Dear Friends,Thank you for the cards, letters, flowers, prayers,
good wishes and music that have helped me pullthrough a very bad patch. I am working daily toregain my strength and hope to fulfill all my com-mitments. It is curious that coming from a white middle-class
family, most of my life my heroes and mentors hap-pened to be AfricanAmericans. This admi-ration started the firsttime I heard recordingsby some great jazzpianists. I loved listen-ing to Fats Waller, BillyKyle, Teddy Wilson, ArtTatum, Duke Ellingtonand Earl Father Hines,the excitement perhapsenhanced by the factthat my classicallytrained pianist motherconsidered this music“forbidden fruit”. I hadto go next door to visitmy school chum in orderto hear them. (Incidentally, he, too, became a jazzpianist.) I was a very young boy, but I instinctivelyknew that to treat these giants I admired as secondclass citizens was absolutely wrong, and someday Iwould try to right this wrong.
My first opportunity came when I was a soldier inGeneral Patton’s Army in World War II. I was going
Dear Friends,This is the 50th anniversary of TIME OUT, the Dave
Brubeck Quartet’s experimental recording that defiedall odds to become the first jazz album to “go gold”. Tocelebrate this golden anniversary of TIME OUT, SonyLegacy is issuing in June a deluxe package that includesthe re-mastered recording; a DVD about the making ofTIME OUT; a bonus album of previously unreleased
live performances at theNewport Jazz Festival bythe classic Dave BrubeckQuartet (with Paul Desmond,Eugene Wright and JoeMorello). And, an histori-cal perspective by author,critic, pianist and jazz his-torian Ted Gioia.In 2009 TIME OUT was
inducted into theGrammy Hall of Fame asone of the most significantalbums of our time. In2005 it was one of 50recordings selected by theLibrary of Congress to beincluded in the National
Recording Registry. So, this being the 50th anniversaryyear, compositions from TIME OUT, including thelesser known ones, will be featured by the currentQuartet at various festivals and concerts throughout the‘09 season. The first of these “Time Out” concerts wasto have been at the annual Brubeck Festival at theUniversity of Pacific in April. It did happen. But
A LETTER FROM DAVE A LETTER FROM IOLA
P.O. Box 216 Wilton, Connecticut 06897
Volume 27. Number 1 Summer/Fall 2009
NEWSLETTERthe dave brubeck quartet
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to the front as a rifleman, but at the last minute, Iwas called back and given a 020 rating designatingme as a bandleader. My job was to organize a bandto entertain the troops, and I was to select my musi-cians from the front line casualties who camethrough the Army replacement depot. One of thesewounded soldiers was Jonathan Flowers, an African-American trombone player. So my first “break-through” was to integrate the segregated U.S. Army.It is remarkable that it wasn’t until ten years later(1954) that the Secretary of Defense announcedthat the last of the segregated units of the entireArmed Forces had been officially abolished.Shortly after my integrated Quartet was selected by
the State Department in 1958 to tour Poland andthe Middle East as part of President Eisenhower’sPeople-to-People Cultural Exchange program, 23out of 25 Quartet concerts in the South were can-celed because the colleges and universities would notallow a racially mixed group. What an irony that wehad been sent out by the U.S. State Department torepresent to the world freedom and democracy, andcame home to face such intolerance in our owncountry.
Later, I found another hero and mentor in Dr.Martin Luther King, Jr. I was fortunate to partici-pate in honoring him in Washington, DC in 2009by playing with Wynton Marsalis in a program ded-icated to his memory and legacy. The followingmorning at the Inauguration, while viewing themultitude that had gathered to witness history, Icould almost hear King’s voice ringing out “Free atlast, thank God almighty! Free at last.” As a nationwe had climbed to the mountaintop and seen theother side. We were all proud to be Americans. I amso happy I lived long enough to have seen this day.
without Dave, who was in the Norwalk Hospital inConnecticut at the time. Fortunately, son Darius, whowas scheduled to give a lecture/recital as part of theBrubeck Institute festival, was able to step in and playthe concert with the solid support of the regular mem-bers of the quartet, Randy Jones, Bobby Militello andMichael Moore. (See Notes from Darius)
THE 2009 BRUBECK FESTIVALFrom all accounts, the Brubeck Festival, with the
theme “1959-2009 TIME OUT, the revolution con-tinues” was a smashing success starting with “Jazz onthe Mile” (free outdoor concerts), followed by theyouthful Gerald Clayton Trio that included aBrubeck Institute alumnus drummer Justin Brown.The grand finale, of course, was the StocktonSymphony world premier of Ansel Adams: Americaco-composed by Dave and Chris Brubeck, conduct-ed by Maestro Peter Jaffe. Members of AnselAdams family attended the concert and loaned sel-dom seen Ansel Adams photos from their personalcollection for exhibition in the University’s artgallery. (Reviews of this great new piece follow Notesfrom Chris.). In addition to the Quartet’s reprise of “Time Out”,
The Sacramento Master Singers performed Dave’schoral piece “Earth is our Mother”. The text is
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The Dave Brubeck Quartet in 1959. Dave, Paul Desmond,Joe Morello and Eugene "Senator" Wright
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based on a speech attributed to Chief Seattle. Thenarrator in the role of Chief Seattle was NativeAmerican Paul Apodaco, professor of AmericanStudies at Chapman University and consultant forthe Smithsonian National Museum of the AmericanIndian. Russell Gloyd was the conductor of the cho-rus and Pacific Orchestra and Darius, again, substi-tuted for Dave, playing the improvised sectionswith Bobby Militello on flute.
