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Customer Reviews of Brubeck Returns to Moscow

Backstage with the Dave Brubeck Quartet
Over the past couple of years, I've become a great fan of Dave Brubeck's music and found this DVD (I'm surprised he even had one) to be a good look at a behind the scenes tour of Dave in Moscow playing with the Russian National Orchestra. The behind the scenes material is great, by far the best part of the DVD. You'll see a legendary jazz man in his element, soaking up his host's adulation. The performance of Blue Rondo Ala Turk is another highlight well worth the price of this DVD alone. My only regret is that much of the second half of this DVD centers around Dave's choral music which, to me, is too operatic and not the orchestrated jazz that made Dave's music an important part of my listening experience over the last couple of years.

I recently saw the Dave Brubeck Quartet in concert with the Russian National Orchestra at the Ironstone Vineyard in Murphys, California (July 2002). It was the best concert I have ever attended. Really, and I've seen a lot of acts in Las Vegas and Lake Tahoe. It was as if an orchestra/big band showed up in your backyard and played for you and your friends. Totally cool, totally sophisticated, played by consumate professional musicians that know their instruments inside and out. This was not a modern concert of this week's star cursing at the audience and calling it art. You really sense the music resonates to the core of each individual in the Quartet and the orchestra, playing it with such skill, knowledge, and insight on so many levels that it sends chills through your body. I don't know how many times I said to myself during this concert, "Man, these guys are good." The Ironstone concert started with the Russian National Orchestra opening with Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue, making way for the Dave Brubeck Quartet's entrance as these grey beard's kicked it up a gear and the whole place began to swing. Backed by the orchestra, the Dave Brubeck Quartet dug into Summer Music, Salute to the Count, Take Five, Take the A Train, and Blue Rondo Ala Turk. I would kill to have this concert or a similar concert on DVD and only hope that it will be produced, a great jazz man working with the material that made him famous, backed by a full orchestra (I highly recommend Dave Brubeck's 80th Birthday CD with the London Symphony Orchestra, which captures much of the concert I describe above). Until that happens, and I really, really hope Dave's production people are working at putting a DVD like this together, Dave Brubeck in Moscow is a good bet for the backstage scenes and Blue Rondo Ala Turk. It will give you a good sense of the decency of this man and a measure of the timeless music he makes.

Dave Brubeck Is Still Cooking!
This DVD documents the preparation and performance of Dave Brubeck's jazz mass, "To Hope - A Celebration". It was recorded in Moscow in 1997 with Russian Orchestra and Chorus and is an absolute masterpiece! Dave performs with Jack Six, Randy Jones, Bobby Militello and conductor Russell Gloyd. The leadup to the performance is quite interesting as it shows Russell teaching the Russian performers to sing in English and play in jazz tempo. The production, clarity and camera work are superb and the performance of "Blue Rhondo ala Turk" with quartet and orchestra is outstanding. The 14th movement of the 15 part mass will have you cheering in your living room.