Ok, if you really must know, the ENTIRE title of this disc, AFTER what I’ve already written, includes (take a deep breath)“with Joel Brown and Peter Madcat Ruth and Special Guests Dave Brubeck and Frank Brown.” What you’ve got here is a mixing of styles, instruments, genres and generations that makes you realize just how universal American music can be. Chris Brubeck, bassist, pianist, trombonist, vocalist and son of the famed Dave Brubeck, puts together an all encompassing show with Joel Brown/g-v, Peter Madcat Ruth/(deep breath again-harmonica, ukulele, hi-hat, jaw harp, vocals) and clarinetist Frank Brown, The core of Chris Brubeck (aka “CB” to help differentiate from “DB” from here on), Brown and Ruth take you back to rural America in the Depression with some rootsy takes of “Rollin’ & Tumblin’” and “Brother Can You Spare A Dime,” making you realize that we’ve been through other times without real Hope and Change. CB then hits the piano for an engaging version of “Koto Song” before Papa DB ambulates on stage for a thrilling read of “Blue Rondo A LA Turk” which shows some excellent prestidigitation. CB’s trombone on “Black and Blue” is agonizingly good, but nothing prepares you for the tour-de-force version here of “Take Five,” which is worlds apart from any other you’ve ever heard or imagined. Harmonica, Brown’s lonely clarinet and a Jaw Harp that takes you to the Red River all get solo spots to create completely diverse and contrasting moods, transporting you to the back roads of West Virginia,the Bayou, and the Middle East. A closing St. Louis Blues has DB hitting the keys with such delicate, style and authority, that he sounds like he’s been playing the tune all his life; Hey, he has!!!! An absolutely thrilling ride and musical time capsule. Blue Forest Records www.chrisbrubeckstripleplay.com