The Brubeck Institute’s Award for DistinguishedAchievement was presented this year to DonDeRosa, retiring President of the University of thePacific, who initiated the concept of the Institute inconjunction with the Brubeck archives in SpecialCollections at the University library. RichardJeweler, Chairman of the Brubeck InstituteAdvisory Board presented the award with sonsDarius and Chris on stage representing the Brubeckfamily.
In addition to Darius lecture/ recital “1959: TheBeginning of the Beyond” that discussed the influ-ential albums produced that year by John Coltrane,Miles Davis, Charles Mingus, Thelonious Monk,and Ornette Coleman, one afternoon symposiumwas devoted to “The Making of Time Out” pre-sented by Russell Gloyd and a panel discussion“1959: The Revolution Begins” moderated by PaulConley from Capital Public Radio. Panelistsincluded Darius Brubeck, Chuck Berg, scholar, his-torian and jazz critic and Joe Gilman, pianist, schol-
ar and music director for the Brubeck Fellows. We regret missing this year’s Festival, due to Dave’s
illness. It is our annual opportunity to interact withthe Brubeck Fellows before they move on to furtherstudies or launch professional careers. However, wehave great memories of the times we have sharedwith these young musicians. They, along with theRussian Open World Quartet, performed at theRussian Embassy in Washington, DC when Davewas presented an award (including a balalaika and a
book from Gorbachev) by the American-RussianCultural Cooperation Foundation. Dave playedwith them and the Russians again at a reception inthe Meridian International Center in Washington
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Russian Ambassador Sergey Ivanovich Kislyak with Dave and Hon. James W. Symington
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Hon. James W. Symington, Chairman of The American-RussianCultural Foundation presented Dave with a balaika when Dave was
honored at the Russian Embassy in Washington, DC
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Dave w/2008-2009 Brubeck Institute Jazz Quintet at Meridian International Center, Washington, DC
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and in December “sat in” with the Brubeck InstituteJazz Quintet at the California Hall of Fame inSacramento. Next fallBrubeck Fellows BenFlocks (saxophone),Javier Santiago (piano)and Adam Arruda(drums) will continuetheir studies in variousmusic schools or willbe pursuing their pro-fessional careers in jazz.Chad Lefkowitz-Brown( s axophone ) andZach Brown (bass) arereturning. Auditionshave been held and two new high school gradu-ates—Nick Frenay (trumpet) and Noah Kellman(piano) will be coming to Pacific in September.
Working with students and watching their talentsevolve and blossom isrewarding. It takes a lotto get us away fromSanibel Island, wherewe go in the mid-Winter months, but wedid go to North TexasState University inDenton in Februarywhere Dave and theQuartet worked andperformed with stu-dents of the largestmusic department inthe United States.
There was another sig-nificant event that pried us loose from our cozyquarters in Florida. As John Pareles commented inthe New York Times, “The intersection of MartinLuther King Day with Inauguration Eve for BarackObama was too richly symbolic for any performerto resist”. When Wynton Marsalis invited Dave to
join him at Kennedy Center (Eisenhower Theater)to participate in “A Celebration of America”, no
coaxing was needed.The program openedwith welcoming wordsfrom Wynton and retiredSupreme Court JusticeSandra Day O’Conner.They appeared onscreen in pretapedsegments through-out the evening dis-cuss ing t h e r e l a -tionship between jazza n d Constitutionaldemocracy. Ju d g e
O’Conner recalled her introduction to jazz listening toKid Ory when she was a student at StanfordUniversity. (Trombonist Ory was a well-known jazzfigure in the Bay Area, and encouraged Dave in
the early days in SanFrancisco). The eclec-tic program Wyntonassembled coveredeverything from a NewOrleans street paradeband to Ellington’ssophisticated “ThreeBlack Kings” by AlvinAiley’s Dance Theater.Dianne Reeves sang amemorable “Skylark”and the Lincoln CenterJazz Orchestra backed aparade of vocalists andinstrumentalists—most
notably Paquito d’ Rivera, Cassandra Wilson, RoyHaynes and Marcus Gilmore (who was once a studentat the Brubeck Institute Summer jazz Colony.) Themost touching moment in my opinion was JessyeNorman’s impassioned reading of a speech that Kingdelivered at the Berlin Jazz Festival in 1964.
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At rehearsal for "A Celebration of America" with Wynton Marsalis
Drummer Marcus Gilmore and his grandfather Roy Haynes withDave on MLK Day, Washington, DC
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The New York Times described the evening as “a fullpacked program with Mr. Marsalis’ own LincolnCenter Jazz Orchestra, narration from Angela Bassettand Courtney Vance and genre-straddling guestsincluding a high school jazz band. (Dave played“Perdido” with them) “When Mr. Marsalis picked uphis trumpet, playing “These Foolish Things” as a duetwith the pianist Dave Brubeck…he was impish andsly, elegantly playful and far from didactic. The jamsession trumped the civics lesson.”
The Washington Post’s Mike Joyce commented onthe fact that Wynton Marsalis and Dave left the stageat the end of the duet with their arms around eachother. It was a natural gesture, symbolic of a very spe-cial moment in our history.
