Dave Grusin
The Very Best Of Dave Grusin

I realize that collections are sad and dingy, but it wasn't me who chose this album, it chose me!

I was in the CD store when suddenly I saw this guy with the face of an old fool. A friend of mine goes "Buy this instead of that stuff (I was actually about to buy a Gentle Giant CD)".

In the end, my room shelves were already full of progressive albums, and moreover, the chance to discover a new musical genius was too tempting! Indeed, I had never heard of this person before (nor had my friend!), so I decided to buy it without worrying that it was a collection (actually, it seemed like the best move since I hadn't listened to anything from this guy before).
Also, I was convinced that the album had to be good because it absolutely had to compensate for the bleakness of the cover. When I listened to it, it made a great impression on me; it was fundamentally jazz, but with a thousand influences (from classical music to South American folk music).

After a brief search, I also discovered that the guy wasn't just any fool: he's the author of famous soundtracks, including "The Graduate" and "Three Days of the Condor" (although I prefer "Three Days of the Condom" with Rocco Siffredi). The album includes some completely original tracks of his and reworkings of illustrious pieces (from George Gershwin to Duke Ellington). In his pieces, he sometimes seems like a cross between Wim Mertens and Pino Daniele, but jazz remains the predominant musical form. I especially like to recall the jazz-bossa nova combination of "Bossa Baroque", but elegant and lively mixtures are realized elsewhere as well.

This review is somewhat unusual: it wasn't written to point out this artist to you (indeed my description is approximate and probably even inaccurate at some points), but to urge any of you who know him to tell me what you think. I'm curious to know your opinion too. I don't intend to reread what I wrote from the beginning, so I apologize now for any errors.