At Carnegie Hall

Infobox Album |
Name = At Carnegie Hall


Type = Live album
Artist = The Dave Brubeck Quartet
Released = 1963
Recorded = February 22, 1963
Genre = Cool Jazz
Length = 1:43:53
Label = Columbia
Producer = Teo Macero
Reviews = *OnStage Magazine Rating|5|5 [http://onstagemag.com/ar/performance_dave_brubeck_quartet/ link]
Last album = "Time Out"
(1959)
This album = "At Carnegie Hall"
(1963)
Next album = "Time In"
(1966)

"At Carnegie Hall" is a jazz album by The Dave Brubeck Quartet, released in 1963 (see 1963 in music); it was recorded at the famed Carnegie Hall in New York City. It was described by critic Richard Palmer as "arguably Dave Brubeck's greatest concert" and a "truly majestic record that should be in every serious collection"; for Don Mather it is "one of the all time great live jazz performances". [http://www.musicweb.uk.net/jazz/2001/June01/Brubeck.htm]

Ironically, originally expectations for the concert and album were low. Not only was drummer Joe Morello recovering from a case of the flu at the time, but New York had been suffering from a newspaper strike, and the group was worried that the attendance would be sparse.

The worries were groundless; the group, whose long history together had by then made them extraordinarily close-knit, turned in a sparkling performance that has become a classic. It featured a remarkable level of co-ordination among the members of the group, at the same time as they display a relaxed yet powerful virtuosity. The latter was especially displayed in their numerous extended, yet still melodious, solo improvisations.

High points include a particularly swinging rendition of "For All We Know", and a memorable, powerful, and fascinating drum solo on "Castilian Drums". The highlight of the concert is a remarkable rendition of the Brubeck classic "Blue Rondo a la Turk", which starts off at a seemingly impossible pace, yet later builds in intensity as the tempo first slows for some intense solos, and then doubles again for a thrilling climax.

The album is somewhat unusual because it contains the complete concert; the producer, Teo Macero, noted that "not a note or a phrase of the musical part of the program has been deleted". The only change was to move "It's a Raggy Waltz", originally heard after "Eleven-Four", to a later position; this was done to allow the concert to fit onto two LP records, which at the time was "Magnum Opius".

The liner notes (by George Simon, jazz critic for the New York Herald Tribune) include extensive comments by Brubeck on each selection.

Several songs recorded during the show, including the memorable "Blue Rondo a la Turk" and "Take Five", were later re-released on "Adventures in Time" (1972) and "The Great Concerts ... Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Carnegie Hall" (1988).

Track listings

ide 1

#"St. Louis Blues" (W. C. Handy) - 11:52
#"Bossa Nova U.S.A." (D. Brubeck) - 7:21
#"For All We Know" (S. Lewis - J. F. Coots) - 9:38

ide 2

#"Pennies From Heaven" (J. Burke - A. Johnston) - 10:15
#"Southern Scene (Briar Bush)" (D. Brubeck) - 7:12
#"Three To Get Ready" (D. Brubeck) - 6:40

ide 3

#"Eleven-Four" (P. Desmond) - 3:44
#"King For a Day" (I. Brubeck - D. Brubeck) - 6:15
#"Castilian Drums (Parts I and II)" (D. Brubeck) - 14:14

ide 4

#"It's a Raggy Waltz" (D. Brubeck) - 6:47
#"Blue Rondo a la Turk" (D. Brubeck) - 12:40
#"Take Five" (P. Desmond) - 7:15

Personnel

*Dave Brubeck - Piano
*Paul Desmond - Alto saxophone
*Eugene Wright - Double bass
*Joe Morello - drums

Personnel - Production

*Teo Macero - Producer, Liner Notes
*Peter Rachtman - Concert Producer
*George T. Simon - Liner Notes

External links

* [http://www.allaboutjazz.com/reviews/r0401_018.htm Review in "All About Jazz"]