Brubeck - Love or Hate? nah ... LOVE

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

he is 90 and a slew of stuff going on:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/worldfolkandjazz/8167458/Dave-Brubeck-the-jazz-giant-who-inspired-Clint.html

Tke 5 on the radio last night as we drove back from Oxford to the middle kingdom [-4 and fog] and the sound of Desmond, the genius of Morello just lifted the heart ...

Dave Brubeck may not be the greatest when it comes to the piano, but he sure made an impact, and is blessed with a marvellous non-toxic character ...

[charles t]

Reeto, Daddy-O!

Having hitchhiked to see Brubeck at Cornell Univ. - in the winter - and being picked up by a bus carrying U.S. Army inductees to a base - and - having to sneak out from the base when the guard turned his back...

Yes, it did make an impact.

Jazz At Oberlin - with Joe Dodge on drums will always be a classic. Also those duets at Storyville.

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

there was a prog last night Jazz625 with the classic quartet:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00jh665/Jazz_625_The_Dave_Brubeck_Quartet/

... with Desmond standing back but playing exquisite martinis, dry and surprisingly strong ....

[Anna]

I know a link has been posted, but no harm in another one. BBC4, Friday
This Clint Eastwood co-produced documentary tells Brubeck's personal story, tracing his career from his first musical experiences to the overwhelming success of the Dave Brubeck Quartet and the iconic status he and his varied forms of musical expression have achieved.

It is told with contemporary interviews, vintage performances, previously unseen archive and additional performances filmed especially for the documentary.

[BBMmk2]

ah Dave Brubeck. Yes, i love playing his music on the piano!!

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

Arena: Dave Brubeck: In His Own Sweet Way
Highlight

Friday 03 December
9:00pm - 10:30pm
BBC4

In the third of his productive collaborations with Arena, Hollywood star and jazz enthusiast Clint Eastwood shines a light on one of the few jazz greats still alive. Brubeck's ability to make accessible experimental music made him a global superstar, and Bruce Ricker's sweeping film tells his story with a fine eye for the kind of human insights into his music that should keep jazz nerds and the casual viewer riveted. There is also a wealth of famous faces lining up to sing his praises - from George Lucas to Sting and Yo-Yo Ma - while Brubeck and his wife, Iola, talk warm-heartedly of his work and their love and life together. Throughout, the words and images are underpinned by Brubeck's percussive piano, while the footage of him at Newport Jazz Festival, his hands scuttling over the keys like manic spiders, is a sheer delight.

now u is reminded innit [thanks for pointer anna]

[Ian Thumwood]

Never warmed to Brubeck's music even though the fact that he studied with Milhaud makes him interesting. His Classical work is probably more interesting and deserves to be more widely known but the quartet with Paul Desmond is one I would have to pass on, largely because I hate the sound of that alto. However, he is an intelligent interviewee and always seem to have something to say that is of interest. For me, the piano playing is the interesting thing about this group even though he is not really a favourite of mine. Probably ranks along with Jimmy Dorsey as one of the least convincing lato sounds in jazz to my ears even if he was clearly capable as an improvisor. The last few years have seen a resurgence in Brubeck's reputation but none of his working bands have ever managed to capture the imagination of the jazz public as the group with Desmond. Was it Bill Smith who used to play clarinet with one of his bands? The one album of Brubeck's that does appeal is the unlikely session he made in conjunction with the great Jimmy Rushing which sound incongruous but works very well from the few tracks I have heard. I think the CD is now deleted.

Odd to see just how respected Brubeck is with his fellow musicians. I have a CD of his compositions performed by a mutlitude of more "hip" musicians like Bill Frisell, Steve Bernstein, Dave Douglas, MM&W and Erik Friedlander which is very interesting. John Zorn was the producer.

[ardcarp]

Hi. I don't usually stray onto jazz boards, but yes Brubeck had an impact on all children of the 60s, even classicval geeks like me. I wish I couls say the same for Paul Gambaccini who always makes my toes curl. On the 90th birthday programme on Radio 4 he 'pilgrimaged' Brubeck's home. OMG.

[Ian Thumwood]

I thought the documentary was interesting, especially with regard to the influence of Milhaud. What struck me was the Brubeck always seems to be a gentleman and I wasn't appreciative of just how much his wife was instrumental in his career. They did seem a very nice couple. Some of the inputs from other contributors didn't seem to add much although George Wein, George Avakian and Ashley Khan were clearly the most informed. Neither Sting, Emerson or Cullum managed to say anything although I was surprised that David Benoit could actually play decent jazz piano.

