In His Own Sweet Way : A Tribute to Dave Brubeck

Label: Avan
Year: 2000
Released on LP: No
Released on CD: Yes

Tracks

1. Blue Shadows In The Street - Dave Slusser
2. Far More Blues -Uri Caine
3. In Your Own Sweet Way - Pachora
4. Summer Song - Bill Frisellv
5. Blue Rondo A La Turk - Ruinsv
6. Tokyo Traffic - Medeski, Martin & Wood
7. The Duke - Anthony Coleman
8. Calcutta Blues - Eyvind Kang
9. Sixth Sense - Slowpoke
10. Winter Ballad - Erik Friedlander
11. Jumpin' - Sex Mob
12. Nomad - Dave Douglas
13. Three To Get Ready - Joey Baron
14. The Golden Horn - David Krakauer

Reviews

All Music Guide – Review – copyright

In His Own Sweet Way: A Tribute to Dave Brubeck features avant garde jazz artists playing the music of pianist and composer Dave Brubeck. These musicians mix Brubeck's melodism with their own eclectic musical hybrids creating exciting listening that truly pays tribute to this composer's influence, not generically imitating him. Recommended to listeners with open ears.

Al Campbell

© Copyright Rovi Corporation















All About Jazz - Review Copyright

Published: April 1, 2000

The standard I apply to critique a recording is twofold: 1) determine what the artist(s) set out to accomplish with the recording, 2) decide whether they were successful. Employing the test: yes, this is a Dave Brubeck tribute, and no, for most artists involved, they didn’t capture the spirit of Brubeck. But, interestingly I think the record is a success. Executive producer John Zorn has participated in numerous tribute records. The best of them being The Big Gundown (Ennio Morricone, 1984), Voodoo: The Music Of Sonny Clark (1985), Spy Vs. Spy: The Music Of Ornette Coleman (1988), More News For Lulu (Sonny Redd, Sonny Clark, Hank Mobley 1989), Spinning Song: Duck Baker Plays The Music Of Herbie Nichols (1996). Each, in its own way captured the essence of the artists’ musical concepts.


Brubeck’s button-down jazz just doesn’t work in the Sex Mob’s scheme of slide trumpet and screeching saxophone. Nor does his “Far More Blues” fair well as a deconstructive piano piece by Uri Caine nor does the Eastern European take on “In Your Own Sweet Way” remind us of the original composition. Before mailing letter bombs to this infidel, I must say I am a fan of the above artists and enjoyed the music. It just is impossible to make a Brubeck connection.

The tracks that do connect were those by Joey Baron, Bill Frisell, Anthony Coleman, Erik Friedlander, and Medeski, Martin & Wood. Perhaps it is the reverence of their approach to Brubeck’s music that is so appealing. Coleman, at times a wild man at the keyboards, settles into an almost romantic version of “The Duke.” And drummer Joey Baron, accompanied only by Tony Scherr’s bass, gives the best performance of the disc by faithfully covering “Three To Get Ready.”

Does the majority of the record pay tribute to the great one? No. Is the music inherently satisfying in itself? Yes.