''Jazz Impressions of Japan'' is a 1964 album by

The Dave Brubeck Quartet David Warren Brubeck (; December 6, 1920 – December 5, 2012) was an American jazz pianist and composer. Often regarded as a foremost exponent of cool jazz, Brubeck's work is characterized by unusual time signatures and superimposing contrasti ...

. It was recorded on June 16–17, 1964 at the legendary

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 1948 to 1981 located at 207 East 30th Street, between Second and Third Avenues in Manha ...

, 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."Original liner notes "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. Broadway'') 2:10 #" Fujiyama" 5:05 #"Zen Is When" (

Bud Freeman Lawrence "Bud" Freeman (April 13, 1906 – March 15, 1991) was an American jazz musician, bandleader, and composer, known mainly for playing tenor saxophone, but also the clarinet. Biography In 1922, Freeman and some friends from high sc ...

, Leon Pober) 2:53 #"The City Is Crying" 6:02 #"

Osaka is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of ...

Blues" 5:10 #"Koto Song" 3:02

Personnel

* Dave Brubeck - piano *

Paul Desmond Paul Desmond (born Paul Emil Breitenfeld; November 25, 1924 – May 30, 1977) was an American jazz alto saxophonist and composer, best known for his work with the Dave Brubeck Quartet and for composing that group's biggest hit, " Take Five". He ...

- saxophone *

Eugene Wright Eugene Joseph Wright (May 29, 1923 – December 30, 2020) was an American jazz bassist who was a member of the Dave Brubeck Quartet. Career Wright was a cornetist at high school and led the 16-piece band Dukes of Swing in his 20s. He was large ...

- bass *

Joe Morello Joseph Albert Morello (July 17, 1928 – March 12, 2011) was an American jazz drummer best known for serving as the drummer for pianist Dave Brubeck, as part of the Dave Brubeck Quartet, from 1957 to 1972, including during the quartet's "classic ...

- drums

References

{{Authority control 1964 albums Dave Brubeck albums Columbia Records albums Albums produced by Teo Macero Albums recorded at CBS 30th Street Studio Japanese culture