Jazz Icons: Dave Brubeck Live in '64 & '66 / Dynamic Audio and Video / Reelin in the Years Production / Naxos / IAE Campaign for Jazz / 2007 DVD

The second series of Jazz Icons DVDs issued in 2007 included seven volumes of jazz greats videotaped for various European television networks. This edition captures the classic edition of the Dave Brubeck Quartet in concert from two separate tours of Europe. The 1964 performance from Belguim (from a studio taping) opens with an extended treatment of "St. Louis Blues" (long a favorite opener for the pianist) that showcases each member of the group as a soloist. Brubeck's sublime "Koto Song" has never sounded lovelier, as does his timeless ballad "In Your Own Sweet Way." "Take Five" displays Paul Desmond's witty lyricism, while Brubeck adds a degree of tension before turning the spotlight over to the phenomenal drummer Joe Morello.

The 1966 Berlin concert takes off with a rousing "Take the 'A' Train," followed by a spirited take of Brubeck's moving "Forty Days," written for his oratorio The Light in the Wilderness. The pianist's rollicking "I'm in a Dancing Mood" is an overlooked gem from the mid-'50s, offering the enthusiastic audience a light-hearted but swinging piece. A second version of "Koto Song" is played at a brisker clip, with the inevitable "Take Five" as the finale. Both the black-and-white video and the audio are excellent. The detailed annotation by Darius Brubeck (the leader's son, who is also a jazz pianist), rare period photographs, and creative packaging add to the value of this essential DVD, though it is better to buy the full boxed set, as it contains an additional bonus track by the Brubeck Quartet that is not included on this disc.