As Dave wrote in the album's liner notes:
For years I've carried with me a list of folks songs and spirituals that I thought I would someday record. The first group of these tunes appearing in the Columba LP Gone with the Wind. It was a ball. So we decided to continue the revival with Southern Scene."
And while Gone with the Wind showed Gene Wright, the quartet's black bassist, far in the background with drummer Joe Morello, Southern Scene was different.
Was his hand originally on Gene's shoulder? Was he told to remove it by the photographer? I couldn't find the name of the photographer nor the graphic artist for that matter who added a riverboat and plantation.
We'll never know whether Dave had his hand on Gene's shoulder originally or if college students somewhere down South put on the album, looked at the cover and changed their minds about integration.
JazzWax tracks: You'll find the Dave Brubeck Quartet's
This story appears courtesy of JazzWax by Marc Myers.
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