The next morning in our hotel room Dave and Iwatched the Inauguration of Barack Obama as 44th
President of the United States. We could not holdback the tears. We embraced, thankful that we hadlived long enough to see an African American rise tothe position of the most powerful man in the UnitedStates and perhaps the world. It was the culminationof so much we have strived for all of our adult lives.Then, remembering that Barack Obama and his fam-ily would be moving into a house that was built byslaves, Dave recited a passage from scripture that hehad set to music for his cantata, “The Gates ofJustice”. “The stone the builders rejected has becomethe capstone.”
NOTES FROM DARIUS
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Dateline Stockton, CA I got the call that Dave
would definitely not makethis year’s Brubeck Festivalas I rushed to the gate atHeathrow and spent thenext eleven flying hourslistening to Time Out onmy i-pod. I had beenscheduled to give a lec-ture-concert with the ‘Fellows’ and to appear withother panelists at a symposium on jazz in 1959, asubject on which I wrote a dissertation and haveoften lectured. Now I was unexpectedly a replace-ment for the real headliner, my father. SteveAnderson (Director of the Brubeck Institute)deserves great credit for handling a difficult situa-tion and managing information in such a way thatpeople and the press understood the substitutionwithout it being a melodrama. Logistical supportwas perfect too, allowing me to focus on learningtunes before the members of Dave’s virtuosi Quartetarrived. Dave also called from the hospital withadvice about playing the concert, so I knew he was
recovering.The morning after the flight I participated in the
auditions held at Yoshi’s for the upcoming Fellowsgroup and all the candidates were excellent. Whata plus for the Institute, choosing the best of thebest. Once in Stockton, I began rehearsing withthe current Brubeck Fellows Quintet and BrianChahley, a former Fellow, who joined the groupbecause we needed a trumpet player for “1959: TheBeginning of Beyond”, which features music fromMiles Davis, Kind of Blue, John Coltrane, GiantSteps, Charles Mingus, Mingus Ah/Um, DaveBrubeck, Time Out and Ornette Coleman, TheShape of Jazz to Come. Brian acted as leader of theband, which was, thanks to Joe Gilman, alreadyrehearsed and on top of the material. The perform-ance, music interspersed with my commentary, waswell attended and well received.
The next day, Russell Gloyd’s presentation on themaking of “Time Out” and the Symposium, “1959:The Revolution Begins” were both very relaxed andinformative. (Subsequently, Russell and I participat-ed in a SONY/NPR program on the same topic.)Paul Conley from Capitol Public Radio, producer
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NOTES FROM CHRIS
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Dave and I, along with my mother and mywife, Tish, worked for many months towards thepremiere of “Ansel Adams: America”. We werevery disappointed that under Doctor’s orders,Dave was not allowed to travel from Connecticutto the West Coast to attend the premiere.
We are sorry that my folks missed the opportu-nity to meet the Ansel Adams family. Tish and Imet them at a reception at Susan Carson’s housein Stockton just a few hours before the composi-tion was played for the first time. Susan wasessential in getting the project off the ground sothere was much anticipation in the gathering thatincluded Ansel Adams family; Jane and Peter Jaffe
(the conductor of the Stockton Symphony); EdHarsh, the President of Meet The Composer, whocame out from New York for this momentousoccasion; and patrons and supporters of theStockton Symphony. Mid-party there was a “youwouldn’t believe this if it was written into aHollywood script” event. The gathering wassilenced, and we turned on Ms. Carson’s radio tohear the national broadcast of “All ThingsConsidered”. It featured a 6 minute piece aboutthe premiere of “Ansel Adams: America”!The radio program was produced by Paul Conley,
from Sacramento’s Capitol Public Radio Stationand featured piano excerpts of the new work
of high quality music-oriented pieces for “AllThings Considered”, chaired the panel consisting ofChuck Berg, a recognized scholar in both jazz andfilm, Joe Gilman, the musical director of theInstitute and me. Their appreciative reflections on the period are anincentive for re- listening. I did a lot of privatepracticing at the Conservatory for the ‘TimeOut/Earth is Our Mother’ concert, but did managebreaks for enjoying the mild weather during walkson Pacific’s idyllic campus.
Meanwhile down the road at San Joaquin DeltaCollege, brother Chris was in rehearsal for the“Ansel Adams” premiere with Peter Jaffe and theStockton Symphony. It was really thrilling to bepart of an excited audience (capacity on both occa-sions) and contribute to my younger brother’sstanding ovation. It wasn’t only for him of coursebecause Dave had played and written a version forpiano, which Chris developed and orchestrated,overcoming myriad practical challenges and frustra-tions. Projections above the stage of Adams’ historicand famous photographs of desert, forest, moun-tains and abandoned settlements in the Westbecame the equivalent of a soloist and so AnselAdams shared in the ovation as well.
Many people, old friends and new friends, con-veyed personal wishes for Dave’s recovery and it wasgreat to meet Paul Apodaca, the very effecting nar-rator on the ‘Earth’ piece. Deepak Ram, who wasfeatured in the 2008 Festival, drove up from SanDiego just to hang out. With each year featuringsomething different, my overall impression is thatthe Brubeck Festival has a strong identity, a consis-tent following and a sense of community.
