective jazz at its best. Whatever lighter moments exist on this CD are provided by Brookmeyer in his three compositions, including the title track. The rhythm section of Frank Carlberg, piano, Jeremy Allen, bass and John Hollenbeck, drums, is much younger, but all three offer fine support. Carlberg, in particular, seems finely attuned to the twilight ruminations of the two old masters as they examine the ironies and bittersweets of their shared vision. Session pictures in the jewel case show us Brookmeyer standing with the assistance of a cane. He is 74 years old now and Wheeler 73, and I have to think that this CD must be particularly poignant for us older jazz buffs who still cling to the hope that the sweetest music comes late. The package offers a bonus DVD as well, which I surely would have watched if I had had a player."