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NEA Jazz Master Dave Brubeck with his Quartet and Big Band, April 15th in San Francisco |
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Written by Ronaldo Oregano
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Wednesday, 04 April 2007 |
 David Brubeck © Milken Family Foundation
The Dave Brubeck quartet and big band will perform at 7 pm on April 15th at the Nob Hill Masonic Center, 1111 California Street (at Taylor), San Francisco. For 17 years, Mr. Brubeck has been introducing legions of new fans to the world of jazz and produced the first ever million selling jazz single, "Take Five". As a composer, NEA Jazz Master Brubeck has written and/or recorded several large-scale works including ballets, a musical, four cantatas and many solo pieces. The first half of the concert on April 15th will feature the Brubeck performing with his current quartet:Dave Brubeck on piano, Bobby Militello on Alto Saxophone and Flute, Michael Moore on Bass, and Randy Jones on Drums. The second half of the concert will feature Brubeck's arrangements of 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.
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 modern jazz. With bebop on the wane and hard bop just gaining steam, Brubeck and his quartet countered by offering 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, 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. After the war he studied with French composer Darius Milhaud at Mills College in Oakland. Later 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, which was not common for jazz musicians at the time. The albums they released in the early ’50s, including Jazz Goes to College and Jazz at Oberlin.
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 Theater 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.
The April 15th performs is SFJAZZ spring season. Click here to order tickets online. For more information visit www.sfjazz.org. |
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 Friday, 04 July 2008
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