Elegantly Swinging
5
By jesster2
Considering that Time Out was recorded the same year, this amiable album serves as a reminder to listeners and historians that Brubeck and his Quartet was always about swinging, even when Brubeck's playing deliberately denied the swinging pulse by overlaying something else. Despite having a modern take on rhythm and harmony, Brubeck is deeply rooted in the tradition of Art Tatum and Fats Waller, though these influences infrequently came to the fore. While some of the least "adventurous" music Brubeck recorded, this album is a pleasure from start to finish.
An album largely of first-takes, the selections are music from or associated with the South. Brubeck's touch is light and deft, even when playing fuller chords, and his performance on "Georgia on My Mind" is amongst his most relaxed and intimate. Desmond is at his creative, witty best on "The Lonesome Road," where during his 4-bar trades he quotes "Entry of the Gladiators" (the circus tune, you'll know it when you hear it) and "Rhapsody in Blue," as well as a quick melody in a completely different key—perhaps a nod to the leader's style. Wright and Morello are by this time, an effortlessly swinging unit, providing foundation for the soloists' flights, as well as contributing compelling solos of their own.
