In 1962, both Dave Brubeck and Tony
Bennett were at the peak of their careers. The Brubeck Quartet was
basking in the success of their three groundbreaking albums of tunes
with offbeat time signatures. Bennett had just released his single
of “I Left My Heart in San Francisco.” The concert was not held
in the White House, but at the outdoor Sylvan Theatre, near the
Washington Monument. It was arranged by President Kennedy to honor
college students working in D. C. for the summer, but there is no
indication that he was present. The event was long rumored to have
been recorded, but the tapes were not located until 2012. Bennett
and Brubeck would not record together again until 2009 at Newport.
The sound quality is very good.
The CD breaks down into three acts.
The Brubeck Quartet plays four tunes; Bennett sings six songs with
his regular accompanists; and Bennett is joined by the Brubeck Trio
(minus Paul Desmond) for another four.
Fortunately, the Brubeck Quartet
session occupies more than half of the CD. Two of the songs are in
5/4. They get off to a disappointing start with their hit, “Take
Five,” taken at a faster-than-usual tempo, and lacking the usual
drum solo by Joe Morello. “Castilian Blues” more than makes up
for it, with a lengthy slow-building solo by Morello that is one of
the best he ever recorded. The remaining two songs are from Jazz
Impressions of Eurasia (1958).
Both are longer than the recorded versions, with Brubeck in
particular stretching out. “Nomad” is a Middle Eastern beat
driven by Morello's tom toms. “Thank You” is Polish-inspired,
with Brubeck's solo morphing into a classical interlude—Chopin,
according to the original album's liner notes.
I'm not a big fan of Tony Bennett.
Most of the songs are up tempo, sung in the supposedly hip style of
Sinatra that was popular at the time. He rushes through them—“Rags
to Riches” is only 1:17—in a relaxed fashion, but tends to bellow
out the endings. There are two ballads. “Small World” seems to
me to have been started in an uncomfortably high key, with unpleasant
results at the end. “San Francisco” is the highlight of
Bennett's performance.
Bennett creates low expectations for
his set with Brubeck by announcing that they haven't rehearsed, but
there are no noticable fluffs. Brubeck solos on all four of the
songs, but as you might expect given the spontaneous nature of the
performance, his improvisations don't deviate much from the melodies.
(This is a good set to play for someone just learning about jazz.)
The CD is an interesting historical
document. If you happen to like both performers, you'll certainly
want to consider it. And jazz fans may purchase it just for the
first 36 minutes or so—an excellent example of the Brubeck Quartet
at their creative best.
Dave Brubeck Quartet
Tracks: Take Five; Nomad; Thank
You (Djiekuje); Castilian Blues.
Personnel: Paul Desmond, alto
sax; Dave Brubeck, piano; Eugene Wright, bass; Joe Morello, drums.
Tony Bennett
Tracks: Just in Time; Small
World; Make Someone Happy; Rags to Riches; One For My Baby; I Left My
Heart in San Francisco.
Personnel: Tony Bennett,
vocals; Ralph Sharon, piano; Hal Gaylor, bass; Billy Exiner; drums.
Tony Bennett/Dave Brubeck Trio
Tracks: Lullaby of Broadway;
Chicago; That Old Black Magic; There Will Never Be Another You.
Personnel: Bennett, vocals;
Brubeck, piano; Wright, bass; Morello, drums.
Length: 63 min.
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