OK, so we all can agree that the government, both local and federal COMPLETELY WASTES our hard earned tax dollars. Well, it wasn’t always like this. Back when the world was different, JFK was in the White House, Marilyn was with JFK, and Sinatra was with both and taxes were low, The White House sponsored a concert with Dave Brubeck’s Quartet and Tony Bennett’s combo. The music, shelved for years, has finally come to light, and it gives a whole new perspective on Camelot.
The first half of the show has Brubeck with his classic team of Paul Desmond/as, Eugene Wright/b and Joe Morello/dr going through a caffeinated “Take Five” as well as swingingly creative pieces like “Nomad” and “Thank You (Djiekuje)” before delivering “ Castillian Blues, an Iberian piece “in the jazz idiom” (as Brubeck says during the intro)that hits it right on all cylinders. Bennett and his band deliver short and concise takes of material like “Just in Time” (with a great intro!) and a jovial “Rags to Riches” before closing with his recently recorded piece, a thing called “San Francisco.” Bennett sounds marvelous here, and his timing is like Mort Sahl’s.
The mix of Bennett and Brubeck is improvisation at its best. No rehearsal, just name the tune and go for it on four tunes that includes a hip “Lullabye of Broadway” and Brubeck drinking from the Bud Powell well on “There Will Never Be Another You.” Both guys are at their best here, and to finally have this government sponsored gig may be the best tax refund of the year.
Sony Legacy Records