Rc<ords ar e rev iewed by Don DeMlcheal , Gilbert M. Erskine, Ke nny Dorham, Ira ~ Iller, Rolph John son, Bill Mathieu , Morion McPar lla Dan Morgenstern, Harvey Pekar, 8111Qu inn, William Ruu o, Harvey Siders, Carol Sloane , Edward A, Spring, Pate Welding, and Michael Zwe, Reviews are signed by the writers . Ratings ar e: * * * * * excellent , * * * * very good , * * * good , * * fair, * poor. When two catalog numbers are listed, the first i• mono , and the second is stereo . Dave Brubeck musical context and relates to that context, his is living music. It is not that BRAVO I BRUBECK !-Co lumbi <t 2695/ 9495: strikes a balance between playfulness and lives in the past or is trying to b Ci1/ito Li 11do; La Palo 111a A~11I• SobrD las Oias; Btsa'mc M11, b1J; N os111lgi11,le i\i, xiro; Poi11cia11a; thoughtfulness, and is never willful or life into a corpse so much as h El Rt111cbo Gra11de; BstroWta; I.a, IJ11mbt1. egocentric. elected to mature and grow with· lht Personnel: Paul Desmond, alco saxophone; B_rubeck, piono; Be.njarn.in Correa, guitar; Gene And ali these cats can play. Burton has confines of a musical idiom that h«11ill \ X, d ght, bass; Joe 1\forello, drums ; Salvador his own voice on an instrument that too greatest flowering two decades ago bot Agueros, bongo,s, conga drum. often swallows the player's identity, and still continues to exert an influcnc«1'n JlOQ Rating:**½ Coryell, too, has found his own way on the music. This innocuous music was recorded a much-abused ax. They go well together, Criss' approach sounds a little aa1e4 during Brubeck's appearance in Mexico both in terms of unity and contrast. to these ears, but dated only in th lie~ last May. Much was made at the tinie_ of Swallow, long a very good bassist, has that he is a purist. His playing adhetes to Brubeck's adding two Mexican musicians .become a remarkable one. He has roots, the old, pristine line, uncontamina by to his group, but in light of this record and he branches out. Haynes' playing is an any later permutations that bop eat there was little musical justification for object lesson in musical drumming, never through. · the move. rupturing tlie subtle texture of the group's Within this rigor, however , Cris Guitarist Correa plays the melody on sound,- but energizing and vital still. ages to play with scorching intensit Sabr e las Olas, better known as Over the The pieces all offer something to play with a fund of ideas that sound Olt Wav es or The Loveliest Night of the Year, on. The gifted Mike Gibbs contributed newly minted in his hands. His up- mpo and has El Rancho Grande to himself Ballet, Liturgy, and Sweet Rain (the last work is nearly flawless, as his long · (much to the delight of his audience). is a lovely melody, and this version com­ limber improvisation on Wee clea~ at, Percussionist Agueros merely provides pares interestingly to that recently recorded tests. The music just gushes out in re­ musical babble in the background until it's by Stan Getz, on the Verve album of the lentless torrent of notes, beautifully ,Ueti, time .for his challenge routine with Morello same name). lated and stamped with assertivene His on Bamba, but even then it's just two for Swallow did Portsmouth and Mojo,· ballad playing is equally engaging; 8114 the show. Burton and Coryell collaborated on the his solos on Child and Clear Day as The best music is played by Desmond, fast-paced, exciting 1-2; and Carla Bley's soulful as they are sensitive. His t Is though that fertile-minded soloist is gen­ charming Blues makes a fine vehicle for expressive. l!IOl't! erally below par, rising to excellence only the quartet. The support he receives from Davlf, on Poinciana. I don't feel like attempting to describe Chambers , and Dawson is excellent. ,Oavis' The leader confines himself in large this music. It should be heard; it gets piano forays reveal a firm ground'ng ill measure to straight-forward, simple solos, better with each hearing, and it sounds the prototypical bop keyboard approacbe,, with few flights into his personal brand pretty damned good the first time. It and he apparently has listened long and of stomping (half Wagner , half Waller). makes a lot of beautiful sense. Dig it. hard to Bud Powell, the impre ss of bl.