Jazz Impressions of Japan
Encyclopedia
Jazz Impressions of Japan is a 1964 album by The Dave Brubeck Quartet
.
It was recorded on June 16–17, 1964 at the legendary CBS 30th Street Studio
, except for "Zen Is When" which was recorded on January 30, 1960. It was released on August 10, 1964. The album, as the back cover of the remastered CD confirms, had been long out-of-print until it was reissued on CD in 2001, then re-released in 2008 and 2009.
In the album booklet, Brubeck talks about the quartet's trip to Japan and provides poignant and interesting information for each piece of the album, explaining what inspired a certain piece, for instance. In fact, the album is a sort of trip diary. This is how Brubeck himself describes the project: "The tunes in this album are personal impressions from the Quartet's tour of Japan, Spring 1964. No one in a brief visit can hope to absorb and comprehend all that is strange to him. Sights and sounds, exotic in their freshness, arouse the senses to a new awareness. The music we have prepared tries to convey these minute but lasting impressions, wherein the poet expects the reader to feel the scene himself as an experience. The poem suggests the feeling."
"Koto Song" is the only piece from the album that became a Brubeck standard; he would record it numerous times in the following years.
The Dave Brubeck Quartet
The Dave Brubeck Quartet is an American jazz quartet, founded in 1951 by Dave Brubeck and originally featuring Paul Desmond on saxophone and Brubeck on piano...
.
It was recorded on June 16–17, 1964 at the legendary CBS 30th Street Studio
CBS 30th Street Studio
CBS 30th Street Studio, also known as Columbia 30th Street Studio, and nicknamed "The Church", was an American recording studio operated by Columbia Records from 1949 to 1981 located at 207 East 30th Street, between Second and Third Avenues in Manhattan, New York City...
, except for "Zen Is When" which was recorded on January 30, 1960. It was released on August 10, 1964. The album, as the back cover of the remastered CD confirms, had been long out-of-print until it was reissued on CD in 2001, then re-released in 2008 and 2009.
In the album booklet, Brubeck talks about the quartet's trip to Japan and provides poignant and interesting information for each piece of the album, explaining what inspired a certain piece, for instance. In fact, the album is a sort of trip diary. This is how Brubeck himself describes the project: "The tunes in this album are personal impressions from the Quartet's tour of Japan, Spring 1964. No one in a brief visit can hope to absorb and comprehend all that is strange to him. Sights and sounds, exotic in their freshness, arouse the senses to a new awareness. The music we have prepared tries to convey these minute but lasting impressions, wherein the poet expects the reader to feel the scene himself as an experience. The poem suggests the feeling."
"Koto Song" is the only piece from the album that became a Brubeck standard; he would record it numerous times in the following years.
Track listing
All pieces by Dave Brubeck, except where noted.- "Tokyo Traffic" 5:52
- "Rising Sun" 4:42
- "Toki's Theme" (From the CBS-TV series "Mr. BroadwayMr. BroadwayMr. Broadway is a 13-episode CBS adventure and drama television series starring Craig Stevens , formerly of Peter Gunn, as New York City public relations specialist Mike Bell. The program aired at 9 p.m. Eastern time Saturdays from September 26 to December 26, 1964...
") 2:10 - "Fujiyama" 5:05
- "Zen Is When" (Bud FreemanBud FreemanLawrence "Bud" Freeman was a U.S. jazz musician, bandleader, and composer, known mainly for playing the tenor saxophone, but also able at the clarinet. He had a smooth and full tenor sax style with a heavy robust swing. He was one of the most influential and important jazz tenor saxophonists of...
/Leon Pober)2:53 - "The City Is Crying" 6:02
- "Osaka Blues" 5:10
- "Koto Song" 3:02
Personnel
- Dave BrubeckDave BrubeckDavid Warren "Dave" Brubeck is an American jazz pianist. He has written a number of jazz standards, including "In Your Own Sweet Way" and "The Duke". Brubeck's style ranges from refined to bombastic, reflecting his mother's attempts at classical training and his improvisational skills...
- piano - Paul DesmondPaul DesmondPaul Desmond , born Paul Emil Breitenfeld, was a jazz alto saxophonist and composer born in San Francisco, best known for the work he did in the Dave Brubeck Quartet and for penning that group's greatest hit, "Take Five"...
- sax - Eugene WrightEugene Wright"The Senator" Eugene Wright is an American jazz bassist, best known for his work as a member of The Dave Brubeck Quartet, in particular on the group's most famous album Time Out , with pianist Brubeck, drummer Joe Morello and saxophonist Paul Desmond.Wright, nicknamed "The Senator", had played...
- bass - Joe MorelloJoe MorelloJoseph Albert Morello was a jazz drummer best known for his 12½-year stint with The Dave Brubeck Quartet. He was frequently noted for playing in the unusual time signatures employed by that group in such pieces as "Take Five" and "Blue Rondo à la Turk"...
- drums