The Dave Brubeck Quartet and Paul Desmond - Jazz at the College of the Pacific

One of the many stellar sessions from the Dave Brubeck Quartet, famed jazz scribe Nat Hentoff wrote in DownBeat Magazine of Jazz At The College Of The Pacific that it "ranks with the Oberlin and Storyville sets as the best of Brubeck on record.” Featuring a lineup of drummer Joe Dodge, bassist Ron Crotty, and longtime Brubeck collaborator, altoist Paul Desmond, this set delivers the goods in a way that only a Brubeck combo can.

Nine months after their success at Oberlin, the Brubeck Quartet appeared in concert at the College of the Pacific. It was a homecoming for Dave, a graduate of the Stockton, California school where his musical talent first began to unfold, and the reception was enthusiastic. The importance of the Quartet, which established the viability of jazz attractions in the college market and brought a whole generation of students into the jazz fold, is too often overlooked today. As this music shows, they didn't do it by pandering to their audience. They were clearly involved and committed, and the interaction between Dave and Paul Desmond, and the altoist's gentle humor and melodic grace, contrasting with the leader's intensity, could be captivating. Here, they are off and running, on the track to fame.

Musicians:
Dave Brubeck, piano
Joe Dodge, drums
Ron Crotty, bass
Paul Desmond, alto saxophone