Dave Brubecks recording career began in the early forties. He formed an octet in 1946, which alto saxophonist Paul Desmond would first join in 1950. The first regular formation of the Dave Brubeck Quartet with Paul Desmond had Joe Dodge on drums and, alternatively, brothers Bob and Norman Bates on bass. The formation with Dodge and Bob Bates is the one heard here. Jazz: Red, Hot and Cool was taped live at New Yorks Basin Street Club on two separate occasions. The first set took place between the studio sessions that produced the LP Time (which celebrated Brubecks appearance on the cover of Time magazine), and the second during July of the following year.