In Your Own Sweet Way

Last updated

"In Your Own Sweet Way"
In Your Own Sweet Way.jpg
Cover of 2007 CD with alternative take
Instrumental by Dave Brubeck
from the album Brubeck Plays Brubeck
Writtenc. 1952
Published1955
ReleasedJuly 16, 1956 (1956-07-16)
RecordedApril 18–19, 1956
Length5:01
Composer(s) Dave Brubeck
Producer(s) George Avakian
Official audio
"In Your Own Sweet Way" on YouTube

"In Your Own Sweet Way" is a 1955 jazz standard, and one of the most famous compositions by Dave Brubeck. It was written around 1952, [1] but its copyright notice was dated 1955. [2] Brubeck's wife Iola, for whom the song was written, [3] later wrote a lyric for the song, which led to singers such as Carmen McRae recording it. [4] "In Your Own Sweet Way" was first released on Brubeck's 1956 studio album Brubeck Plays Brubeck ; an earlier live recording is known.

Contents

Composition

"In Your Own Sweet Way" is written in the key of B flat major, and is a jazz ballad in thirty-two-bar form with an eight-bar interlude typically played between each chorus. The author of the 1996 biography It's About Time: The Dave Brubeck Story, Fred Hall, said that this jazz standard, like other standards, such as "Take Five", has been performed by "various Brubeck combinations" and many other artists. [5] All Music Guide to Jazz notes the "contrasting lines" of the piece, [6]

In the liner notes to Time Signatures Brubeck wrote, "For the first few years the quartet played almost all standards, until one day Paul Desmond said to me, 'We've got to hire somebody to write some material for us.' I said, 'Paul, are you kidding? I'll write two tunes in half an hour!' I wrote 'In Your Own Sweet Way' and 'The Waltz' that night. From then on we started doing my material a lot more." [7]

Release

Although at least one earlier concert recording is known, [8] the song's first release, with three improvised choruses, was on Brubeck's 1956 solo album Brubeck Plays Brubeck . [2] The first quartet version appeared on the 1956 album Dave Brubeck and Jay & Kai at Newport, issued on the Columbia label. An orchestral arrangement of the piece by Howard Brubeck appeared on the quartet's live 1963 album Brandenburg Gate: Revisited . [9]

Legacy and renditions

Many jazz artists have covered "In Your Own Sweet Way". Miles Davis recorded it twice with his quintet in 1956—once in March with Sonny Rollins as the quintet's saxophonist (on Collectors' Items ) and in May with John Coltrane in the band (on Workin' with the Miles Davis Quintet ). According to jazz historian Ted Gioia, "Davis probably deserves as much credit as Brubeck for establishing 'In Your Own Sweet Way' as a jazz standard", partly because Davis closed "the A theme with an E natural, instead of the F that Brubeck intended. The prevalence of this Davis 'flat five'—which imparts a wry off-centeredness to the proceedings—in later performances is one measure of the trumpeter's influence in the dissemination of this song." [10]

In 1960, jazz guitarist Wes Montgomery covered the standard on his fourth album The Incredible Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery . [11] Composer and arranger Clare Fischer recorded a solo piano version in 1963, which was featured on his album Easy Livin' three years later. [12] The Keith Jarrett Trio played it live on several occasions collected on Keith Jarrett at the Blue Note and the Tokyo 1993 gig found on the Live in Japan 93/96 DVD. Jazz fusion guitarist John Etheridge recorded a well-received version for his 1994 album Ash. [13] Art Farmer and Lee Konitz covered it in 1994 with the Joe Carter Quartet and Trio, [14] as did pianist Robert Glasper in 2006. Jacky Terrasson and Stéphane Belmondo included the song in their 2016 album Mother . [15]

The song title gave its name to the 2010 documentary film about Brubeck, produced by Clint Eastwood, Dave Brubeck: In His Own Sweet Way . [16] In 2013, keyboardist Bob James was inspired by "In Your Own Sweet Way" to compose his song "You Better Not Go to College" in homage to Brubeck. [17]

A vocal version by Norma Winstone with lyrics written by Margaret Busby was released in 2019 by Enodoc Records on the CD In Concert, a remastered recording of an August 1988 performance by Winstone and pianist John Taylor at London's Guildhall School of Music and Drama. [18]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dave Brubeck</span> American jazz pianist and composer (1920–2012)

David Warren Brubeck 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 contrasting rhythms, meters, tonalities, and combining different styles and genres, like classic, jazz, and blues.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cool jazz</span> Sub-genre of jazz associated with the U.S. West Coast

