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BEATSTREET

Dave Brubeck: Young Lions and Old Tigers

This week at Planet M

Telarc/Music Gallery

CD, Rs. 575

The 85-year-old pianist Dave Brubeck was coming up to his 75th birthday in the two years during which this album was recorded. It collects together 11 tracks in which he, alone or with a bassist and a drummer, is joined by either a new star (young lion), or a respected veteran (old tiger), of jazz, and closes with a solo piano track.

Most of Brubeck's guests are musicians whom he knew only by their work that he'd heard and admired, but all are brothers in the fraternity of jazz. And that's enough for the perfect understanding with which they blend their individual talents with Brubeck's.

For example the four tenor saxophonists — the lions Joshua Redman, Joe Lovano, Michael Brecker and the tiger James Moody — split honours with Brubeck, alternating solos. Moody adds further spice to the proceedings with his vocal peppered with scat improvisation. The lions Roy Hargrove on trumpet and Ronnie Buttacavoli on flugelhorn perform just as well.

But the baritone sax of the tiger Gerry Mulligan, jamming with Brubeck on two tracks, is perhaps even more interesting. And then another duo track, with lion Christian McBride on bass, is memorable for its demonstration of this quiet background instrument coming under the spotlight.

Again, Brubeck and George Shearing in a piano duet delight and challenge the listener to identify which of solo is whose.

Interesting changes of tempo add more variety to some of the tracks, most of which were composed by Brubeck as portraits of his guests. Brilliant conception thus tops off the other merits of the album.

(CDs distributed by Music Gallery can be ordered through reputed music stores or by contacting Music Gallery India Pvt Ltd through the Web at www.musicgalleryindia.com/contactus.htm; by e-mail to contactus@musicgalleryindia.com; or on the phone at (080)2556 5996.)

JAZZEBEL

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