Newport 1958 (Live)

Two years after Duke Ellington’s landmark performance at the Newport Jazz Festival, the festival honored the maestro by asking several different artists to cover his compositions during their sets. With Dave Brubeck on piano, saxophonist Paul Desmond, drummer Joe Morello, and bassist Joe Benjamin (who subbed for Eugene Wright), the Brubeck Quartet were nearing the height of their acclaim as they tackled the Ellington songbook—the entire band stretch out for a great version of “Perdido” but exhibit magical chemistry throughout. Brubeck’s comping and compositional ear certainly was influenced by Ellington, but it’s Desmond’s soft lyrical style that perfectly suits classic melodies like “Things Ain’t What They Used to Be.” Brubeck, for his part, sparkles most brightly on the classical-leaning “Liberian Suite: Dance No. 3 (Live).” Ironically, the original album was re-recorded weeks after the concert performance because of technical problems with the live recording, just as Ellington’s 1956 set was. It's now newly remastered using 24-bit technology for iTunes after being out of print for years; here’s a chance to pick up on the first digital version of this overlooked gem.