Cool jazz is a style of modern jazz music inspired by bebop and big band that arose in the United States after World War II. It is characterized by relaxed tempos and a lighter tone than that used in the fast and complex bebop style. Cool jazz often employs formal arrangements and incorporates elements of classical music. Broadly, the genre refers to a number of post-war jazz styles employing a more subdued approach than that of contemporaneous jazz idioms. As Paul Tanner, Maurice Gerow, and David Megill suggest, "the tonal sonorities of these conservative players could be compared to pastel colors, while the solos of [Dizzy] Gillespie and his followers could be compared to fiery red colors."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joe Morello</span> American jazz drummer (1928–2011)

Joseph Albert Morello was an American jazz drummer best known for serving as the drummer for pianist Dave Brubeck, as part of the Dave Brubeck Quartet, from 1957 to 1972, including during the quartet's "classic lineup" from 1958 to 1968, which also included alto saxophonist Paul Desmond and bassist Eugene Wright. Morello's facility for playing unusual time signatures and rhythms enabled that group to record a series of albums that explored them. The most notable of these was the first in the series, the 1959 album Time Out, which contained the hit songs "Take Five" and "Blue Rondo à la Turk". In fact, "Take Five", the album's biggest hit was specifically written by Desmond as a way to showcase Morello's ability to play in 5
4 time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Percy Heath</span> American jazz bassist (1923–2005)

Percy Heath was an American jazz bassist, brother of saxophonist Jimmy Heath and drummer Albert Heath, with whom he formed the Heath Brothers in 1975. Heath played with the Modern Jazz Quartet throughout their long history and also worked with Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, Wes Montgomery, Thelonious Monk and Lee Konitz.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kenny Wheeler</span> Canadian composer and musician

Kenneth Vincent John Wheeler, OC was a Canadian composer and trumpet and flugelhorn player, based in the U.K. from the 1950s onwards.

<i>The Incredible Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery</i> 1960 studio album by Wes Montgomery

The Incredible Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery is an album by the American jazz guitarist Wes Montgomery. Most of its tracks exemplify two of Montgomery's distinguishing techniques: "thumb picking" and the use of octaves.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monterey Jazz Festival</span> Annual music festival in California since 1958

The Monterey Jazz Festival is an annual music festival that takes place in Monterey, California, United States. It debuted on October 3, 1958, championed by Dave Brubeck and co-founded by jazz and popular music critic Ralph J. Gleason and jazz disc jockey Jimmy Lyons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eugene Wright</span> American jazz bassist (1923–2020)

Eugene Joseph Wright was an American jazz bassist who was a member of the Dave Brubeck Quartet.

<i>Take Five Live</i> 1962 live album by Carmen McRae

Take Five Live is a 1962 live album by American jazz singer Carmen McRae with pianist Dave Brubeck, focusing on interpretations of his songs. This was McRae's second album with Brubeck; their first, Tonight Only with the Dave Brubeck Quartet, was released in 1961.

"You Don't Know What Love Is" is a popular song of the Great American Songbook, written by Don Raye (lyrics) and Gene de Paul (music) for the Abbott and Costello film Keep 'Em Flying (1941), in which it was sung by Carol Bruce. The song was deleted from the film prior to release. The song was later included in Behind the Eight Ball (1942), starring the Ritz Brothers. "You Don't Know What Love Is" was again sung by Carol Bruce; it was her third and final film until the 1980s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stéphane Belmondo</span> Musical artist

Stéphane Belmondo is a French jazz trumpeter, flugelhornist, and drummer. Including recordings made with his brother Lionel Belmondo and Yusef Lateef, he won the best French album category (L'Album français de l'année) in 2003, 2004 and 2005, and the best artist award (L'Artiste ou la Formation instrumentale française de l'année) in 2003 and 2004. in the French Victoires du Jazz awards. Along with his brother, he is noted for tribute albums that involve the musicians being honored.

"If You Could See Me Now" is a 1946 jazz standard, composed by Tadd Dameron. He wrote it especially for vocalist Sarah Vaughan, a frequent collaborator. Lyrics were written by Carl Sigman and it became one of Vaughan's signature songs, inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1998. Dameron himself included a version, sung by Barbara Winfield, on his 1962 album The Magic Touch.

The Australian Jazz Quartet (AJQ), also known as the Australian Jazz Quintet, was a jazz group active in the 1950s, best known for collaborations with Dave Brubeck, Gerry Mulligan and Carmen McRae.

<i>All the Things We Are</i> 1976 studio album by Dave Brubeck

All the Things We Are is a jazz album by Dave Brubeck released by Atlantic Records on May 25, 1976, featuring two alto saxophonists, Lee Konitz and Anthony Braxton, and two drummers, Alan Dawson and Roy Haynes. This album was completed through two recording sessions at the CI Recording Studios in New York City on different dates.

