Jazz Impressions of New York
Encyclopedia
Jazz Impressions of New York is a jazz
album released by Dave Brubeck
. It developed out of Brubeck's association with the CBS
television
show Mr. Broadway
starring Craig Stevens
.
Brubeck's theme music was written to convey the "urbane personality" of the main character, yet be "a signature immediately recognizable as Brubeck." The tune has the urgent, polyrhythm
ic feel of many of Brubeck's other adventures in 3/4 time.
Other themes were developed from this waltz
-time concept, as well as from specific program-related needs.
The personnel is the "classic" Quartet: Paul Desmond
on alto saxophone
, Eugene Wright
on acoustic bass
, and Joe Morello
on drums. However, there are some unexpected (and amusing) changes and additions on the final track, Upstage Rumba, as Brubeck explains:
The Quartet version of this piece actually evolved in the studio when each person upstaged the other by unexpectedly doing something quite out of character. Paul Desmond surprised us first by making his debut on a bass marimba
which had been left in the studio from a Latin band session. Then, people came running out of the control booth and, in quite an uncontrollable manner, grabbed the nearest percussion instrument and began to play. My brother Howard was shaking some sort of cylindrical drum with BBs in it; John Lee, a drummer friend of Joe Morello, played on Joe's tom-tom
; and Teo Macero
, our producer
, was master of the claves
until he dropped them at the end of the piece (which I consider a final stroke of upstage chicanery).
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
album released by Dave Brubeck
Dave Brubeck
David 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...
. It developed out of Brubeck's association with the CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
show Mr. Broadway
Mr. Broadway
Mr. 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...
starring Craig Stevens
Craig Stevens (actor)
Craig Stevens was an American motion picture and television actor.-Early and personal life:Born Gail Shikles, Jr., in Liberty, Missouri, his father was a high school teacher....
.
Brubeck's theme music was written to convey the "urbane personality" of the main character, yet be "a signature immediately recognizable as Brubeck." The tune has the urgent, polyrhythm
Polyrhythm
Polyrhythm is the simultaneous sounding of two or more independent rhythms.Polyrhythm in general is a nonspecific term for the simultaneous occurrence of two or more conflicting rhythms, of which cross-rhythm is a specific and definable subset.—Novotney Polyrhythms can be distinguished from...
ic feel of many of Brubeck's other adventures in 3/4 time.
Other themes were developed from this waltz
Waltz
The waltz is a ballroom and folk dance in time, performed primarily in closed position.- History :There are several references to a sliding or gliding dance,- a waltz, from the 16th century including the representations of the printer H.S. Beheim...
-time concept, as well as from specific program-related needs.
The personnel is the "classic" Quartet: Paul Desmond
Paul Desmond
Paul 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"...
on alto saxophone
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
, Eugene Wright
Eugene 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...
on acoustic bass
Acoustic bass guitar
The acoustic bass guitar is a bass instrument with a hollow wooden body similar to, though usually somewhat larger than a steel-string acoustic guitar...
, and Joe Morello
Joe Morello
Joseph 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"...
on drums. However, there are some unexpected (and amusing) changes and additions on the final track, Upstage Rumba, as Brubeck explains:
The Quartet version of this piece actually evolved in the studio when each person upstaged the other by unexpectedly doing something quite out of character. Paul Desmond surprised us first by making his debut on a bass marimba
Marimba
The marimba is a musical instrument in the percussion family. It consists of a set of wooden keys or bars with resonators. The bars are struck with mallets to produce musical tones. The keys are arranged as those of a piano, with the accidentals raised vertically and overlapping the natural keys ...
which had been left in the studio from a Latin band session. Then, people came running out of the control booth and, in quite an uncontrollable manner, grabbed the nearest percussion instrument and began to play. My brother Howard was shaking some sort of cylindrical drum with BBs in it; John Lee, a drummer friend of Joe Morello, played on Joe's tom-tom
Tom-tom drum
A tom-tom drum is a cylindrical drum with no snare.Although "tom-tom" is the British term for a child's toy drum, the name came originally from the Anglo-Indian and Sinhala; the tom-tom itself comes from Asian or Native American cultures...
; and Teo Macero
Teo Macero
Teo Macero , born Attilio Joseph Macero, was an American jazz saxophonist, composer, and record producer...
, our producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, was master of the claves
Claves
Claves are a percussion instrument , consisting of a pair of short Claves (Anglicized pronunciation: clah-vays, IPA:[ˈklαves]) are a percussion instrument (idiophone), consisting of a pair of short Claves (Anglicized pronunciation: clah-vays, IPA:[ˈklαves]) are a percussion instrument (idiophone),...
until he dropped them at the end of the piece (which I consider a final stroke of upstage chicanery).
Track listing
- "Theme From Mr. Broadway" – 2:30
- "Broadway Bossa Nova" – 3:16
- "Autumn In Washington Square" – 5:30
- "Something To Sing About" – 3:56
- "Sixth Sense" – 6:57
- "Spring In Central Park" – 2:29
- "Lonely Mr. Broadway" – 4:20
- "Summer On The Sound" – 2:43
- "Winter Ballad– 2:45
- "Broadway Romance" – 5:52
- "Upstage Rumba" – 4:19