A study of nine high-redshift clusters of galaxies. IV. Photometry and spectra of clusters 1324+3011 and 1604+4321

New photometric and spectroscopic observations of galaxies in the direction s of three distant clusters are presented as part of our ongoing high-redsh ift cluster survey. The clusters are Cl 1324+3011 at z = 0.76, Cl 1604+4304 at z = 0.90, and Cl 1604+4321 at z = 0.92. We have spectroscopically confi rmed cluster membership for 20-40 galaxies in each system and have also obt ained spectra for over 280 field galaxies spanning the range 0 <z <2.5. Kin ematic estimates of the mass within the central 770 h(65)(-1) kpc of each c luster are in excess of 8x10(14) h(65)(-1) M-.. The observed X-ray luminosi ties in these clusters are at least a factor of 3 smaller than those observ ed in clusters with similar velocity dispersions at z less than or equal to 0.4. These clusters contain a significant population of elliptical-like gal axies, although these galaxies are not nearly as dominant as in massive clu sters at z less than or equal to0.5. We also find a large population of blu e cluster members. Defining an active galaxy as one in which the rest equiv alent width of [O II] is greater than 15 Angstrom, the fraction of active c luster galaxies within the central 1.0 h(65)(-1) Mpc is 45%. In the field p opulation, we find that 65% of the galaxies with redshifts between z = 0.40 and z = 0.85 are active, while the fraction is 79% for field galaxies at z >0.85. The star formation rate normalized by the rest-AB B-band magnitude, SFRN, increases as the redshift increases at a given evolving luminosity. At a given redshift, however, SFRN decreases linearly with increasing lumin osity, indicating a remarkable insensitivity of the star formation rate to the intrinsic luminosity of the galaxy over the range -18 greater than or e qual to AB(B) greater than or equal to -22. Cluster galaxies in the central 1 h(65)(-1) Mpc regions exhibit depressed star formation rates and contain a larger fraction of galaxies with "k"-type spectra. The star formation ra tes in galaxies lying between 1 and 2.5 h(65)(-1) Mpc from the cluster cent ers, however, are in good agreement with that in galaxies in the general fi eld at similar redshifts. The spectroscopic and photometric properties of t he cluster galaxies are well fitted by Bruzual & Charlot solar metallicity, constant-age (4.8 Gyr at z = 0.9), variable tau models. Metallicities in t hese clusters must be at least 0.2 of solar, and a significant amount of du st extinction is unlikely. We are able to measure significant evolution in the B-band luminosity function over the range 0.1 less than or equal toz le ss than or equal to1. The characteristic luminosity increases by a factor o f 3 with increasing redshift over this range. This result is consistent wit h an analysis of the luminosities of the brightest cluster galaxies (BCGs) in these clusters. The BCGs are typically twice as luminous as their curren t epoch counterparts.