Compadres - Brubeck & Mulligan

 

Recuerdo

Compadres

The Dave Brubeck Trio

Featuring Gerry Mulligan

Recorded Live In Mexico

Engineering: John Guerriere, Russ Payne

Cover Photo: Foto Alex - Mexico City/Globe

Columbia Records STEREO CS 9704

1968

Dave Brubeck - Piano

Gerry Mulligan - Baritone Sax

Alan Dawson - Drums

Jack Six - Bass

From the back cover: When 1967 and the 17-year-old Dave Brubeck Quartet came to an end, two questions circumnavigated the world. Was Brubeck serious about concentrating on composing, and did this mean he was through as leader of jazz combos?

The answers respectively were yes and no. Dave completed his long-envisioned oratorio, performed the premiere, with the Cincinnati Symphony, then turned his attention to a promise he had made to George Wein just before the old group dispersed. Wein had guaranteed to deliver Brubeck, solo or with a group, at the second annual Newport Jazz Festival in Mexico.

Brubeck had made a similar tour last year when American Airlines, celebrating its 25th anniversary of servicing the country, arranged for Wein to assemble a jazz package to play in Puebla and Mexico City. The reaction (commemorated in the "Bravo! Brubeck!" album) was such that this year there were calls not merely for a repeat but for an enlargement of the con- cept. In 1968, when the airline's baby became one of the many artistic projects of the so-called "Cultural Olympics," the tour was expanded to cover five cities.

Promptly, Dave decided not to make it a solo jaunt. "I'd used Jack Six in the premiere performance of the oratorio, and of course he'd done some fine work with Herbie Mann's group and with George Wein's Newport All Stars. It was George who recommended Alan Dawson as the best possible drummer I could find. He's worked with Lionel Hampton's band but he's best known as a member of the faculty at the Berklee School of Music.

"Gerry Mulligan had subbed in the old quartet for several nights when Paul Desmond was having some dental work done. Since George already wanted to have Gerry on his Mexican tour, I thought it would be exciting if we worked together."

Traveling with the package (Brubeck and Mulligan, the Adderley, Mann and Wein combos, singer Clea Bradford and Woody Herman's band), I was able to observe at first hand how swiftly and easily this excitement had been established. Reports had already come in from the New Orleans Jazz Festival about the ova- tion given to Dave and Gerry, topped only by Louis Armstrong himself. With only two full rehearsals and four U.S. concerts under their belt, Brubeck and his three new collaborators evolved an immediate rapport. On and offstage, Dave and Gerry were as relaxed as I had ever seen or heard them.

Before the group was two weeks old, a substantial repertoire had been assembled, composed of originals by Brubeck and Mulligan with a suitable sprinkling of Mexican standards.

The gentle, delicate Lullabye de Mexico was written by Mulligan some time ago, but Gerry says, "I never knew what to do with it. But it seemed just right for this occasion."

Dave has a special fondness for the beguiling Indian Song. "Al Walloupe, an Indian vaquero on the cattle ranch where I was raised, used to hum incessantly the first two bars, which in reality was the complete song before I extended it. Al would then laughingly explain that his forefathers would have sung that short melody for days at a time."

The public reaction to the new combo was consistently enthusiastic. During two prior visits, Brubeck had been established as the most popular Norteamericano jazz name in Mexico. The addition of Mulligan, and the curiosity value of hearing Dave in a new context, reinforced an already fervent interest.

Like the 1967 tour, the festival started in Puebla be- fore moving on to the Bellas Artes Theatre and the National Auditorium in Mexico City. Next came two shows in Guadalajara, the first of which was a wildly acclaimed matinee held in a bullring. Theatre dates in Monterrey and Acapulco ended the tour.

The new sounds introduced on these sides confirm the reaction of Juan Lopez Moctezuma and other authoritative Mexican critics: these four musicians combine the freshness and enthusiasm of newcomers with the intelligence and maturity of experienced artists.

For Brubeck, Mulligan, Dawson and Six, this was a tour that will not soon be forgotten-a happy, cooking ball for all. Will they stay together? Despite many other commitments, Dave concedes that if Wein works out a European tour, or anything else that will bring them together again, he won't make any show of resistance.

Meanwhile, this will remain a unique and unprece- dented album, a sui generis souvenir of a memorable week. – Leonard Feather

Jumpin' Bean

Adios, Mariquita Linda

Indian Song

Tender Woman (Tierna Mujer)

Amapola

Lullabye De Mexico (Lullabye of Mexico)

Sapito

Recuerdo (Remembrance)