Celebrating his 85th birthday and the success of his historically resonant solo piano recording, Private Brubeck Remembers (2004), the most widely recognized and respected figure in piano jazz of the last half-century adds another chapter to his prolific Telarc discography with the cleverly-titled quartet recording. London Flat, London Sharp includes everything that continues to make Brubeck’s music so appealing great new tunes, great old tunes, intellectual and emotional stimulation, sonic impressions with real-world resonance, and virtuosic execution. It confirms that this living legend – honored most recently with a doctorate in Sacred Theology from the University of Fribourg in Switzerland – maintains the energy and creative spirit that musicians one-quarter his age envy. Pianist Brubeck, alto sax/flute player Bobby Militello, bassist Michael Moore, and drummer Randy Jones perform ten cuts of mostly Brubeck originals. They open the set with the title track, written in 1998 at the time of the concerts that produced Brubeck’s 40th Anniversary Tour of the U.K. It’s followed by `To Sit and Dream,´ a medium tempo tune featuring Militello, then `The Time of Our Madness,´ which made its first appearance on that same 40th Anniversary disc. `Steps to Peace,´ the album’s only non-Brubeck composition, was written by Derrill Bodley for his daughter, who was on Flight 93, the hijacked plane crash that landed in rural Pennsylvania on September 11, 2001. One of Brubeck’s most frequently recorded works, `Forty Days´ depicts Christ’s period of solitude in the desert. Other highlights include `Cassandra,´ `Unisphere,´ `Yes, We All Have Our Cross to Bear,´ and `Mr. Fats.´ The closer, `Ballad of the Rhine,´ was written on the day that Brubeck’s Army unit crossed the Rhine in 1945, and was inspired by the rhythm created as the tanks and trucks hit the pontoon bridges. Originally titled `We Crossed the Rhine,´ it can be heard in its original form on Private Brubeck Remembers.