AMG Review of Jazz Moods: Cool

Al Campbell
All Music Guide

As part of the Jazz Moods series from Sony, pianist and composer Dave Brubeck is spotlighted on 11 tracks recorded for the label between 1955 and 1960. These sessions highlight the widely accepted jazz/pop combination achieved through tracks like "Take Five," "Audrey," and "Strange Meadow Lark," along with live versions of "In Your Own Sweet Way" and "The Duke." The pianist, along with the graceful and brilliant alto saxophonist Paul Desmond, employed a winning formula that combined straight-ahead jazz while exploring current trends in popular music, such as the Broadway standards "Some Day My Prince Will Come," "Tonight," and "I Feel Pretty." The one complaint with this compilation is the omission of Brubeck's classic composition "Blue Rondo a la Turk."