Time Further Out
I can't believe that I like this album just as much as Time Out. But, it is incredible. Brubeck was certainly a genius, and this proves he was no one hit wonder.

Essential jazz for you collection
I found this record in my Dad's collection when I was 14 and just getting into jazz drumming. When I found it on disc I ordered it immediately! (When the disc is playing, I can mentally put in the pops and clicks from the old record!) The guys in Dave's quartet are all unbelievable musicians. This disc is quite rhythmic and has lots of layers to each song and that's why I love it. You'll find something new each time you listen to it. You can tell Dave, Paul, Joe and Eugene are having a blast putting this album together. If you like Dave Brubeck and most do, you'll want to add this to your collection.

DAVE DID IT AGAIN
Time Further Out is a great sequel to Time Out. Like its predecessor, the instrumentations are flawless, and the music does reflect the artistry of a true jazz master.

Though Time Out is rightfully regarded as the pinnacle release in Brubeck's career, Time Further Out does not disappoint. The melodies and rhythms reflected the joy of a performer who loved and continues to love doing what he does best, namely entertaining listeners in the style that only Mr. Brubeck could only hope to ever achieve.

One interesting observation: just as Miles Davis once said that Herb Alpert's trumpet-playing style was so distinctive that you knew it was Alpert who was performing after putting forth so much or so little as three notes, the same could be said of Brubeck's piano style.

No unequivocal comparisons can be made in distinguishing the quality of work between Time Out and Time Further Out. This is taking a stab, but I would say that Brubeck's piano style is more at the forefront in the latter.

Anyway, get both of these classics if you haven't already done so, and enjoy the listening experiences.

Incomparable
This is absolutely as good as the Brubeck Quartet -- and modern "intellectual" jazz -- gets; not to slight the Carnegie Hall Concert in any way, but this is one case where the form, clarity, and concision required in the studio trumps the live format every time.

Much looser and less self-conscious than "Time Out", "Time Further Out" finds the guys light years more comfortable with the odd time signatures they must certainly have realized (and accepted!) would become their main claim to fame, as well as with each other (Desmond was originally quite put out that Morello had demanded to be a "featured" drummer instead of a faceless time-keeper) -- and the results are obvious. This is only peripherally "intellectual" jazz; the Quartet is now expressing itself emotionally and spiritually through those odd time signatures ... it ain't just a gimmick no more, Sports Fans!

It flows, it rocks, it scales lofty peaks -- yeah, ol' ham-handed Dave is still pounding out those block chords; Paul is still smoother than silk or any other sax-man that ever lived; Gene is still running the voodoo down and Joe is still ... Joe: but the individuals have melded their sounds and their personalities, here, and the music is otherworldly, heaven-sent, and relentlessly listenable even to non-aficianados. Put it on for your girlfriend, sometime, don't make a big speech or anything, just let ot percolate through the room, and see where THAT gets you ... !

A word about Joe Morello. I'm a drummer myself, and many favorites have come and gone since I first heard him play "Take Five" on my daddy's hi-fi -- but he's the one drummer in the world I have never gotten over and never will. Buddy Rich blazes, Krupa stokes those fires down below, Max Roach'll make you think intricate interlocking thoughts; hell, even Ron Bushy (the "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" guy) and John Bonham and Terry Bozzio deserve the attention they recieved. The current crop of jazz meisters have chops and technique far beyond the abilities of mortal men --

But nobody -- NOBODY -- tells a story like Joe Morello. Nobody makes 'em talk like that, makes 'em sing like that, or puts you somewhere out in the jungle listening to four or five hand-drummers having an honest-to-god conversation. You know how Eric Clapton never tries to fast-talk you on guitar? That's how Morello is on drums.

Back in '61, drum construction had not yet gone all-maple-plies-and-razor-sharp-bearing-edges; the base was still the African mahogany of Krupa's day, mixed with a little poplar, and the sheer sound, the deep, mellow tone, of those drums is one reason folks will still be listening to solos from pre-1970 long after those who played them have left the planet. Morello doesn't have to hit you over the head with speed or technique -- just let the drums speak for themselves.

Seductive, mon, seductive ...

BACK TO MY ROOTS
I was surfing and starting looking at good old jazz that I had grown up with. Dave Brubeck started me on my appreciation of jazz. It was like meeting an old friend. I love the album and it continues Dave's unique signature in jazz composition.