Dave Brubeck & Gerry Mulligan – Compadres (180g LP)

Label : Speakers Corner / Columbia CS 9704 – 180 Gram Virgin Vinyl – Limited Edition

Pure Analogue Audiophile Mastering – Pressed at Pallas Germany

Music 9/10 Sound 8/10 HiFi + Compadres is simply brilliant and is finally given the respect it deserves with a vinyl re-release on the German based record label Speakers Corner. Offering the album on a high-grade 180-gram weight format

To this day, the typical sound colouring of the Dave Brubeck Quartet is quite distinctive and unmistakable thanks to Paul Desmond’s tenor saxophone. But Gerry Mulligan’s low-pitched horn and his restrained swing also offers enough appeal to make one want to listen to these somewhat less popular but – for all that – very worthwhile recording by the Quartet.

The Quartet’s concert tour of Mexico’s major cities in 1968 was a great success and so Dave Brubeck’s recording company had no qualms in making live recordings of the group – complemented by bassist Jack Six and drummer Alan Dawson. Themes from indigenous folk music were skilfully coupled with new compositions with the result that the LP Compadres with its concert excerpts was in great demand and became a top hit.

This carefully remastered new pressing will certainly contribute to the popularity of Dave Brubeck and Gerry Mulligan long after their demise.

Recording: 1968 live in Mexico by John Guerriere and Russ Payne
Production: Teo Macero

This fine LP was the debut of Brubeck’s new Quartet, a group featuring baritonist Gerry Mulligan, bassist Jack Six and drummer Alan Dawson. Recorded live in Mexico, the album (unlike the previous Bravo! Brubeck which mostly stuck to traditional folk melodies) has three originals apiece from Brubeck and Mulligan, although the most memorable pieces are the two standards “Adios, Mariquita Linda” and “Amapola.”

This enjoyable set showed that for Brubeck there was life after Paul Desmond.

Recording: 1968 live in Mexico by John Guerriere and Russ Payne

Pure Analogue Audiophile Mastering