Darius will be appearing in England at the following venues:
Sun. May 24 The Stables, Milton Keynes,hosted by Sir John Dankworth
Sat. June 13 Queens Theatre Gallery,Barnstaple
Thurs. June 25 St. Martins in the Fields,London
Wed. July 8 Chichester FestivalSat. July 11 Marlborough FestivalMon. July 13 Pizza Express, Dean St., LondonFri. July 17 Royal Albert Hall Foyer,
lunchtime series, LondonSun. Sept. 16 South Africa House,
Trafalgar Sq., LondonSat. Sept. 26 Chiddingly, near BrightonWed. Nov. 18 College of Music, Leeds
For further information on ‘1959’,go to dariusbrubeck.com
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played by our good friend John Salmon (a special-ist in Dave’s piano music and Professor of Music atUniversity of North Carolina in Greensboro). Paulalso included excerpts from an interview he didwith Dave months ago in California, an interviewwith me from a studio in Connecticut, and to mysurprise, Ansel Adams himself joined the conversa-tion from an archival tape. (You can hear the pro-gram and about 30 seconds of the orchestra if yougo online to www. NPR. org and follow the linksto the April 2 broadcast of “All ThingsConsidered”). As those of us at the party listenedto the program there were literally tears of joy.These are the magical moments in the creativeprocess that keep us composers so enamored withthese kinds of collaborations.
The concert was a tremendous success. Onceagain, Peter Jaffe did a fantastic job of leading thesymphonic forces. He had been working withDave and me from the early days of the pianosketches and throughout the evolution of theorchestrations. No one on the planet knew themusic to “Ansel Adams:America” better than Peter.In fact I told him he could probably conduct it with-out the score. This was a prophetic complimentbecause at the second performance he knocked hisstand light off the podium and had to finish thepiece without being able to see the score! The stagewas dark except for stand lights and a 30 by 30 footscreen hanging above the orchestra.
Tish took over the job of working with the scoreand the projectionists in the booth. While I waschasing down musical issues, I could trust her withthe visual aspects and the timing of the 100 or sophotographs. No one knew the visual elements bet-ter than she, because she had been working withDave, Iola and me in choosing the Adams imagesand had worked extensively with our visual designer,Jeff Sugg, on the sequencing and timing of the cues. As you can imagine, Tish & I were quite busy with
rehearsals and therefore missed many of the Festivalevents we wanted to attend. All the concerts and
panels at the Festival earned high marks from every-one I talked to. We had one night off, however, andwent to hear the “Time Out” concert. My olderbrother Darius did a wonderful job of sitting in withthe DBQ to play all the compositions from the orig-inal “Time Out” recording. Rather than offeringmy opinion (which might be a bit prejudiced fromthe brotherhood perspective), I offer this quote fromMaestro Peter Jaffe.
“Darius rose to the daunting task of filling in forDave with amazing style and musicianship of thehighest order. On such short notice, Darius wasable to “channel” inflections of his dad at the piano,inject his own imagination in compelling fashion,and charm the audience as a n e n g a g i n gspokesman for the quartet. Who else could havepulled off that kind of instant magic?”
I am including some excerpts from reviewers’ reac-tions to the Ansel Adams piece that was also per-formed the following week by the SacramentoPhilharmonic. Future performances are scheduledwith the Fresno Philharmonic (Sept. 26 & 27, 2009),Monterey Symphony (Oct. 17, 18 & 19, 2009),Baltimore Symphony (Feb. 11, 12 & 13, 2010),Temple University Symphony Orchestra (April 10, 2010)and Abilene Philharmonic (May 1, 2010).
The musical and personal bonds in our family arewonderfully strong. It was great to have a chance tocollaborate with my father, mother, wife and AnselAdams on this unusual and rewarding composition.
Chris Brubeck
P.S. – Now I start a commission I received to write aconcerto for an amazing trio named Time for Three.One member of the group, Nick Kendall, premieredmy violin concerto, “Spontaneous Combustion” in2007. The premiere was conducted by RandallFleischer who has assembled a number of orchestrasto be partners in this new commission. So far, theseorchestral partners include Youngstown Symphony,The Boston Pops, Anchorage Symphony, San Diego
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Symphony, Wichita Symphony, Portland Symphony,IRIS Symphony (Memphis), and the Colorado MusicFestival. The first performance scheduled for March,2010.
WWHHAATT TTHHEE CCRRIITTIICCSS AARREE SSAAYYIINNGG
The Stockton Record (By Donald W. Blount (April 04, 2009)
Music, Art blend for Magical Evening of Symphony
In “Ansel Adams: America,” the 88-year-old fatherand 57-year-old son (Dave and Chris Brubeck) havecreated a 22-minute composition that works in con-cert (no pun intended) with 101 projected images ofAnsel Adams’ photographs. It would be inaccurateand inappropriate to compare this to a score of amovie or slideshow; it is far from that. Instead, it’s awalk through some of the most stunning natural won-ders in the United States as well as photographs ofAdams himself with music that envelops the listenerand causes him or her to fly away to the various des-tinations shown. It is a magical interplay between theauditory and the visual.
The Sacramento Bee (By Edward Ortiz Published: Monday, Apr. 13, 2009)Philharmonic is Strong in Works by Native Sons.
The work (Ansel Adams: America) fits squarely in aneoclassical vein and honors Adams the buddingpianist as much as the legendary photographer. Itproved an episodic work offering melodic lines mir-roring some of Dave Brubeck’s jazz music. The workasks much from horns and woodwinds. These set anelegiac tone that evolved into a whimsical midsec-tion…The brief moments of piano sprinkled through-out proved most interesting. These effectively conjuredthe spirit of Adams and deeply underscored the finelyshaped visual contrasts of Adams’ black-and-whiteimages.
