Alongside his scintillating work in a variety of small groups, Dave Brubeck wrote and performed on a far larger scale, often involving choirs and orchestras, together with his jazz colleagues, and including such works as The Gates of Justice, Truth is Fallen and To Hope.

In these he often worked alongside conductor Russell Gloyd. I enjoyed their collaboration on the Christmas Cantata La Fiesta De La Posada when it was performed live at the Barbican in 2005, but that was partly the sheer joy of seeing young children happily involved in the music-making with such a legendary figure. But apart from a splendid ‘Magnificat’, the work was basically a string of linear ideas with sparse accompaniment and little harmonic complexity.

Without the religious context, and despite the presence of two of the Brubeck sons who were accompanying Dave in London, this album of vocal work is even thinner. There are voice settings of old favourites including ‘It’s a Raggy Waltz’ or ‘Blue Rondo a La Turk’, but the vocal lines lack the sophistication of, say, Lambert Hendricks and Ross, and both lyrics and settings are trite.

A jog through ‘Take Five’ is more of a plod, despite the valiant efforts of Horace Alexander Young, but he has a lot to live up to in the shoes of Paul Desmond, Gerry Mulligan or even Bobby Militello. Getting to other works, taking the somewhat topical ‘Are You Now or Have You Ever Been a Democrat or a Republican?’ as an example, despite a stentorian and effective opening for percussion and brass, it doesn’t go on to make either a musical or political point at all clearly, and overall sounds a rather ragged jumble of sound. Better to take the old Brubeck recordings off the shelf and remember him at his finest.