Although many of us are familiar with Dave Brubeck the jazz legend, the father and icon of West Coast ‘cool jazz’, and founder of the Dave Brubeck Quartet, few of us are aware of his more traditional compositions. Brubeck is one of the few composers to confidently bridge the gap between jazz and concert music (as his teacher Milhaud did before him). In this varied collection of his songs we are treated to a vast array of styles – from the jazz classic Strange Meadowlark, to the twelve-tone inspired settings of Hold Fast to Dreams, to the pop sound of Once When I Was Very Young. This recording also captures Dave Brubeck at the height of his creative powers as an improvisational pianist merging seemingly disparate and dissimilar musical styles to create a sound totally his own.