Without a doubt, the concert presented on N.Y.C., Carnegie Hall, February 22, 1963 (1963) is one of the most significant live releases -- not only by Dave Brubeck (piano), but quite possibly from the entire post-bop jazz era. Although the album's moniker indicates February 22nd is the show date, according to the show handbill, it was actually held on the 21st. While the full-length performance is available on the two-disc Dave Brubeck Quartet at Carnegie Hall (1963), over an hour of highlights can be found on this truncated collection. In the liner essay accompanying the 2000 CD reissue, Brubeck notes Joe Morello (drums) “was recovering from the flu …" adding the rest of the band were likewise “a bit uptight." You'd certainly never know by listening, as they exceed all reasonable expectations on these eight selections. Rhetoric, you say? The proof is directly evident as the quartet -- which also includes the respective talents of Paul Desmond (alto sax) and Eugene Wright (bass) -- instantly pounce on a rhythmically sinuous reading of W.C Handy's “St. Louis Blues". The solos commence with Desmond's swinging give and take withBrubeck and Wright, all of whom are beyond simply inspired, as they push their inventive interaction to a new strata. Along the way, the song is restructured as time-signatures are bandied about at a healthy clip. The quartet is just getting warmed up as “Bossa Nova U.S.A." propels them into extending the comparatively succinct studio arrangement, creating a centrepiece that spotlights their an uncanny facility to manoeuvre themselves around the rather involved and multifaceted soundscape. There is not a remotely substandard outing to be found, although special mention of the closers “Blue Rondo a la Turk" and “Take Five" are practically compulsory, as these are the tunes even the most cursory Brubeck enthusiast will be familiar with. Granted, the Time Out (1959) versions loom large as major crossovers from the genre of jazz into mainstream pop. That said, by taking the tunes beyond the confines of the studio, the enormous breadth and scope inherent in the original compositions are truly revealed. While certainly no substitute for the aforementioned Dave Brubeck Quartet at Carnegie Hall, there are more than a few incandescent examples of the aggregates unparalleled improvisations.
Tracks
		
	
		
	
		
	
		
	
	Title 	
	
	Composer 	
	
	Time 	
  	  	1 	  	St Louis Blues 	Handy 	11:08
  	  	2 	  	Bossa Nova USA 	Brubeck 	7:19
  	  	3 	  	For All We Know 	Coots, Lewis 	9:33
  	  	4 	  	Pennies From Heaven 	Burke, Johnston 	10:03
  	  	5 	  	Southern Scene (Briar Bush) 	Brubeck 	7:08
  	  	6 	  	Three To Get Ready 	Brubeck 	6:15
  	  	7 	  	Blue Rondo a la Turk 	Brubeck 	12:25
  	  	8 	  	Take Five 	Desmond 	6:46