Search - The Dave Brubeck Quartet featuring Paul Desmond :: On The Radio: Live 1956-1957

Cool Jazz

Edward Rasen Jr. | Maui | 01/22/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If you like cool jazz then you will love this album. I cannot stop playing it. Plus, since these are tracks from live performances, it is a unique opportunity to enjoy a seminal era in jazz.



Dave Brubeck was one of the leading musicians of the "West Coast Cool Jazz" style that evolved after World War II. This album features 12 tracks recorded during February 1956 from two performances at the Basin Street Jazz Club in New York City; plus, three tracks recorded during March 1957 at the Blue Note club in Chicago. The performances originally were broadcast on CBS Radio and the program host is included on the tracks.



The Basin Street gig featured Dave on piano, Paul Desmond on alto sax, Norman Bates on bass and Joe Dodge on drums. The players were the same in Chicago except legendary Joe Morello replaced Joe Dodge on drums. Shortly after these gigs, Eugene Wright replaced Norman Bates on bass, so this is the early DB quartet.



The Dave Brubeck Quartet on CBS Radio was mainstream entertainment during 1956 and '57. It was and is, simply great. There are many other great jazz albums but this will stand with the best. Buy and enjoy."

B+ Brubeck

Dedalus 449 | Buffalo, NY | 07/24/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I've only listened to this album once, and like all new Brubeck releases from his 1950s years, it is a major addition to any Brubeck library. But I'll have to listen a lot more before I'm ready to give it more than a B+. Here's why. In the 1950s, Brubeck and the quartet were spreading themselves thin with club dates, college tours, international barnstorming tours, and album recordings. For me, the college albums are incomparable - and when is someone going to get "Jazz Goes to Junior College" out on CD?



The club dates run a close second, though they can degenerate into lounge music at their worst. For me the reference club albums, maybe because I know them by heart, are "Jazz at the Blackhawk" (1952) and "Jazz at Storyville," with its 1952-54 sessions. They show both Brubeck and Desmond at their most tender and playful. They are really listening to each other and playing for each other. Their talents blend so seamlessly and their energies spur each other on.



The tracks on this "On the Radio" collection, from New York's Basin Street and Chicago's Blue note, have their moments. "Stompin for Mili," which I know from no other recording, is a rousing bebop stomp for Desmond, who can do a swinging Parker imitation when the mood hits him. Similarly, "A Minor Thing" and "In Your Own Sweet Way" hold their own with other versions. Really, there is no such thing as truly bad Brubeck/Desmond. Certain in the early and mid 1950s there wasn't.



But by 1956 these guys have been barnstorming the country - the world - and some of their work here seems tired and maybe a little stale. The version of "Stardust" here, usually a showcase for Desmond, is just a run through. "Here Lies Love," which is one of the loveliest tracks on "Storyville," is given the bum's rush in these sessions.



And I guess there is nothing to be done about the truly dopey CBS announcer who announces each tune. The network paid the piper. The network called the tune.



If you are filling in a Brubeck collection, you don't want to miss this one. The quartet was always at its best live, interacting with an audience. I've never been a particular fan of the studio recordings. But I'd be interested to see if someone finds some gems that have eluded me."