Paul Hollywood City Bakes

In 1998, Columbia reissued a bunch of CDs by the Dave Brubeck Quartet, often adding one or two previously unissued selections to the sets. Buried Treasures: Recorded Live in Mexico City, however, is something different, for none of the music had been out before. Recorded live in 1967 during a tour of Mexico that also resulted in the album Bravo! Brubeck!, the set features the classic Brubeck Quartet (with altoist Paul Desmond, bassist Eugene Wright and drummer Joe Morello) performing seven selections they had previously recorded, which was probably why this particular music stayed in the vaults for decades. The quality is certainly quite high, with Brubeck and Desmond really digging into such songs as "Koto Song" (coming up with some inspired ideas over its vamp), "You Go to My Head," a lengthy "St. Louis Blues," and a fairly concise version of "Take Five," one of the few versions by Brubeck of the hit song that does not have a drum solo. Suffice to say, Dave Brubeck fans only need to be notified of two things: they do not already own this music, and the Quartet is heard throughout in prime form. Recommended.

In 1994, Prince Paul started a new phase in his career by starting the Gravediggaz with fellow producer and rapper Prince Rakeem, who became better known as The RZA but was known in this group as The Rzarector. After he put together the album 6 Feet Deep/Niggamortis, he worked with Living Colour guitarist Vernon Reid for his own album, Mistaken Identity. Not willing to rest, Paul recorded a project he called Horror City. It was meant for release in 1995 but no labels were willing to release it. He decided to take his music down another avenue and record a solo album called Psychoanalysis (What Is It?). In the end, Paul ended up releasing some of the elements on the Horror City project on his A Prince Among Thieves project. Prince Paul presents Horror City eventually was released in 2010.