Perhaps no other jazz artist has used the live album to his advantage more so than Brubeck. His series of college recordings in the early 1950s launched his career in full, and by the time his quartet performed these Mexican concerts in 1967, they were in the twilight of one of jazz's most successful runs. Delivering a repertoire of Mexican pop and folk standards (plus one Latin-tinged original), Brubeck mostly shows his softer melodic side, trading in his more intense, agitated ideas for hightened elements of beauty and swing. His dialogue with Mexican guitarist Chamin Correa on "Sobre Las Olas" is delightfully bright. Of course, Paul Desmond's alto work always tended toward the lighthearted; it's elegantly fragile (over Rabito Agueros's most delicate bongos) on "La Paloma Azul" and wonderfully frisky on "Estrellita." Brubeck and Desmond lay out for the fan favorite "Alla En El Rancho Grande," but Brubeck returns for a furious reading of "La Bamba," propelled by the percussion team of Rabito and Joe Morello. The timeless material, guest musicians, and above all, the fertility of the Brubeck Quartet make this Latin bit a success. - by Marc Greilsamer, Amazon.com
Artist: Dave Brubeck
Album: Bravo! Brubeck! (Live in Mexico)
Year: 1967 (Legacy)
Label: Sony (20 Bit Digitally Remixed & Remastered, 1998)
Total time: 50:31
Tracks:
1. Introduction 1:18
2. Cielito Lindo (Traditional) 5:01
3. La Paloma Azul (Traditional) 6:15
4. Sobre Las Olas (Over the Wawes) (Juventino Rosas) 3:17
5. Besame Mucho (Consuelo Velázquez/Sunny Skylar) 5:53
6. Nostalgia De Mexico (Dave Brubeck) 4:03
7. Poinciana (Buddy Bernier/Nat Simon) 6:43
8. Alla En El Rancho Grande (Emilio de Uranga) 2:58
9. Frenesi (Alberto Dominguez/Leonard Whitcup) 5:17
10. Estrellita (Manuel Ponce) 4:56
11. La Bamba (Traditional) 4:50
Personnel:
Dave Brubeck (Piano)
Paul Desmond (Alto Saxophone)
Eugene Wright (Double Bass)
Joe Morello (Drums)
Salvador Agüeros (Bongos and Conga)
Benjamin Correa (Guitar)