San Francisco Examiner.com (By Michael Krikorian, April 13, 2009)Sacramento Phil Dazzles the Audience
The key stone piece for the evening was the work byDave and Chris Brubeck, “Ansel Adams: America.”This was a multi-media piece that projected AnselAdams photographs in conjunction with the music.… The music followed the visual presentation whichbegan with views of Yosemite – its waterfalls, Half-Dome and El Capitan. … This composition revolvedaround an opening theme which morphed intosounds to support the fury of the falls, … the majestyof Yosemite Valley and the grandeur of theSouthwestern desert. The Brubecks took the audienceon an enthralling trip though the photographs of Mr.Adams. The orchestra performed this work admirablywith excellent ensemble, intonation and dynamic con-trasts. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity. Onethe audience will not forget. This work received amuch deserved standing ovation. Again, bravo!
Sacramento Press (By J.T. Long, April 13, 2009)
Brubeck “Ansel Adams: America” puts Sacramento on the Musical Landscape
Sacramento Philharmonic’s sold out presentation of“Brubeck Ansel Adams: America” on Saturday nightset a new standard for classical music. By commission-ing an original composition by one of the premier jazzand classical father-son duos in the world set to a back-drop of images by one of the most famous nature pho-tographers of all time… Sacramento’s orchestra raisedthe stature of the city and exposed a new audience tothe possibilities of classical music. …The result is apiece that fills the senses while evoking nostalgia andhope. As majestic images of Half Dome and HorsetailFalls fade in and out on a giant screen, the musicbuilds and then melts to mirror the majesty of achurch or echoes the Southwestern style as a missiontakes the screen. When the final moonlit mountainwent dark, the music stopped and the full houseerupted. The effect is both inspiring and humbling.
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Dave Brubeckwas inducted intothe CaliforniaHall of Fame byGovernor ArnoldSchwarzeneggerand first ladyMaria Shriver,along with actorsJack Nicholson andJ a n e Fo n d a ,sculptor RobertGraham; musicianQuincy Jones; fit-ness guru JackLaLanne and chefA l i c e Wa t e r s .Inducted posthumously were photographerDorothea Lange, architect Julia Morgan, scientistLinus Pauling, author Theodore “Dr. Seuss” Geiseland former Governor Leland Stanford. Each personhonored was asked to introduce one of the fellowinductees, and it fell to Dave’s lot to introduce JackNicholson. Luckily he recalled an incident some-where in the mid-West many moons ago, when bychance Nicholson stayed in the same hotel as theQuartet. At that time Nicholson and Peter Fondawere in the midst of shooting the film “Easy Rider”.The hotel owner was a bit disturbed because arather boisterous Hollywood crew had taken overhis hotel, some of whom insisted on bringing theirmotorcycles into the lobby. When Dave returned tothe hotel late at night after playing a gig in anothertown, the worried owner asked him if he would gointo the bar, listen to the conversation, and find outif this group was legitimate. Who, he wondered,was going to foot the bill that they were fast run-ning up? So, Dave, on his undercover mission,slipped into the only empty space at the bar. Whenhe made eye contact with the man next to him, hefelt a cold shiver run down his spine. He recalls it asthe most penetrating stare he had ever received.
Undaunted, Davestayed seated, turnedhis back to thestranger and eaves-dropped on the con-versations that weregoing on around him.He came to the con-clusion that the groupwas indeed legitimate,and from what heheard that night, theobvious leader, whoturned out to beJack Nicholson, wasendowed with a greatsense of humor, insight-
ful intelligence and a compassionate heart, but hewould also advise the hotel owner to allow him tobring his Harley inside. Each inductee donated objects for display at theCalifornia Museum. In the Brubeck exhibit thereare the iconic horn-rimmed glasses, album covers,the gold Time Out record, a Fats Waller 78 (the firstjazz record Dave ever purchased) and as a nod to hisCalifornia ranching roots, the double E brandingiron wielded by Dave in his early days as a cowboy.
We have just been informed that the Brubeck
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Jack Nicholson, Dave, Quincy Jones, Jack LaLanne, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger,Jane Fonda at the California Hall of Fame
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Clint Eastwood, Chairman of the Brubeck Institute Advisory Board,and former inductee into the California Hall of Fame with Dave
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Institute Jazz Quartet has won DownBeat’s 32nd
annual student award for the best college jazz group.This is the second time in three years (2007 and2009) that the Institute’s jazz combo has won thisaward. Congratulations to Ben Flocks (sax), ChadLefkowitz-Brown (sax), Javier Santiago (piano),Adam Arruda (drums) and Zach Brown (bass).
The Jazz Times Readers’ Poll chose four winners tobe inducted into the Jazz Times Hall of Fame. Theyare Dave Brubeck, Benny Goodman, OscarPeterson and Jimmy Smith.
Shortly before Dave became ill, he and the membersof The Dave Brubeck Quartet (Bobby Militello,Randy Jones and Michael Moore) recorded severaltracks for a Disney Productions album that will fea-ture various artists performing tunes related toDisney films. In addition to backing vocalistRoberta Gambarini in a beautiful version of “Alicein Wonderland”, the DBQ recorded a new arrange-ment of “When You Wish Upon a Star’, and forfuture release “Give a Little Whistle” and “SomedayMy Prince Will Come”. Other artists who willappear on the album are Roy Hargrove, Gilad H.,Esperanza, Regina Carter, Dianne Reeves, NikkyYanovsky and Mark Rapp.
