Dave Brubeck - All-Time Greatest Hits

There's really only one reason I bought this record: I wanted to own "Take Five," and I couldn't find a copy of Time Out. This unassuming double LP compilation was actually much better than I expected. The album opens with "Take Five," and closes with "Blue Rondo a la Turk," which I consider to be Brubeck's best two tracks. Oddly enough, both of these songs are featured on the A-side of Time Out. I really need to get my hands on a copy of that classic album.

Anyway, there is plenty of very enjoyable jazz between the two most essential tracks. "Night and Day" is a fascinating take on the Cole Porter classic. "Camptown Races" proves that Brubeck can turn event the most pedestrian of tunes into jazz gold. While this compilation does not include all of Brubeck's greatest (notably missing is Brubeck's take on "Take the 'A' Train"), there is still a large helping of high-quality jazz on this compilation. I honestly didn't think this compilation would be very good (indicators? The generic artwork, the track listing on the front cover, the fact that I couldn't find very much information about this compilation online, etc.) but it was a very enjoyable listen. Of course I need to own more of Brubeck's studio albums, but this is a decent stand-in until I can get the cash to do so.