Brubeck showcased his incredible talent for venturing off the beaten rhythmic path while maintaining a broad melodic accessibility during a first set that consisted of newly written, not-yet-recorded compositions. "Why Not," the band's first piece, featured an upbeat introduction opening into a solo section during which alto saxophone player Bobby Militello stunned the crowd with a fast-paced, full-ranged, Charlie Parker-esque solo. Brubeck took the baton next and ran with an exciting, lyrical, chord-based piano solo.
Brubeck began the next piece, a new ballad, with an emotional piano solo. The rest of the group joined in one-by one; first color by Randy Jones on the drums, then a bass pulse, and finally Militello and Brubeck combined to delve into the form of the piece.
Only when Brubeck spoke could you really see his age and fragility. He used the piano as a crutch to walk less than four feet to the microphone. As he stood there talking, the spotlights glared off his bone white hair and his wrinkled face. However, time seemed to slow considerably when he played. His melodies were utterly fluid, though his gait and words were not.
The quartet played another Brubeck original, "The Crossing," for only the second time ever. This percussive, thematic tune featured a prolonged bass solo that shocked the crowd with machine-gun paced rhythms. Although the bass mimicked a trumpeter with a "high and fast" style, the melodies were distinctly bass with rumbling, spacious riffs.
Back in centerstage after the bassist solo, Brubeck jumped into his trademark 5/4-time to showcase the heretofore-quiet drummer Jones. It was in the 5/4 and 9/8 metered charts where the quartet missed the artistic brilliance of Brubeck's old saxophone player extraordinaire Paul Desmond. Desmond recorded with Brubeck on the legendary album, "Take Five," and awe-inspired jazz musicians and fans know his solos from "Take Five" and "Blue Rondo A La Turk" verbatim to this day. His style, which meshed so perfectly with Brubeck's, was only briefly seen in Militello's solos. At times it felt as if Militello were forcing too many notes into the solo form. That left the listener uncomfortable and worked contrary to the "smooth" and "cool" feel that characterizes Brubeck's talent.
The second set began with a mesmerizing rendition of the Gershwin hit "I've Got Rhythm" during which Brubeck fittingly injected Gershwin giant, "Rhapsody in Blue." Following that, they played extended versions of standards, all open to two or three soloists each expressing unique melodies.
A five-minute bass solo ended the second-to-last tune and blew the crowd away. As one fan behind me yelled, "this guy is a monster." After a near standing ovation, the wait was finally over: Brubeck quietly broke into the unmistakable piano introduction of "Take Five."
When the cheering died down, the rest of the quartet joined in, taking the classic tune at a slightly faster tempo than normal. Militello's solo resembled Desmond's and then mutated into an exploration of the upper register and chromatic lines of the alto sax. Brubeck followed suit on the piano, pushing it to the limit right before the quartet broke into the theme and put a majestic end to the show.
Though the concert lacked enough coverage of the quartet's 1950s and '60s releases, it was obvious why this tottering old man was elected to the Down Beat Jazz Musician Hall of Fame and holds an eternal place in the pantheon of Jazz. "Take Five" is still one of the master works of composition and exploration of new meters and style. And now all I find myself doing is looking for Brubeck's mid-'90s album, "Young Lions and Old Tigers."