A compilation of Dave Brubeck recordings datingfrom 1949 to 2007 will be released this Spring onthe Concord Jazz label. The tracks cover the veryfirst recordings by the Dave Brubeck Trio (with CalTjader and Ron Crotty), the classic Quartet withPaul Desmond, later quartets with Jerry Bergonziand Butch Miles, a Chris Brubeck trombone featureon “Black and Blue” and DBQ’s Bobby Militello’ssmoking “Cherokee”, ending with Dave’s solo pianoversion of “September Song”. In addition to the anniversary issue of TIME OUT(Sony/Legacy) there are currently two tribute CDs
worth noting. One is by the Liam Noble Trio onBasho Records simply titled “Brubeck”. The otheris by the Eric Mintel Quartet and called “Fifty Years
After.. A Tribute to DaveBrubeck”. Both CDscover titles from “TimeOut’ plus their ownarrangements of otherBrubeck tunes. The EricMintel Quartet recordingin addition to TIME
OUT titles includes “Cassandra”, “ K o t oS o n g ” , “Crescent City Stomp”, “In Your OwnSweet Way”, “Nomad”, “Elana Joy”, and“Unisphere”. The Liam Noble Trio, exploredthree titles from TIME OUT and covered “It’s aRaggy Waltz” “Sixth Sense”, “Rising Sun”, “LaPaloma Azul” “Cassandra” and two versions of “InYour Own Sweet Way”. Listening to these tworecordings and hearing ayounger generation ofmusicians discovering pos-sibilities within the oldtunes has been a source ofgreat pleasure to Dave.
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Quincy Jones and Dave standing before the Brubeck exhibit in the California Museum
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NOTES ON RECORD cont’d
The Brubeck Brothers CD “Classified”(Koch)was listed in Jazzweek as one of the top 100 albumsof 2008. The cross-genre CD came in at #30 in air-play.
BBC4 on March 27 presented a special program“1959—The Year That Changed Jazz” that featuredinterviews with Dave Brubeck, Ornette Colemanand Lou Reed. The program marked the appear-ance 50 years ago of four influential albums thatreflected the diversity of the post-bebop era: DaveBrubeck’s TIME OUT with its rhythmic invention;Charles Mingus Ah Um, a commentary on theracial tensions of the era; Ornette Coleman’s “TheShape of Jazz to Come”, a foretaste of the “progres-sive” movement; and Miles Davis “Kind of Blue, a
landmark album by a group that contained at thattime John Coltrane. On the same evening BBC2broadcast special archival programs with the DaveBrubeck Quartet and Dizzy Gillespie.
The BBC Music Magazine (Feb. ‘09) gave DariusBrubeck’s “For Lydia and the Lion” a 4 star rating.Reviewer Roger Thomas commented, “There’ssomething hugely invit-ing about the melliflu-ous and tuneful style ofthis offering from yetanother member of theBrubeck dynasty…”.
NOTES ON PUBLICATION
DownBeat Magazine is celebrating its 75th
anniversary this year. The July edition ofDownBeat will feature Editor Jason Koransky’sinterview with Dave that referred to historicalDownBeat articles published over the past 60 years,including the terrible 2 star review of the album“Time Out”. The magazine has re-printed archivalarticles and interviews with legendary musiciansdedicating each issue during the anniversary year toa particular instrument and its players. The Mayissue of DownBeat, for example, focused on the sax-ophone. It included an analysis of Paul Desmond’salto solo on “Desmond Blue” and ran a 1963 storyabout Gerry Mulligan, who followed Desmond inthe Dave Brubeck Quartet.
Dave Brubeck was on the cover of Commonweal,Feb. 27 edition. This issue on the arts featured IanMarcus Corbin’s interview with Dave titled “GreatArt Survives”. A later edition of Commonweal rantwo “Letters to the Editor” written by people fromdifferent choirs who have sung Dave’s music in con-cert, and who spoke of the experience as deepeningtheir faith.
Choral Journal, May issue, ran an extensive inter-view with Dave regarding his choral music by Dr.William M. Skoog, Director of Choral Activities atBowling Green State University, Ohio. Dr. Skooghas conducted many of Dave’s choral pieces hereand abroad with his Collegiate Chorale andUniversity Men’s Chorus. The article includes acomprehensive list of all of Dave’s choral works. Itis a very interesting issue for those who have aninterest in jazz as well as choral music as there is afeature article on Duke Ellington’s Sacred Concerts,and a photo of Duke graces the cover.
“Dave Brubeck at the Piano”, 14 new Brubeckpiano pieces edited by John Salmon, is now avail-able at Alfred Publishing, P.O. Box 10003, Van Nuys,CA or by clicking “keyboard” @alfred.com.
FRIENDS OF THE BRUBECK INSTITUTEYou will soon be receiving in the mail an invitation from theUniversity of the Pacific to join Friends of the Brubeck Institute. Wehope that you will read the brochure carefully and decide to join theBrubeck Institute and us in the ongoing work of developing youngartists and new audiences through education and outreach pro-grams. The goal is to continue the legacy of Dave Brubeck and wehope you will want to become involved.
