Dave Digs Disney

Dave Digs Disney
Dave Brubeck's ensemble playing is lit with contradictions, many of them best caught by the particular quartet lineup that included alto saxophonist Paul Desmond and drummer Joe Morello (and, as on Time Out, bassist Eugene Wright, who may well have rounded out the best rendition of the quartet). For this set of Disney tunes, Brubeck and Desmond play craftily off the contradicting sounds each made. Brubeck's stiff phrasing, so consistent that its very stoicalness was core to the art, and Desmond's lithe execution and breathy tone get jostled swingingly by Morello's baby's-breath touch on the snare--a perfect mix of terseness, economy, bent phrases, and so much more. Many of the tunes are all familiar to anyone with an ear on 20th-century culture, from "Give a Little Whistle" to "When You Wish Upon a Star" and "Some Day My Prince Will Come." The familiarity of the material allows an extended level of rapport, giving Digs Disney a shine that many Brubeck recordings just can't match. --Andrew Bartlett
Customer Review: Brubeck, Desmond, and Disney!
I am a casual Jazz fan and had been a fan of the Brubeck/Desmond album "Time Out". I was browsing other albums by Dave Brubeck during the 50s, and me being a huge Disneyland fan, this album caught my eye. And as a Disney fan I recommend this to my fellow fans as great background music. This has remained one of my favorite jazz albums since the day I bought it and it is one that I pull out when I need to relax or if I am stressed. Like many Brubeck albums from this period you initially recognize the songs but the songs kind of take a life of their own as the band plays around the notes while still keeping a hint of the original songs. Since they don't stick strictly to the original versions of these songs even non-Disney fans can find something they will enjoy here.
Customer Review: Piano jazz the way it's meant to be
Disney's music writiers are a talented group. Brubeck shows great respect for the original pieces as he takes these lyrical and well-identified pieces and turns them into exceptional jazz.