In 1961,
Dave Brubeck put together a remarkable musical show. Using the talents of
Louis Armstrong and his All-Stars,
Carmen McRae, the innovative bop vocal group
Lambert, Hendricks And Ross, and his own rhythm section,
Brubeck and his wife, lyricist Iola, wrote a largely upbeat play full of anti-racism songs and tunes that celebrated human understanding. Although it had only one live performance (at the 1962 Monterey Jazz Festival),
The Real Ambassadors was recorded for posterity and now, with its reissue on CD, the original 15 selections have been augmented by five more. It is important to listen to this music without prior expectations because
Paul Desmond is nowhere to be found,
Louis Armstrong does not play that much trumpet here, and
Lambert, Hendricks And Ross essentially function as background singers. However
Satch and
Carmen McRae make for a very potent team, and there are many touching and surprising moments. ~ Scott Yanow