DAVE BRUBECK QUARTET WITH PAUL DESMOND - Birdland 1951-52 / Newport 1955
Solar 4569967
Tracks 1 to 12
Paul Desmond ( alto ) Dave Brubeck ( pno ) Wyatt Ruther ( bass ) Herb Barman ( drs )
Recorded live at Birdland, New York, December 1951 and January 1952
Tracks 13 to 18
Paul Desmond ( alto ) Dave Brubeck ( pno ) Bob Bates ( bass ) Joe Dodge ( drs )
Track 19
Add Clifford Brown ( tpt ) Chet Baker ( tpt ) Gerry Mulligan ( bar ) Joe Morello & Max Roach ( drs ) omit Joe Dodge ( drs )
Recorded at the1955 Newport Jazz Festival Newport, Rhode Island, 17 July 1955
There is plenty of much better recordings available but this release is interesting from an historical point of view. Paul Desmond was a member of the Dave Brubeck Octet and made some recordings with the group. He joined the Quartet at its formation in August 1951 and these live recordings from New York’s Birdland were made just a few months later.
As you would expect these location recordings were not exactly high quality Hi-Fi standard but recording equipment was not as sophisticated in 1951 as they are at the present day but they are acceptable.
Rodgers and Hart’s “This Can’t Be Love” is taken at a nice brisk tempo and Paul Desmnd produces his best solo of the recording. This is followed by “These Foolish Things” which was to stay in the groups library for the duration of the Quartet’s existence whilst Desmond was a member of the group, and deservedly so.
On the whole it’s a well balanced programme and the audience may well have gone home having had a satisfying evening.
According to the notes these tracks from the 1955 Newport Jazz Festival have never been issued previously which I am sure will attract Brubeck buffs.
Apart from the opening number “Back Bay Blues” which the the quartet have never recorded in the studio all the other numbers are from their regular library.
On the two ballads “Stardust” and “Don’t Worry About Me” the melody is alluded to rather than straight which gives the tracks a more interesting appeal.
This is the period when Dave Brubeck was emplying a lot of heavy block chords at the piano which can become tiresome after a time.
The bonus track is a jam session from the same concert with a number of other musicians added and is somewhat of a shambles and could just as well been left in the archives but some listeners enjoy this type of free for all.
For Brubeck completists this release will be a must but for ohers there are much better examples of the Quartets work.
Reviewed by Roy Booth
Solar 4569967
Tracks 1 to 12
Paul Desmond ( alto ) Dave Brubeck ( pno ) Wyatt Ruther ( bass ) Herb Barman ( drs )
Recorded live at Birdland, New York, December 1951 and January 1952
Tracks 13 to 18
Paul Desmond ( alto ) Dave Brubeck ( pno ) Bob Bates ( bass ) Joe Dodge ( drs )
Track 19
Add Clifford Brown ( tpt ) Chet Baker ( tpt ) Gerry Mulligan ( bar ) Joe Morello & Max Roach ( drs ) omit Joe Dodge ( drs )
Recorded at the1955 Newport Jazz Festival Newport, Rhode Island, 17 July 1955
There is plenty of much better recordings available but this release is interesting from an historical point of view. Paul Desmond was a member of the Dave Brubeck Octet and made some recordings with the group. He joined the Quartet at its formation in August 1951 and these live recordings from New York’s Birdland were made just a few months later.
As you would expect these location recordings were not exactly high quality Hi-Fi standard but recording equipment was not as sophisticated in 1951 as they are at the present day but they are acceptable.
Rodgers and Hart’s “This Can’t Be Love” is taken at a nice brisk tempo and Paul Desmnd produces his best solo of the recording. This is followed by “These Foolish Things” which was to stay in the groups library for the duration of the Quartet’s existence whilst Desmond was a member of the group, and deservedly so.
On the whole it’s a well balanced programme and the audience may well have gone home having had a satisfying evening.
According to the notes these tracks from the 1955 Newport Jazz Festival have never been issued previously which I am sure will attract Brubeck buffs.
Apart from the opening number “Back Bay Blues” which the the quartet have never recorded in the studio all the other numbers are from their regular library.
On the two ballads “Stardust” and “Don’t Worry About Me” the melody is alluded to rather than straight which gives the tracks a more interesting appeal.
This is the period when Dave Brubeck was emplying a lot of heavy block chords at the piano which can become tiresome after a time.
The bonus track is a jam session from the same concert with a number of other musicians added and is somewhat of a shambles and could just as well been left in the archives but some listeners enjoy this type of free for all.
For Brubeck completists this release will be a must but for ohers there are much better examples of the Quartets work.
Reviewed by Roy Booth
