''Jazz Impressions of Eurasia '' is a studio album by pianist

Dave Brubeck 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 ...

and his quartet recorded after, and inspired by, their 1958 world tour sponsored by the American state department during which they played 80 concerts in 14 countries, including Turkey, Iran, Iraq, India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan, over three months. In the liner notes to the album, Brubeck notes that "These sketches of Eurasia have been developed from random musical phrases I jotted down in my notebook as we chugged across the fields of Europe, or skimmed across the deserts of Asia, or walked in the alleyways of an ancient bazaar. ... I tried to create an ''impression'' of a particular locale by using some of the elements of their folk music within the jazz idiom." The album was recorded in July and August 1958 at the Columbia 30th St. Studios in New York.

Music

Brubeck composed the six pieces for the album—along with "

Blue Rondo à la Turk "Blue Rondo à la Turk" is a jazz standard composition by Dave Brubeck. It appeared on the album '' Time Out'' in 1959. It is written in time, with one side theme in and the choice of rhythm was inspired by the Turkish aksak time signatures. I ...

," which appeared on the group's signature album of the following year, '' Time Out''—while on tour across Eurasia. The opening piece, "Nomad," was inspired by the drums that nomads in Turkey used to ward off wild dogs. It opens with

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 ...

's tom-tom riff and includes a

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

solo described as "a focused beam of moonlight glinting off the caravan's trappings." The Bach-inspired "Brandenburg Gate" features fugue-like interactions between Brubeck and Desmond. This piece was re-recorded three years later in an extended version with symphony orchestra and eventually released on the album '' Brandenburg Gate: Revisited'' (1964). Like the opening piece, "The Golden Horn" was inspired by Turkey, specifically the rhythm of "choktasha-keraderam," the Turkish words for "thank you." Likewise, the next piece, subtitled "Dziekuje," comes from the Polish word for "thank you," and was inspired by a visit to a museum dedicated to

Frédéric Chopin Frédéric François Chopin (born Fryderyk Franciszek Chopin; 1 March 181017 October 1849) was a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist of the Romantic period, who wrote primarily for solo piano. He has maintained worldwide renown as a leadin ...

, where Brubeck was fascinated by a cast of Chopin's hands and by his piano. Brubeck noted that the piece's melody is deliberately "Chopinesque," and it was rapturously greeted by a Polish audience when first performed. "Marble Arch" was inspired by a structure in

Hyde Park, London Hyde Park is a Grade I-listed major park in Westminster, Greater London, the largest of the four Royal Parks that form a chain from the entrance to Kensington Palace through Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park, via Hyde Park Corner and Green Pa ...

, and features a solo by bassist Joe Benjamin. The concluding "Calcutta Blues" was an ode to the terrible misery, including three raging plagues, that the band witnessed in the city. It also represents the first effort in jazz to incorporate melodic and rhythmic elements of traditional Indian music. Brubeck's piano phrases imitate a sitar, while Morello's extended drum solo imitates a tabla. While in Bombay, Brubeck had joined a jam session with sitarist

Abdul Halim Jaffer Khan Abdul Halim Jaffer Khan (18 February 1927 – 4 January 2017) was an Indian sitar player. Khan received the national awards Padma Shri (1970) and Padma Bhushan (2006) and was awarded the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for 1987. Early life Abdul Hali ...

. Brubeck later noted that Khan's influence made him "play in a different way." The album precedes the somewhat similar concept of ''

The Far East Suite ''Far East Suite'' is a 1967 concept album by American jazz musician Duke Ellington, inspired by his group's tour of Asia. Ellington and longtime collaborator Billy Strayhorn wrote the compositions. Strayhorn died in May 1967, making ''Far E ...

'' by

Duke Ellington Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous jazz orchestra from 1923 through the rest of his life. Born and raised in Washington, D.C., Ellington was based ...

and

Billy Strayhorn William Thomas Strayhorn (November 29, 1915 – May 31, 1967) was an American jazz composer, pianist, lyricist, and arranger, who collaborated with bandleader and composer Duke Ellington for nearly three decades. His compositions include "Take ...

, inspired by a similar State Department world tour, which appeared eight years later.Peter Lavezzoli, ''The Dawn of Indian Music in the West,'' Bloomsbury Academic, 2007, pp. 296-7.

Reception

''Billboard'' magazine featured the album as a "Billboard Pick" in their November 24, 1958 issue and described it as an "excellent six track set which allows Desmond his usual share of honors." Ken Dryden reviewed the album for

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

and wrote that "'Nomad' and 'Brandenburg Gate' are the best-known originals but all of the other selections are equally enjoyable, featuring fine solos from Brubeck and altoist Paul Desmond."

Track listing

All compositions by

except where noted. # "Nomad" (

Iola Brubeck 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 ...

) – 7:23 # "Brandenburg Gate" – 6:55 # "The Golden Horn" – 5:02 # "Thank You (Dziekuje)" – 3:35 # "Marble Arch" – 6:59 # "Calcutta Blues" – 9:53

Personnel

–

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...

–

alto saxophone The alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments. Saxophones were invented by Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in the 1840s and patented in 1846. The alto saxophone is pitched in E, smaller than the B tenor ...

* Joe Benjamin –

double bass The double bass (), also known simply as the bass () (or #Terminology, by other names), is the largest and lowest-pitched Bow (music), bowed (or plucked) string instrument in the modern orchestra, symphony orchestra (excluding unorthodox addit ...

–

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

References

External links