A new collection of recordings of the Dave Brubeck Quartet performing two concerts in the spring of 1959 is set to be released by the Brubeck family’s official record label.
Titled Live From the Northwest, 1959, the recording captures the legendary pianist’s ensemble with alto saxophonist Paul Desmond, bassist Eugene Wright, and drummer Joe Morello, near the height of their creative output in the ’50s.
In early April of 1959, just months before the historic Time Out took the world by storm, sound engineer Wally Heider packed his Ampex 350-2 tape recorder in his station wagon and headed to Portland, Ore., to create some of the very first high-quality remote recordings of the classic Dave Brubeck Quartet. The performances took place at the historic Multnomah Hotel in Portland on April 4 and in the auditorium at nearby Clark College on April 5.
In this collection, the quartet showcases their signature mastery of spontaneous counterpoint that had fascinated audiences throughout the decade.
This is the third release from Brubeck Editions, the official label of the Brubeck family. Previous releases include Time OutTakes (2020) and Live From Vienna 1967 (2022). Live From the Northwest, 1959, will be released on Nov. 24, as part of Record Store Day’s Black Friday.
Here’s the track listing:
- When the Saints Go Marching In
- Basin Street Blues
- These Foolish Things
- Gone With the Wind
- Multnomah Blues
- Two Part Contention
- The Lonesome Road
The Dave Brubeck Quartet’s Live From the Northwest, 1959, is out Nov. 24, 2023, on Brubeck Editions.