Yet Brubeck still retains much of what catapulted him to the top of the jazz (and popular music) charts in the 1950s and 60s—a unique approach to time, a keen melodic sense, sustained energy, the art of surprise, and an instant rapport with his audience. All was in abundance on the second of three nights of a rare club date. Already one set into the evening, the Dave Brubeck Quartet was on stage for 100+ minutes of nonstop music. Nonstop save a few of Dave’s stories and quips, starting with the introduction to “St. Louis Blues,” which Dave noted with a twinkle, “starts with a tango rhythm... but not for long!” Sure enough, the tango lasted for maybe one-half chorus before Dave and company morphed quickly into high flying swing with a lingering undercurrent of Latin-tinged percussion.  

It was an evening as diverse as Brubeck’s discography, with the blues yielding to a ballad as beautifully dense and classically informed as a Bach toccata, then to a lightly swinging “Gone With the Wind,” blowing into the upbeat “Cassandra,” followed by the more vibrantly swinging “On the Sunny Side of the Street.”  No tune eclipsed the elegance of “These Foolish Things” and no choice was more unexpected or more delightful than the closing “Take Me Out to the Ball Game.” Brubeck has probably recorded every tune in the set a dozen times, yet each rendition takes its own turns, follows its own unique time and mood. If there was a disappointment, it was a rather subdued run at “Take Five,” offered in response to audience request. Paul Desmond’s tune was always best played by Desmond, and here Randy Jones was given far too much solo space which he filled in rather tedious fashion (oddly, as there’s a video floating around cyberspace of him taking this solo apart at the 2009 Toronto Jazz Festival).  Smartly, Brubeck called “Take Me Out...” to take out the set. 

Jones typically provided steady support throughout the set, while bassist Michael Moore spent significant portions of nearly every tune with bow in hand, most engagingly on “On the Sunny Side of the Street” where the bass became a dance partner to whom Moore audibly sang the lyrics.  Bobby Militello rates special mention, not only for his agile alto sax but for his startling flute work on “Koto Song.” Initially suggesting the Eastern flavors of Charles Lloyd, his feathery vibrato and elongated swoops became orchestral passages of two and even three-part harmonies (or disharmonies!) paired with his own vocalization, or as Dave described it later, “two or three notes in contrary motion with a singing bassline.” 

Brubeck was greeted at the outset with a standing ovation, the audience reverent in the presence of one who has contributed so much for so long. That ovation was repeated 100 minutes later, honoring not only his career, but the continuing vitality of the music and its maker.  

I wish I had seen the Dave Brubeck Quartet in the late 50s and 60s. Fortunately that era is well preserved on record. Yet in the 21st century, Brubeck and company still have a lot to say.