As far as the music goes, I'm afraid it was a non-starter as far as I was concerned. It was a real shame that Brubeck never continued with his earlier style of playing which Paul Desmond described as "having a right hand like Bartok." Much was made about Brubeck being modern and wanting to sound contemporary but even in the jazz world of the mid 1950s' (arguably the most conservative period in the history of jazz) he sounded like a really wiered stride pianist. Whilst mention was made of Brubekc and the MJQ bringing jazz to colleges, it wouldn't have been the kind of jazz that I would have liked to hear. That comment only served to emphasise just how dull much jazz was until later in the decade when the likes of Miles, Ellington, Basie, Blue Note, etc, etc, all contributed to pick jazz up from te slough it had fallen in to whilst trying to be too respectable. There seemed to be no influence whatsoever from Charlie Parker and he seemed totally at odds with what was developing into Hard Bop in New York. The latter recordings were more interesting and I much preferred the current saxophonist to Paul Desmond as atleast the latter sounds like he is playing jazz. Having never heard Paul Desmond speak before and only really know anything about him from one of Gene Lees' excellent books, the archive interview with his was a great surprise. He could have passed for being English - almost Philip Larkin's long, lost cousin. All in all, the Classocial music / oratorios sounded far more interesting whereas the "classic" quartet just sounded twee. It is not difficult to see how his approach won him a wider audience beyond jazz and I think the fact that he seems a genuinely apporachable and sensible bloke also worked in his favour. Interesting to compare and contrast him with Keith Jarrett, another pianist with popular appeal! Shame that no attempt was made to explain the rather limited mixing with other musicians (Mulligan, Rushing and Armstrong are the only ones I can recall) nor mention of Brubeck working as a sideman with other leaders. It seems he has always lead his own bands and there has been little cross-pollination with other jazz musicians.

Without doubt, Brubeck is a talented composer and I think this is probably his true metier. I am not convinced that he is a truly great pianist and find the music to be nowhere as near as "modern" as it is supposed to be. It does sound like something from nearly 60 years ago. An interesting programme (as you would expect from Clint Eastwood) but it didn't convert me to Brubeck's approach to jazz.

[Chris Newman]

I have enjoyed Brubeck over the years. His classic quartet records came out when I was a schoolboy. I used to have a number of singles and the LP record he made with Lenny Bernstein and Howard Brubeck. I have heard him live twice: once in the early 60s and a couple of years ago with his enormous family and the LSO at Basingstoke of which I have a recording. The Eastwood film was very good on the Milhaud influences and in showing what a thoroughly nice guy Brubeck is and what a fantastic "brick" he has for a wife. My lodger, who has no interest in Jazz, watched the Eastwood biog with me, was much moved and has downloaded some YouTube clips. Thus Clint has made one happy convert and I am sure pleased many other folk.

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

the single thing in the film that blew me away was hearing Paul Desmond speak! given his drink habit he also looked incredibly healthy! my sister saw Desmond wearing big flappy clown's boots at a quartet gig ... had everyone in stitches ... my he was dry!

... never felt that Brubeck scaled the true heights as a jazz artist, but he was clearly into his music and how to extend it in his own sweet way, and it is highly listenable more often than not ... and not just as a soundtrack to the lives of californian students ... but as a man i think he scaled the heights, and the film warmed this heart a lot ...

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

http://www.npr.org/2010/12/03/131731507/celebrating-jazz-pianist-dave-brubeck-s-90th-birthday

[charles t]

Just in case not everyone on board, realizes, that Desmond, who composed - Take Five - the most played jazz tune ever, donated all his royalties to The Red Cross.

[Byas'd Opinion]

It's the quartet with Desmond which (deservedly) gets most of the plaudits, but IMHO the late 60s / early 70s outfit with Gerry Mulligan was pretty good too. I don't remember them getting a mention on the Eastwood programme. They were apparently always billed as the Dave Brubeck Trio with Gerry Mulligan: Mulligan was originally only meant to be guesting with them for one tour, but stayed for five or six years.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_461ul51fc

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

Hi Byas'd, yep and the quartet with Militello ain't that bad either! ..there is a London concert with Dankworth Jnr on bass well worth catching ...