For fifty years or more, one of Dave’s favorite bal-lads to play in concert has been “Theme for June”,taken from the 2nd Movement of his brother
Howard’s “Dialogues for Jazz Combo and SymphonyOrchestra”. (A highlight of Dave and Howard’scareers was the performance and recording of thatwork by Leonard Bernstein and the New YorkPhilharmonic fifty years ago.) Dave has performed“Theme for June” many, many times over the years—solo, with the quartet, with symphony orchestra. Hechose Theme for June for a special performance withthe London Symphony when Queen Elizabeth wasin attendance. The lovely person who inspired thatgorgeous melody was June, Howard’s wife. Shepassed away in April in Santa Rosa, California, whereshe has lived in recent years to be near her daughters,Elizabeth Bonner and Anne Gero, and her grand-children and great-grandchildren. June was a devotedwife and mother with a loving spirit that embracedall who knew her. Both generations of our familywill miss her warm ever-ready smile and her caringheart. She and Howard loved Yosemite and visitedthere frequently. By strange coincidence, her passingoccurred at the time our focus was on Ansel
Adams magnificent photos of Yosemite that weres h o w n a t t h e Stockton Symphony premier of“Ansel Adams: America.
In December welost our friendFrances Lynne, thepure voiced vocalistwho in the late fortiessang with the ThreeDs (Dave Brubeck onpiano, Darrel Cutleron tenor sax, Don Rattoon bass, later replacedby Norman Bates) atthe Geary Cellar inSan Francisco; andthen briefly with thePaul Desmond Quartetin Palo Alto (DaveBr ubeck , p i ano ,Norman Bates, bass).
She later toured with the Charlie Barnett and GeneKrupa bands and went on to have a flourishingcareer in New York before returning to SanFrancisco, where she remained after her marriage toJohnny Coppola, trumpet alumnus from the StanKenton and Woody Herman bands. Her last albumof great standards, “Remember”, caused jazz criticand Desmond biographer Doug Ramsey to com-ment, “Often discussed but seldom heard, Ms.Lynne is a charming singer. Desmond, Bates andBrubeck told me that they were moved by her clari-ty, phrasing, feeling and interpretations of lyrics. Formost of us, Frances Lynne’s singing was mythical.The CD brings it happily to life.” We are gratefulthat she chose to record this album in her later yearsso that her remarkable voice remains with us.
The inspiration for "Theme for June", June Brubeck and Iola in Santa Rosa, CA, 2005.
REMEMBERING
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Performance of Chris’s Spontaneous CombustionHudson Valley Symphony, Nick Kendall, Soloist
Poughkeepsie, NY - May 9www.bardavon.org)
Triple Play – Singapore w/ Singapore Chinese Orchestra Concert Hall
7 Shenton Way - June 12 & June 13 www.sco.com.sg
Triple Play – Bemidji, MNBemidji High School
w/the Bemidiji Symphony Orchestra2900 Division St. West, - July 18 , 7:30 pm
www.bemidjisymphony.org(218-444-7914)
Triple Play – Luzerne, NYLuzerne Music Center August 3, 8 pm
203 Lake Tour Road 518-696-2771 www.luzernemusic.org
(Benefit for Bert Phillips)
Triple Play – Sandisfield, MASandisfield Performing Arts Center
5 Hammertown Road - August 8, 8 pmwww.sandisfieldartscenter.org)/
(Benefit for Bill Crofut)(413-258-4100)
Chris Brubeck – Soloist Sao Paulo, Brazil w/Bachiana Chamber Orchestra
www.fundacaobachiana.org.br
Brubeck Brothers Quartet – Detroit, MIDetroit Jazz Festival
Waterfront Stage September 5
2:00 pm & 4:50 pmwww.detroitjazzfest.com)
Brubeck Brothers Quartet – Holland, MIHope College - September 8 & 9
www.hope.edu
Brubeck Brothers Quartet – Calgary Jack Singer Hall w/the Calgary Symphony
Calgary, Alberta CanadaSept. 11 & 12 8 p.m.
www.cpo-live.com(403-571-0849)
Brubeck Brothers Quartet - Cazenovia, NYJazz n Caz Festival - Sept. 26, 8 pm
Cazenovia State College www.cazenovia.edu
(315-655-7238)
Brubeck Brothers Quartet – Wilton, CTJazz in the Garden - September 27, 4 pm
Weir Farm, 235 Nod Hill Rd.(203-834-1896)
Performance of Ansel Adams: America - FresnoPhilharmonic
September 26 & 27www.fresnophil.org
Chris & Dave Brubeck, Soloists – New York, NYLincoln Center - October 2, 8 pm
w/the Bachiana Chamber Orchestra new.lincolncenter.org/live
www.fundacaobachiana.org.br
Brubeck Brothers Quartet – Yakima, WAThe Seasons Performance Hall - Oct. 10, 8 pm
101 North Naches Avenue www.theseasonsyakima.com
Performance of Ansel Adams: AmericaMonterey Symphony - October 17, 18 & 19
www.montereysymphony.org
Brubeck Brothers Quartet - Yountville, CALincoln Theater - October 24, 8 pm
w/the Napa Valley Symphony 299 California Drive
www.napavalleysymphony.org(707-226-6872)
Brubeck Brothers Quartet – Half Moon Bay, CABach Dancing & Dynamite Society - Oct 25, 4:30 pm
311 Mirada Road www.bachddsoc.org
4:30 p.m. NEXT GENERATION ITINERARY
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Jacksonville, FL FestivalMay 22 DBQ w/St. Johns River City Band6:30 pm Laura & Forsyth Sts.
