Dave Brubeck - Classic Live Albums 1952-54 (2024)

Dave Brubeck was an American jazz pianist, composer and bandleader who was very much an exponent of the west coast ‘cool school’ of musicians, and who became known for his experiments with time signatures. Having made his first recordings in 1946, he became one of the jazz artists to help pioneer the growth of the vinyl long-playing album market recording for the Fantasy label in the early ‘50s before he moved to Columbia in 1954. This 35-track 3-CD collection (it contains a number of extended performances) comprises almost all the titles from five ‘live’ albums which were recorded during these years, and released during or soon after this era. Those albums were “Jazz at Storyville”, “Jazz at the Blackhawk”, “Jazz at the College of the Pacific”, “Jazz At Oberlin” and “Brubeck & Desmond at Wilshire Ebell” on the Fantasy label, and “Jazz Goes To College” on Columbia, with the recordings presented mostly in chronological order of recording rather than release. It features one solo performance along with trio and quartet performances, with Paul Desmond (alto sax), bassists Wyatt Ruther, Ron Crotty and Bob Bates, and drummers Lloyd Davis, Joe Dodge and Herb Barman. It captures Brubeck’s groups as they took their music into clubs, concert halls and colleges on the west coast and across the country, and offers a fine showcase for their improvisations at a key stage of Brubeck and Desmond’s careers.

Tracklist
CD1
[5:04] 1. The Dave Brubeck Trio - Over The Rainbow
[7:50] 2. The Dave Brubeck Trio - You Go To My Head
[7:04] 3. The Dave Brubeck Trio - Crazy Chris
[6:53] 4. The Dave Brubeck Trio - Medley; Give A Little Whistle, Oh, Lady Be Good
[6:58] 5. The Dave Brubeck Quartet - Tea For Two
[2:39] 6. The Dave Brubeck Quartet - On A Little Street In Singapore
[2:52] 7. The Dave Brubeck Quartet - I May Be Wrong
[8:16] 8. The Dave Brubeck Quartet - Blue Moon
[7:20] 9. The Dave Brubeck Quartet - Let's Fall In Love
[7:25] 10. The Dave Brubeck Quartet - Jeepers Creepers
[3:22] 11. The Dave Brubeck Quartet - The Trolley Song
[3:24] 12. Dave Brubeck - My Heart Stood Still
[3:13] 13. The Dave Brubeck Quartet - Laura

CD2
[9:15] 1. The Dave Brubeck Quartet - All The Things You Are
[7:25] 2. The Dave Brubeck Quartet - Lullaby In Rhythm
[5:31] 3. The Dave Brubeck Quartet - I'll Never Smile Again
[9:17] 4. The Dave Brubeck Quartet - I Remember You
[5:55] 5. The Dave Brubeck Quartet - For All We Know
[7:53] 6. The Dave Brubeck Quartet - Perdido
[6:32] 7. The Dave Brubeck Quartet - Stardust
[6:35] 8. The Dave Brubeck Quartet - These Foolish Things Remind Me Of You
[7:44] 9. The Dave Brubeck Quartet - The Way You Look Tonight
[4:37] 10. The Dave Brubeck Quartet - Let's Fall In Love (Version 2)

CD3
[7:55] 1. The Dave Brubeck Quartet - I'll Never Smile Again (Version 2)
[6:35] 2. The Dave Brubeck Quartet - Stardust (Version 2)
[6:56] 3. The Dave Brubeck Quartet - All The Things You Are (Version 2)
[2:46] 4. The Dave Brubeck Quartet - Why Do I Love You
[8:05] 5. The Dave Brubeck Quartet - Too Marvellous For Words
[8:09] 6. The Dave Brubeck Quartet - Out Of Nowhere
[4:38] 7. The Dave Brubeck Quartet - Le Souk
[6:13] 8. The Dave Brubeck Quartet - Take The 'A' Train
[5:40] 9. The Dave Brubeck Quartet - The Song Is You
[8:49] 10. The Dave Brubeck Quartet - Don't Worry 'Bout Me
[6:35] 11. The Dave Brubeck Quartet - I Want To Be Happy