Early Brubeck Released by Brubeck Editions

Cover of the album being discussed (courtesy of 4 on the Floor Promotions)

About a month ago Brubeck Editions released its latest archival album of live performances. Indeed, the title of the album is Live from the Northwest, 1959; and, to be more specific, the tracks were recorded in Portland, Oregon, on April 4 and 5, 1959. For those that like to get their dates straight, this was about four months before the release of Time Out, which put Brubeck and his quartet colleagues “on the map,” so to speak. The other members of the quartet were Paul Desmond on alto saxophone, Eugene Wright on bass, and drummer Joe Morello.

The CD version of this album consists of seven tracks. Two of them, “Two Part Contention” and “Multnomah Blues” (the latter being a nod to the county in which Portland is situated, as well as the jazz club where the quartet performed on April 4) are Brubeck originals. The others draw upon folk and pop, as well as jazz. Both “Multnomah Blues” and “These Foolish Things” are not included on the LP release. As might be expected, there is an abundance of innovative improvisation, sometimes venturing into borrowed content. My particular favorite is on “When the Saints Go Marching In,” during which Brubeck makes a quick visit to the third movement of Johann Sebastian Bach’s BWV 1049, the fourth of the “Brandenburg” concertos. If you are going to salute marching saints, while not include Bach in the parade?

I have to say that, in the past, some of my impressions of Brubeck’s work have been at the lukewarm level; but this “early” listening experience definitely prodded me to sit up and take notice!