Dave Brubeck: Indian Summer

The idea for Indian Summer was presented to Dave by Telarc President, Bob Woods. Initially Brubeck focused on the more concrete connotations of “Indian Summer,” then with some prodding from wife Iola, reconsidered his selection of tunes with a more metaphorical concept in mind, choosing songs that had significance for him as reflections on life and career. Thus the playlist includes favorite standards as well as original compositions, often written in collaboration with Iola. All were recorded as single takes over two sessions, and are presented in the order Dave chose to play them in the studio, creating not only a real time document of the event but a logically sequenced suite. The package is enhanced by a brief interview with Brubeck, conducted by producer Russell Gloyd for the liner notes.

Without a vocal companion, Brubeck is a consummate storyteller at the keyboard, one who has always considered the lyric in his interpretations. “Lyrics help you to understand what the song is about,” says Dave on the CD liner notes, “…the mental images that were in Iola’s lyrics (on “Autumn in Our Town”) affected what I was playing. That is also true of how I approach the old standards.” The opening tracks—actually through the entire recording-- carry a touch of wistful longing. The melancholy of autumn is unmistakable in Brubeck’s classically informed approach to “Autumn in Our Town,” co-written with Iola. Their “So Lonely” is a relatively new tune, not yet recorded by the Quartet, written when American troops were first sent to Iraq and Afghanistan. Notes Dave, “We remembered what it was like when I went overseas in 1944.” After the opening section suggesting the sadness of separation, Dave kicks up the tempo, alters the rhythm, and suggests hope in the midst of darkness.

“ ‘I’m Afraid the Masquerade is Over’ refers to the whole play of life coming to a close,” says Brubeck. It’s a thickly rendered, complex drama, symphonic and lyrical, morphing into a more sprightly swing--the party seems far from over!

Brubeck juxtaposes “September Song” (Maxwell Anderson/Kurt Weill) with the original written “Summer Song,” co-written again with Iola. Of the first, Dave notes that “I chose to repeat the motif of the words ‘The days dwindle down.’ I am very aware of that fact at this stage of my life.” And thus “Summer Song,” he notes, is “a reflection of an older person looking back to his younger years.” The sequence is reversed both in terms of calendar time and metaphorically, with “Summer Song” taking a more joyous, more up-tempo ride down memory lane. The last two tunes recorded on the first day in the studio are tributes: “Thank You” is Dave’s original salute to Chopin following a tour of Poland, building like a romantic etude, while “Georgia On My Mind” is a more personal tribute to friend Georgia Frontiere, full of bluesy figures, the lilt of a southern waltz, and Brubeck’s trademark fractured rhythms.

Of the tunes recorded on the second studio session, “Spring Is Here” has a sense of rebirth (“renewal, buds opening…,” says Brubeck) while “Sweet Lorraine” is filled with a sweet sense of joy. “Memories of You” is initially sublime, and like several other tracks, transitions into a syncopated stride worthy of composer Eubie Blake before reaching its elegant conclusion.

Russell Gloyd recommended that the title track end the session, and is perhaps the most lyrically performed of all, with Dave taking it out on the piano’s top note. It’s both a high point aurally and a wistful closing to a session marked more by quiet, reflective passion than Brubeck’s signature boldness in time and technique. After more than six decades of composing and performing, Dave has plenty of memories to share, and Indian Summer is a potent if subdued scrapbook. Yet one can sense that there are a few more memories to be created and shared.