\!O His most pleasant solos are those on -Morgenstern music is apparent in much of the piano Lindo, Besame, Poinciana, and Estrellita. work here . In all, there 's nothing much happening In short, a tasty celebration of tht }op here. -DeMicheal Sonny Criss of bebop by an accomplished imW· PORTRAIT OF SONNY CRISS-Prestige mentalist who has retained his ow lo'la 7526: A J'Vlillion Timt s or M ort/ W e«; God Bl ,ss tbe Cf,i/4; On " Clea, Da,•; Blues ;,, 1b, Closdl; of and commitment to the genre an wbo Gary Burton Smil e. communicates that love with sw~l 111, DUSTER-RCA Victor LSP-3835: Ball et; Pcrson·ncl : Criss, alto soxopbooe; W alter Dllvi.s, SUJe•t Rai11: Ports111011th P igura1io11s1 Gm . Moio's piano; Poul Chambers, bass; Alan Dowson, incisive playing of great depth and ma· We ll-I.aid Pl ani 0110.,. T1110, 1-2~ •4; Sl11g i\1t drums. turity. Vigor with the rigor, that i d" <So/rl1 ol lb4 B1111s; uturg y; R#spom , . -~, , 1/11 I>o.rsonnel: Burton , vibraharp; Larry Cocyell, Rating:***½ gu imr; Steve SwnJJow, boss; Roy Ha ynes, dru ms. Every so often an album like this c;omes Rating:***** along to remind us just how accelerated This is a lovely album of music that is the development of jazz has been . Bobby Hackett ,d- gentle yet strong; fresh and different, yet The music has evolved so rapidly dur­ CREOL'll COOKIN '- Vctvc 8698 : fLi/1. t111 ~17,: Ti 11 Roof Bl11as· T be S11i11ts; B,,s111ftii if unpretentious and relaxed . ing the last 60 years or so that it is pos­ JJ ,us; l'idgo ty Peet; ko,,a l G,m lm IJl11t1~ Ntl!. If there is any precedent for the special sible at the moment to hear representa­ ra l R,11,,blt; Origilllll Dixi1 lnt1d Om.Sr• P~ II o ,i..,m; /.4ZJ Mo o.,J; D o Yo'II K11ow 1r. feeling of this group (in spirit, ilot in tives of j~st about every one of the phases M ta t1S to /'!Uss New Orl e,w.s? ill, substance) i"t might be the Red N orvo of that development. It's uncanny, for Pcr~onncl: Hacke11, cornet; Jnmcs :M°'l;~llf Rwt'y Dedrick, trump crs; Dbb Brookmey~l', ;r Trio with Tal Farlow and Charles Mingus. example, how this set perfectly, unself­ CurshaJI, cwm bones; Bob Wilber , dnri();r,:ell, Those who recall that splendid unit will consciously summons up the spirit of the p_rano sa,cophonc; Jecry Dodgion, Joe ~tOSIL. Zoot Sims, Pepper Adams, reeds; Dnvc M f,Ptl know that this is meant as high praise. jazz scene of the late 1940s and early piano; '"' aync \Vdght, gilitnr; Buddy Jonef, There is a marvelous unity among the 1950s. It's almo st as though the recording Morey .Fe.Id, drums. players. They are always listening to each studio had served as a time machine to 1!,,ating: * * * ½ a~ other, always finding ways of complement­ transport us back to the later days of the With such promising perso nnel, ing each other. And each one of them has bebop revolution. with the gifted Wilber in charge ~'! something to say and is able to say it I do not wish to suggest that this is re­ arrangements-not to mention the ~ individualistically and yet within a total actio11ary music. Quite the contrary, in Hackett horn-the end result is a bJ group framework. fact. appointing . There is freedom here, but it is the right Criss plays with a great deal of fire and The idea of new settings for soJJI~ kind-the kind that evolves from a specific assurance; he convinces the listener that the most frequently played tra4itional .