LIVE FROM VIENNA 1967

Dave Brubeck Trio

Live From Vienna,1967

released April 2022

Description

Dave Brubeck Trio – Live From Vienna 1967, is the newly discovered recording of the extraordinary evening when the iconic Dave Brubeck Quartet was forced to take the stage as a trio. This electrifying album marks the only recording of jazz luminary Dave Brubeck, celebrated drummer Joe Morello and acclaimed bassist Eugene Wright performing in a trio context. During this performance at Vienna’s famed Konzerthaus, the pared-down instrumentation proves only to exemplify the genius of Brubeck and his legendary rhythm section.

The date was November 12, 1967 and the Dave Brubeck Quartet was nearing the end of their very last tour of Europe. They had played in Hamburg on November 10th, but saxophonist Paul Desmond got “distracted” after going out on the town for one last evening to explore Hamburg with an old friend. When the rest of the quartet went to the airport on the morning of November 11th, Paul was missing. He didn’t make the lobby call or the flight and the rest of the group traveled to Vienna without him.


Track Listing

  1. St. Louis Blues (W. C. Handy, Arr. by Dave Brubeck) 8:55

  2. One Moment Worth Years (Dave Brubeck) 10:10

  3. Swanee River (S. Foster, Arr. by Dave Brubeck) 7:37

  4. La Paloma Azul (Traditional, Arr. by Dave Brubeck) 6:09

  5. Someday My Prince Will Come (F. Churchill & L. Morey) 5:28

  6. Take the A Train (B. Strayhorn) 4:16

PRESS FOR LIVE FROM VIENNA 1967

“All Dave Brubeck fans will want this enjoyable set.”

— SCOTT YANOW, LA JAZZ SCENE

“Once again Dave Brubeck proved he was a giant in the music world performing with, or without a quartet.” ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

— EDWARD BLANCO, ALL THAT JAZZ

"If the unspoken order of the day was for these three men to show their mettle in the absence of Desmond, they clearly accomplished the mission.”

— DAN BILAWSKY, JAZZTIMES

“It is a beautifully recorded concert that shows the musicians playing with an urgency and a purpose as if to ensure that the absence of Desmond does not spoil the evening for the audience.”

— JACK KENNY, JAZZ VIEWS

Liner Notes

Grammy nominated composer and son of Dave, Chris Brubeck notes “Knowing my father, he was probably worried about Paul. However, Dave also would have suspected that Paul may have been out celebrating too hard.” Brubeck must have felt assured that Desmond would show up, as Chris indicates, “ there were later flights Paul could take to get to Vienna in time for the concerts”. But Paul never made it to Vienna, and the remaining members of the quartet were reluctantly pushed into an exciting place of spontaneous invention and exploration. As Chris notes “Dave often said that the audience was the fifth member of the Quartet. In this unique situation, the Trio played a singular and inspired set no doubt influenced by this particular concert’s fourth member of the ensemble – the Viennese audience. There was suddenly more solo space for all three musicians to explore with their inspired improvisations. These performers instinctively utilized the great sound and dynamics of this hallowed concert hall both to rattle the rafters and float gentle melodies up to the balconies.” The recording highlights the late “Senator” Eugene Wright, who sadly passed away December 30, 2020. The last surviving member of the quartet, he was always appreciated as the foundation upon which the other members of the quartet relied, but on this recording, he has more space to show off his formidable bass chops.

As Chris Brubeck espouses, “I think if our dad were alive to hear this Brubeck Trio recording now, he’d be flashing his famous big smile. He would be extremely proud to hear how, more than half a century ago, he, Gene and Joe got thrown a curve ball and knocked it out of the park!”