String quartets like
Quartet San Francisco that play jazz compositions are challenging to label stylistically, as they are often putting their own stamp on the music, even if things seem tightly arranged. This CD focuses mostly on the works of jazz pianist/composer
Dave Brubeck, including five of the seven songs from his best-selling album
Time Out, though a few of the pieces have rarely been recorded by others. With
Jeremy Cohen and
Alisa Rose on violins, viola player
Keith Lawrence, and cellist
Michelle Djokic, they are similar in some ways to
the Turtle Island String Quartet in their early years, though
the QSF have remained in a jazz setting over time. Among the most intriguing tracks are the tense, train-like interpretation of "The Golden Horn" (premiered by
Brubeck on
Jazz Impressions of Eurasia) and the mournful "Bluette," while cellist
Matthew Brubeck (the pianist's youngest son) arranged the playful setting of "The Duke" for the quartet. The band masters the challenging "Blue Rondo a la Turk" and a wonderful, offbeat arrangement of
Paul Desmond's "Take Five" that suggests a country hoedown at times. The CD concludes with a powerful pair of religious works,
Brubeck's moving "Forty Days" and the centuries-old "What Child Is This?" This compelling release by
Quartet San Francisco should appeal to chamber music and jazz fans alike.