"Elemental Brubeck"
Dave Brubeck Quartet & Big Band
Sunday, April 15 • 7pm
$85
$65
$47
$37
$25
“As a bandleader, composer, and pianist, Dave Brubeck has followed his own unique muse to astonishing success.”—NPR Jazz Profiles
Program Notes
For a solid half-century, Dave Brubeck has exerted a profound influence on jazz. Most famously, his 1959 album Time Out was a watershed moment for postwar jazz. With bebop on the wane and hard bop just gaining steam, Brubeck and his quartet stepped in and made a case for the primacy of a cool, yet swinging strain of West Coast jazz. Time Out quickly became something of a phenomenon. The album went platinum, Brubeck appeared on the cover of Time Magazine—the second jazz artist to be so honored—and jazz's mainstream popularity soared. Though the album is remembered for its odd time signatures, especially on saxophonist Paul Desmond's classic composition "Take Five," almost half a century later it plays as much more than a gimmick.
A Bay Area native (born in Concord, CA), Brubeck enrolled at University of the Pacific in Stockton only to be drafted for World War II, serving in Patton's Third Army. Upon his return home, he opted to study with French composer Darius Milhaud at Mills College in Oakland. He explored those Third Stream ideas with his first octet, but Brubeck was not widely recognized until an extended residency with his quartet at San Francisco's Blackhawk jazz club and steady touring of college campuses, an innovation in jazz performance at the time. The albums they released in the early ’50s, including Jazz Goes to College and Jazz at Oberlin, garnered Brubeck his first taste of success.
After Time Out, Brubeck released a series of "time" themed albums with what is now considered his classic quartet: Desmond on saxophone with Eugene Wright (bass) and Joe Morello (drums). Their success allowed him to continue writing pieces for larger groups, like "Points on Jazz" for the American Ballet Theatre and a number of oratorios. After disbanding the quartet in 1967, Brubeck continued to write for larger ensembles, including the Steinbeck-inspired "Cannery Row Suite," which premiered in Monterey last year.
Tonight is a special showcase for both sides of Brubeck. The first half of the show finds the NEA Jazz Master performing with his current quartet. The second will feature Brubeck recasting some well-known tunes, as well as the “Elementals” suite,
with a large ensemble. Arranged for Lar Lubovich and the San Francisco Ballet in 2005, “Elementals” first
appeared on Brubeck’s 1963 album Time Changes.
Personnel:
- Dave Brubeck, Piano
- Bobby Militello, Alto Saxophone and Flute
- Michael Moore, Bass
- Randy Jones, Drums
Laura and Michael Lazarus
Jeanne and Sandy Robertson
