Classified (2008)

The Brubeck Brothers Quartet has produced an absorbing and evocative collection of jazz compositions that also provide a fascinating inside glimpse into the rapidly evolving genre of music known as classical crossover. Once written off as a repository for ill-fated ventures into the commercial music sphere attempted by famous practitioners of the classical music tradition, this category finds itself happily being hijacked by a new brand of open-eared musicians eager to break through the supposed boundaries of musical style.

The bulk of the recording features the quartet performing brilliantly conceived original works allowing for a healthy amount of improvisation and interplay -- jazz in its most exalted state. The centerpiece is Chris Brubeck's ingenious composition, "Vignettes for Nonet", featuring the Imani Winds. In this piece the listener enters into a dreamscape of the composer's making in which the classically trained wind quintet sits down with the Brubeck Brothers Quartet to partake in a veritable musical feast.

The composer is no stranger to such excursions, having written extensively for all sorts of situations, including a large body of jazz-inspired work contributed to symphonic literature. He thus furthers the groundbreaking seminal work in this musical arena made by his illustrious father, whose classic "Blue Rondo a la Turk" fittingly plays the role of cornerstone and conclusion to a vibrant recording that has all the earmarks of becoming a classic of the genre.

- David Balakrishnan, Turtle Island Quartet, March, 2008