<i>Brandenburg Gate: Revisited</i> 1963 live album by The Dave Brubeck Quartet

Brandenburg Gate: Revisited is a studio album by The Dave Brubeck Quartet accompanied by an orchestra arranged by Howard Brubeck.

<i>In Their Own Sweet Way</i> 1997 studio album by Dave Brubeck

In Their Own Sweet Way is a 1998 studio album by pianist Dave Brubeck and his quintet. Brubeck was accompanied by his four sons on a recording for the first time.

<i>Dave Brubeck and Jay & Kai at Newport</i> 1956 live album by Dave Brubeck Quartet / J. J. Johnson-Kai Winding Quintet

Dave Brubeck and Jay & Kai at Newport is a split live album featuring selections from Dave Brubeck's Quartet with Paul Desmond and the J. J. Johnson/Kai Winding Quintet performances at the 1956 Newport Jazz Festival which was released on the Columbia label.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lee Konitz discography</span>

This is the discography for American jazz musician Lee Konitz.

<i>Mother</i> (Jacky Terrasson and Stéphane Belmondo album) 2016 studio album by Jacky Terrasson, Stéphane Belmondo

Mother is a collaborative studio album of jazz pianist Jacky Terrasson and jazz trumpeter Stéphane Belmondo. The album was recorded in Pompignan, France and released on September 2, 2016, by Impulse! Records. This is Terrasson's second release for Impulse! The album contains 14 tracks, a mix of jazz standards and the originals written by bandmembers. The title track of the album, the melancholic ballad "Mother", has already appeared on Terrasson's album Gouache released in 2012. Originally, the album was supposed to be called Twin Spirit, but the duo chose to name it Mother due to the memory of Terrasson's suddenly deceased mother.

References

  1. ↑ Randel, Don M (1996). The Harvard Biographical Dictionary of Music . Harvard University Press. p.  112. ISBN   978-0-674-37299-3 . Retrieved December 17, 2012.
  2. 1 2 "In Your Own Sweet Way". Jazzstandards.com. Retrieved December 17, 2012.
  3. ↑ Reich, Howard (June 20, 2011). "Dave Brubeck riffs with his sons on Father's Day". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved July 10, 2013.
  4. ↑ "Dave Brubeck: In Your Own Sweet Way". Allmusic . 2013. Retrieved January 4, 2013.
  5. ↑ Hall, Fred (1996). It's About Time: The Dave Brubeck Story . University of Arkansas Press. p.  68. ISBN   978-1-55728-405-1 . Retrieved December 17, 2012.
  6. ↑ Bogdanov, Vladimir; Woodstra, Chris; Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (2002). All Music Guide to Jazz: The Definitive Guide to Jazz Music. Backbeat Books. p. 361. ISBN   978-0-87930-717-2 . Retrieved December 17, 2012.
  7. ↑ Hall, Fred (December 8, 1996). It's about Time: Dave Brubeck (p) . University of Arkansas Press. p.  68 . Retrieved December 8, 2018– via Internet Archive.
  8. ↑ "Dave Brubeck Catalog". Jazz Discography Project. Retrieved February 23, 2011.
  9. ↑ "Brandenburg Gate: Revisited - Dave Brubeck - Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved December 8, 2018.
  10. ↑ Gioia, Ted (2012). The Jazz Standards: A Guide to the Repertoire. Oxford University Press. p. 197. ISBN   978-0199937394.
  11. ↑ May, Chris (October 25, 2008). "Wes Montgomery: The Incredible Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery". All About Jazz. Retrieved December 8, 2018.
  12. ↑ "Clare Fischer Easy Livin' Full Album - Free music streaming" . Retrieved December 8, 2018.
  13. ↑ Carr, Ian; Fairweather, Digby; Priestley, Brian (2004). Jazz: The Essential Companion to Artists and Albums. Rough Guides. p. 3. ISBN   978-1-84353-256-9 . Retrieved December 22, 2012.
  14. ↑ ""Art Farmer/Lee Konitz | With the Joe Carter Quartet & Trio". Jazztimes: America's Jazz Magazine. JazzTimes, Inc.: 97 October 1994. ISSN   0272-572X . Retrieved December 22, 2012.
  15. ↑ "Mother - Jacky Terrasson, Stephane Belmondo | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic . Retrieved September 27, 2020.
  16. ↑ "Dave Brubeck: In His Own Sweet Way (2010)". TCM . Retrieved July 7, 2013.
  17. ↑ Brady, Shaun (July 2, 2013). "Two reunited jazz stars play the Keswick". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on July 10, 2013. Retrieved July 10, 2013.
  18. ↑ Bentley, Alison (June 12, 2019). "Norma Winstone & John Taylor – In Concert". London Jazz News. Retrieved November 8, 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.