Erie, PA D’Angelo PACMay 31 Mercyhurst College7:00 pm 501 E. 38th St.
814-824-2000
Cleveland, OH Allen Theater, Playhouse Sq.June 6 1407 Euclid Ave.8:00 pm Cuyahoga College Jazz Fest
216-241-6000/1-866-546-1353.
Washington, DC Warner TheatreJune 11 513 13th St., NW between E&F8:00 pm 202-783-4000/202-533-1882
Tarrytown, NY Music HallJune 13 13 Main St.8:00 pm 914-631-3390
New York, NY Kaufman Concert HallJune 15 92nd St. Y, 1395 Lexington 8:00 pm 212-415-5500 or
92Y.org/concerts
Rochester, NY Eastman TheaterJune 17 26 Gibbs St.8:00 pm 585-454-2060
Norfolk, CT Jazz’d 4 Life Benefit June 19 Infinity Hall5:30 pm reception 20 Greenwoods Rd.
West, Rte. 447:00 pm concert reception incl.w/ ticket
860-542-5531/infinityhall.com
Chicago, IL Orchestra HallJune 26 220 S. Michigan Ave.8:00 pm 312-294-3000
Saratoga, NY Saratoga PACJune 28 Freihofer’s Jazz FestivalTime tba 518-584-9330/www.spac.org
Toronto, ON Main Stage MarqueeJuly 1 100 Queen St. W./City Hall9:00 pm Toronto Jazz Festival
416 870 8000
Montreal, QE Wilfred Pelletier HallJuly 4 Place des Arts7:30 pm www.montrealjazzfest.com
New York, NY Damrosch ParkAug. 5 Lincoln Center8:30 Free concert
Newport, RI Newport Jazz FestivalAug. 9 Ft. Adams State ParkAfternoon tba Ticketmaster
Detroit, MI Amphitheater, Hart Plaza.Sept. 5 www.detroitjazzfest.com4:00 PM Free concert
Seattle, WA Jazz AlleySept. 10-13 2033 6th Ave.7:30 pm, 9/10 & 137:30 & 9:30 pm 9/11&12 206-441-9729
Spokane, WA Woldson Theater @ the FoxSept. 15 t1001 W. Sprague Ave.7:30 pm 509-624-1200
ITINERARY FOR DAVE AND DAVE BRUBECK QUARTET
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Sacramento, CA Radissson Hotel CourtyardSept. 18 500 Leisure Ln.8:00 pm 916-226-4218
Redwood City, CA Fox TheaterSept. 19 2215 Broadway8:00 pm 650-369-4119
Monterey, CA Jazz Festival/Arena StageSept. 20 2004 Fairgrounds Rd.8:20pm www.montereyjazzfestival.org
Santa Barbara, CA Lobero TheaterSept. 22 33 E. Canon Perdido St.8:00 pm 805-963-0761
Cerritos, CA Center PACSept. 24 12700 Center Court Dr.8:00 pm 1-800-300-4345
Malibu, CA Smothers Theater/Pepperdine U.Sept. 26 24255 Pacific Coast Hwy.8:00 pm 310-506-4522
New York, NY Avery Fisher Hall/Lincoln CenterOct. 2 212-875-50308:00 p Dave and Chris Brubeck
w/Joao Carlos MartinsBachiana Chamber Orchestra
Pittsfield, MA City Jazz Festival Oct. 17 Colonial Theater 9:00 pm 11 South St.
Youth band opens @ 8:00
Boston, MA Boston UniversityOct. 23 w/ Paratore Bros.Tentative
W. Lafayette, IN Loeb PlayhouseNov. 7 Purdue University8:00 pm 765-494-4600
New York, NY The Blue NoteNov. 27, 28, 29 131 W. 3rd St
212-475-8592
ITINERARY FOR DAVE AND DAVE BRUBECK QUARTET cont’d
JAM SESSION: In 2008 the BrubeckInstitute celebrated the 50th anniversaryof the Dave Brubeck Quartet’s StateDepartment tour by presenting programsin various venues in Washington, DCincluding the Meridian InternationalCenter. “Jam Session” the photographicexhibit that was on display at MeridianInternational at that time has now begun anational tour. The groundbreaking exhibi-tion chronicles the jazz ambassadors ontheir State Department sponsored tours.The exhibition includes compelling photo-graphs of Louis Armstrong Dave Brubeck,Duke Ellington, Dizzy Gillespie, BennyGoodman and Sarah Vaughan. We havejust been informed that the “JazzAmbassadors” exhibition will open inWarsaw on June 26 along with historicpictures by Polish photographers. A com-memorative video with a message fromDave Brubeck to Polish musicians andfans that was made by researcher KeithHatcheck from University of the PacificConservatory of Music will also be shownin Warsaw to kick off the exhibition.
the DBQ NEWSLETTERP.O. Box 216Wilton, CT06897
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NEWTOWN, CTPERMITNO. 100
Inquiries about bookings for The Dave Brubeck Quartet should be directed to:
Frank Modica, Jr. SUTTON ARTISTS CORPORATION
20 West Park Avenue, Suite #305Long Beach, New York 11561
Phone: (516) 432-1790 • Fax (516) 897-1855
For further information and updates visit
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