In "The Art of Fugue", Johann Sebastian Bach composed a fugue the main theme, or "subject", of which was based on the letters "B," "A," "C," and "H." (In German musical notation, the letter "H" is used to refer to the note B-flat.) Expanding on the idea of using names as the basis for musical composition, eight of the twelve tracks on Dave Brubeck's latest CD are Brubeck originals based on the names of the players who appear on the CD. Entitled "Young Lions & Old Tigers", and recorded to mark the passing of Mr. Brubeck's seventy-fifth birthday, the CD is proof positive that compositional prowess improves with age.

"Young Lions and Old Tigers" is a "duets" album of sorts, each track featuring Mr. Brubeck plus a guest artist. In addition, the CD's assembled pool of talent juxtaposes the musical styles of two generations of jazz musicians: The "Old Tigers" — comprised of Jon Hendricks, James Moody, Gerry Mulligan, and George Shearing — are all veterans of the west coast's "cool" jazz scene of the 1950's, the very scene in which a young Dave Brubeck established himself as the jazz composer extraordinaire. Conversely, the "Young Lions" — comprised of Michael Brecker, Ronnie Buttacavoli, Roy Hargrove, Joe Lovano, Christian McBride, and Joshua Redman — collectively represent some of the ablest talent that the "new" jazz scene has to offer.

From a compositional standpoint, "Young Lions & Old Tigers" is a lesson in creativity. Deviating slightly from J. S. Bach's example, the themes of five of the eight original works on the CD are based not on the musical notes that appear in a given musician's name, but rather on the rhythm evoked by a name's pronunciation. The four syllable name "Michael Brecker", for example, inspired a six beat theme of alternating half and quarter notes played in waltz time. Likewise, the name "Joe Lovano" inspired the "Joe Lovano Tango." The tunes "Joshua Redman", "Roy Hargrove", and (believe it or not) "Ronnie Buttacavoli" are also composed in this fashion, "Joshua Redman" inspiring a five note theme of four quarter notes and a half note played in 3/4 time, "Roy Hargrove" inspiring the theme for a medium swing, and "Ronnie Buttacavoli" inspiring the sprawling theme for a voluptuous ballad.

The themes of the remaining three originals are based on the words that a given name implies. The tune written by Brubeck for Christian McBride, for example, is entitled "Here Comes McBride." Likewise, James Moody's blues-inspired tune, "Moody," begins with the lyric (written by Iola Brubeck) "Moody? Why does everybody call me moody?/Moody? I'm as happy as the day is long." "Gerry-Go-Round", written for Gerry Mulligan, opens with the theme played in a fugal or "round" style. Since 1751 when "The Art of Fugue" was published, countless composers, both classical and jazz, have attempted to base musical ideas on proper names; few have done so with the finesse and wit demonstrated by Mr. Brubeck on "Young Lions & Old Tigers."

The four remaining tunes on the CD, "How High the Moon", "In Your Own Sweet Way", "Together" and "Deep in a Dream", round out the collection of originals with a tincture of the familiar. Jon Hendricks offers a rubato rendition of "How High the Moon" reminiscent of the days before Charlie Parker adopted the song's changes as his own in "Ornithology." With a tasteful mix of fire and restraint, Mr. Brubeck and Mr. Shearing trade piano solos on Brubeck's composition of years back, "In Your Own Sweet Way." Though their piano styles are wildly diverse — Brubeck's marked by heavily textured, ten note chords while Shearing's is more nuanced and more subtle of phrasing — it would have been preferable for the pianos to have been isolated on separate channels better to distinguish one pianist from the other. Appropriately, Brubeck accompanies Mr. Mulligan on "Together", a reference to the latter's tenure as the saxophonist for the Dave Brubeck Quartet after replacing Paul Desmond in 1967. The CD's final track, "Deep in a Dream", is performed as a piano solo by Mr. Brubeck. A touching rendition despite its clumsiness, the listener is left to reflect upon the almost five decade career of the musician at the piano.

To be sure, the eight original tunes are the highlight of "Young Lions & Old Tigers." Though the performances vary in quality from track to track, overall the CD is a welcome addition to the volumes of original compositions by Dave Brubeck.

As published in Good Times, January 30, 1996.
© 1996 by Michael L. Maliner. All rights reserved.