''London Flat, London Sharp'' is an album by

Dave Brubeck David Warren Brubeck (; December 6, 1920 – December 5, 2012) was an American jazz pianist and composer. Often regarded as a foremost exponent of cool jazz, Brubeck's work is characterized by unusual time signatures and superimposing contrasti ...

. It was recorded in 2004 and contains quartet performances of new and previously recorded pieces, most of which were written by Brubeck.

Recording and music

The album was recorded in January 2004. In addition to Brubeck on piano, the musicians were

Bobby Militello Robert Philip Militello a.k.a. Bobby M. (born 25 March 1950) is an American jazz saxophonist and flautist who was a member of the Dave Brubeck Quartet. Career During the 1970s, Militello went on tour with Maynard Ferguson. He returned to Buffa ...

on alto saxophone,

Michael Moore Michael Francis Moore (born April 23, 1954) is an American filmmaker, author and left-wing activist. His works frequently address the topics of globalization and capitalism. Moore won the 2002 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature for ' ...

on bass, and Randy Jones on drums. Militello plays flute on "Yes, We All Have Our Cross to Bear". The material is a mix of old and new compositions, most of them written by Brubeck. For the title track, "Brubeck's left hand moves chromatically down the scale in flats as his right simultaneously moves up in sharps at a brisk tempo". "To Sit and Dream" is taken from "Hold Fast to Dreams", a Brubeck composition based on the poems of Langston Hughes. "Ballad of the Rhine" dates back to the 1940s, when Brubeck was in the military.

Release and reception

''London Flat, London Sharp'' was released by

Telarc Telarc International Corporation is an American audiophile independent record label founded in 1977 by two classically trained musicians and former teachers, Jack Renner and Robert Woods. Based in Cleveland, Ohio, the label has had a long associ ...

. The

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

reviewer wrote that the album was "yet another superb CD by the prolific and ageless Dave Brubeck". ''

The Penguin Guide to Jazz ''The Penguin Guide to Jazz'' is a reference work containing an encyclopedic directory of jazz recordings on CD which were (at the time of publication) currently available in Europe or the United States. The first nine editions were compiled by ...

'' praised the daring of the title track, and commented that "Militello plays one of his best solos on a Brubeck disc".

Track listing

All tracks composed by Dave Brubeck; except where noted. # "London Flat, London Sharp" – 4:26 # "To Sit and Dream" – 5:05 # "The Time of Our Madness" – 7:27 # "Unisphere" – 7:00 # "Steps to Peace" (Derrill Bodley) – 3:22 # "Forty Days" – 6:21 # "Cassandra" – 4:16 # "Yes, We All Have Our Cross To Bear" (Dave Brubeck, Nancy Wade) – 8:00 # "Mr. Fats" – 7:59 # "Ballad of The Rhine" – 3:53

Personnel

Musicians

*Dave Brubeck – piano *

– alto sax, flute *

– bass * Randy Jones – drums

Production

*Russell Gloyd – recording producer *Jack Renner – recording engineer *Paul Blakemore – editing, mixing, mastering

References

{{Authority control 2005 albums Dave Brubeck albums