Dave Brubeck pf Eugene Wright bass Joe Morello drums

Brubeck Editions 

These newfound recordings from the Brubeck Quartet's final European tour in 1967 are some of the pianist's most exciting. Alto-saxophonist Paul Desmond went AWOL in Hamburg and missed the flight to Vienna, resulting in the only known live recording of Brubeck in a trio with drummer Joe Morello and bassist Eugene Wright. The sound quality is excellent.

There are Brubeck favourites, including the lively opener, ‘St. Louis Blues’. During his bass solo, Wright quotes ‘I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair’, presumably referencing their missing bandmate. ‘La Paloma Azul’ is a Mexican folksong beautifully arranged by Brubeck. ‘Swanee River’ appeared on Brubeck's 1959 album Gone With the Wind. The only Brubeck original is the plangent but lesser known ‘One Moment Worth Years’.

The absence of Desmond meant that the band's usual arrangements were disrupted, pushing them into greater spontaneous invention. Brubeck biographer Philip Clark tells me that without Desmond, the group couldn't perform ‘Take Five’, ‘Blue Rondo’ and other pieces, so had to rethink the setlist: ‘Brubeck went onstage not knowing whether Paul was dead or alive, and the jitteriness shows in the playing. He's really “out”.’ The results are exciting and compelling, making this an essential document of one of jazz's groundbreaking ensembles.