The Dave Brubeck Quartet Live from the Northwest, 1959

 © Copyright ® Steven Cerra, copyright protected; all rights reserved.

“During this period, these musicians spent more time together on stage, on the road, and in the studio than they did at home. Indeed, the group sometimes sounded like one entity playing four instruments, but of course Dave, Paul, Eugene and Joe were strikingly individual players too. Here, they play together like some mythological 4-headed jazz marvel responding to every musical gesture by each member of the group.”

- Chris Brubeck

For as long as I can remember, I got a new Dave Brubeck recording from a family member of a friend as a Christmas gift.

This year was no exception as a family member gifted me a copy of The Dave Brubeck Quartet Live from the Northwest, 1959.

A gentleman by the name of Doug Anderson brought this to the attention of the Brubeck family who issued it as part of its Brubeck Editions label - BECD-2310001.

It was recorded by the, for the times, on location wizard Wally Heider over two days and in two locations: The Multnomah Hotel on April 4, 1959; Clark College on April 5, 1959. Not surprisingly with Wally at the helm, the sound quality is absolutely brilliant.

This was the fourth year that what is often referred to as The Classic Quartet - Dave on piano, Paul Desmond, alto sax, Eugene Wright on bass and Joe Morello on drums - and their time together shows as the group was in fine form - “tight” in musician parlance.

The Brubeck brothers each took a turn at annotating the disc and you can find their comments below.

The group’s rendition of Dave’s Two Part Contention which premiered on the Dave Brubeck Quartet - Jay and Kai at Newport 1956 Columbia Recording [CL 932] is a particularly fine version which is highlighted by Joe’s driving beat using brushes behind Paul’s solo before switching to sticks to accompany Dave on his improvisation and then back to brushes for the “shout chorus.”

DARIUS BRUBECK

“Paul was frequently praised for his inimitable sound while Dave was just as frequently criticized for not sounding like other pianists. Dave's piano playing actually fills two roles: He constantly develops harmonies and textures that resemble large-ensemble arrangements, hence his famous block-chord-style.

On the other hand (literally, his right hand), linear excursions denote a piano soloist emerging from his imaginary big band to take a chorus or converse with Paul. (Listen carefully and you will hear Dave deep in the creative process, singing his solos and verbally inviting Paul into contrapuntal exchanges.) Dave's leadership, balancing dramatic thrust, freedom and formal discipline, is evident on every track.

An obvious example is "Lonesome Road," a meditation on solitude and the allegory of 'Everyman': birth, growth, socialization, busy activity winding down to a funeral march towards the end. The melodic phrase in the ambiguous polytonal coda is 'before you travel on' in the lyric. Breathe out, when it's finished.

Paul's solos on every number are exquisitely logical and free flowing with daring interval leaps and some witty quotes, swinging all the while over the rhythm section's rock-solid grooves. Paul and Dave knew each other so well that they had an intuitive sense of where the other one was going to go.”

DAN BRUBECK

“I had the pleasure of listening to this recording many times while working on it with Chris in the studio. I have never heard Joe Morello sound better; he is definitely in his absolute prime here and at the top of his game. Joe's creativity and chops on brushes and sticks are amazing. He kicks the quartet on "Basin Street Blues" like a big band drummer and displays dazzling up-tempo brushwork at the end of "Lonesome Road." The way Joe and Gene are locked in affirms why they are one of the most swinging rhythm sections ever. This LP is an absolute must for drummers who, like me, have been long-time admirers of the great Joe Morello.”

MATT BRUBECK

“One of the revelations in this recording  is the exuberant quality of Eugene Wright's playing as in the intricately braided lines of "Two-Part Contention." Even within the short forms such as "Saints" and "Basin Street Blues," he constantly improvises, rarely repeating himself. Live from the Northwest serves as a powerful illustration of how technically nimble Eugene was on the bass.

Overall, these excellent live Quartet recordings are warm and provide impressive sonic detail. It is fortuitous that these DBQ concerts were recorded on location by Wally Heider who subsequently went on to become a pioneer of remote recording and to establish legendary studios in San Francisco and Los Angeles, where he recorded many of the top albums of the 1970s.”

CHRIS BRUBECK

This remarkable live recording features four extraordinary musicians in top form, captured with exceptional sonic clarity by the groundbreaking audio engineer Wally Heider. Recorded on April 4,1959, in the popular Multnomah Hotel in Portland, Oregon and on April 5th in the auditorium at nearby Clark College, the Quartet was playing-in some of the repertoire for the upcoming Gone with the Wind [CL 1347] sessions later that month.

The rhythmic innovation and unprecedented success of Time Out, recorded only four months later, eclipsed the Quartet's signature mastery of spontaneous counterpoint that had fascinated their audience in the 50's. but here it is gloriously evident. Some jazz writers even speculated that Dave and Paul had a sort of ESP connection, however their shared musical experience was enough. During this period, these musicians spent more time together on stage, on the road, and in the studio than they did at home. Indeed, the group sometimes sounded like one entity playing four instruments, but of course Dave, Paul, Eugene and Joe were strikingly individual players too. Here, they play together like some mythological 4-headed jazz marvel responding to every musical gesture by each member of the group.”