The Dave Brubeck Quartet’s continued to make waves in the jazz community in 1952, winning the first of numerous awards from jazz publications and appearing in serious discussions in those same publications. Fantasy continued to record and release music from the group.

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The Complete Storyville Broadcasts

• Essential Jazz Classics EJC 55654 (3 CD-album)
• Recorded: 5-7, 10 February, 1952 at Storyville, Boston, MA
• Released: 2014

Personnel:

• Dave Brubeck-  Piano
• Paul Desmond-  Alto Sax
• Wyatt “Bull” Ruther-  Bass
• Herb Barman- Drums, Bongos

Track Listing:

CD 1 (1-10 from February 5/ 11-21 from February  6)

1. Lyons Busy – 0:33
2. ‘S Wonderful – 3:06
3. That Old Black Magic – 2:39 (Omit Paul Desmond)
4. Jeepers Creepers – 3:29
5. These Foolish Things – 4:43
6. Announcement – 0:51
7. Mam’selle – 2:23
8. Tea For Two – 4:56
9. This Can’t Be Love – 4:20
10. Lyons Busy – 1:47
11. Announcement – 0:51
12. Me And My Shadow – 3:09
13. Heart And Soul – 2:19 (Omit Paul Desmond)
14. Undecided – 3:22
15. Announcement – 0:31
16. All The Things You Are – 5:27
17. Singin’ In The Rain – 2:58 (Omit Paul Desmond)
18. Perdido – 4:57
19. Stardust- 3:57
20. Lyons Busy- 1:21
21. Announcement – 1:04

CD 2 (1-9 from February 7/ 10-18 from February 10)

1. Announcement – 0:44
2. Somebody Loves Me – 3:33
3. Crazy Chris -3:02
4. Body And Soul – 3:22 (Omit Paul Desmond)
5. I’ll Remember April – 5:02
6. I Didn’t Know What Time It Was – 3:41
7. Announcement – 0:42
8. Crazy Rhythm – 4:43
9. How High The Moon – 4:04
10. Announcement – 0:51
11. Frenesi – 3:13
12. Announcement – 0:59
13. Somebody Loves Me – 4:20
14. Announcement – 0:27
15. Heart And Soul – 2:13 (Omit Paul Desmond)
16. Just One of Those Things – 4:12
17. Avalon – 2:09 (Omit Paul Desmond)
18. All The Things You Are – 4:26

Released in 2014 on CD and before that available online on Concert Vault, these previously unreleased historic recordings feature the early edition of the Brubeck Quartet in excellent form performing tunes that were mostly from the Brubeck Trio repertoire.  Desmond is inspired and playing in an uninhibited, forceful style that he would only rarely display in the ensuing years.  Brubeck, wild and interesting his entire career, proves here that he was deconstructing pianos from day one.  Famed jazz critic and writer Nat Hentoff is on hand as the announcer, and his witty, humorous intros and announcements are a great plus.  This 3-CD album also contains another unreleased Storyville broadcast from 1953 as well as previously released material that appeared on Fantasy 3240 as Jazz At Storyville and on Columbia 590 as Dave Brubeck At Storyville:  1954. SPECIAL NOTE: “Tea For Two” and “I’ll Remember April” from these radio broadcasts have appeared on bootleg albums with recordings from an earlier 1951 broadcast from Birdland and have thus been said to be from that date. That is incorrect.

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The Dave Brubeck Quartet

• Fantasy 3-7 (10-in LP)
• Recorded: September & October(?) 1952 at the Surf Club, Hollywood, CA & San Francisco, CA
• Released: 1952

Personnel:

• Dave Brubeck – Piano
• Paul Desmond – Alto Sax
• Wyatt “Bull” Ruther – Bass
• Herb Barman – Drums (tracks 5-6)
• Lloyd Davis – Drums (tracks 1-4, 8)

Track Listing

1. Stardust – 3:01
2. Lulu’s Back In Town – 2:35
3. Alice In Wonderland – 3:55
4. All The Things You Are – 3:20
5. This Can’t Be Love (live) – 4:07
6. Look For The Silver Lining (live) – 3:40
7. My Romance – 3:12
8. Just One of Those Things – 3:07

As was Fantasy Records’ practice, these recordings were first released as a batch of 78rpm discs (Fantasy 521, 523, 524, and 527), later pressed as a 10-inch LP on red vinyl.  Fantasy had the logic-defying habit of releasing material in a scattershot way, stitching albums together with material from different sources and putting live recordings together with studio recordings.  This album is an example of that.  Combined with six recordings from a studio are two live tracks taken off of an NBC radio broadcast from the Surf Club in Hollywood, CA.  Another issue with Fantasy was their lack of proper documentation when it came to record dates, locations, etc.  Different dates have been supplied for the dates of these recordings.  The studio recordings have been said to have been recorded in either September or October in San Francisco.  As for the two live recordings, things are more complicated.  While both “This Can’t Be Love” and “Look For The Silver Lining” were released on the same 78rpm disc as Fantasy 521 and thus presumably sourced from the same broadcast, at least three dates have been provided for these recordings.  Fantasy has said that these recordings were made in September, October, and “the summer of 1952”.  We may never know the truth, and can only hope the rest of the broadcast becomes available in the future.