DaveBrubeckQuartet1955-06-26-revised.mp3 Heading in a smooth and mellow direction this week with The Dave Brubeck Quartet featuring Paul Desmond, at a private party in Carmel and recorded on June 26, 1955 by a fan, by the group - who knows?
One of the leading exponents of the West Coast Cool School of Jazz during the early 50s, Dave Brubeck grabbed considerable across-the-board popularity early on, most likely because of his mix of time signatures and a dose of Classical influence which mixed very well with Bop at the time.
We tend to forget that a lot, if not most Jazz musicians dipped their toes, if not their entire bodies in Classical as a starting off point. Although Classical training brought with it a sense of strict adherence in method and execution it also brought a sense of freedom because, as Stravinsky once said "real freedom is achieved when the restrictions are set up" - in short, once you know where the restrictions are you can play around them because you always have a place to fall back on.
Brubeck was certainly not alone in that point of view, just ask Art Tatum and Thelonious Monk. But Brubeck represented the West Coast where The Cool School was fertile ground for a lot of musicians.
Over the years, Dave Brubeck received considerable attention and recognition, at times much to his annoyance. But the press was on is side from day One.
Here's a sample as a reminder:
In The Daily Telegraph, music journalist Ivan Hewett wrote: "Brubeck didn't have the réclame of some jazz musicians who lead tragic lives. He didn't do drugs or drink. What he had was endless curiosity combined with stubbornness", adding: "His work list is astonishing, including oratorios, musicals and concertos, as well as hundreds of jazz compositions. This quiet man of jazz was truly a marvel."
In The Guardian, John Fordham said "Dave Brubeck's real achievement was to blend European compositional ideas, very demanding rhythmic structures, jazz song-forms and improvisation in expressive and accessible ways. His son Chris told The Guardian "when I hear Chorale, it reminds me of the very best Aaron Copland, something like Appalachian Spring. There's a sort of American honesty to it." Robert Christgau dubbed Brubeck the "jazz hero of the rock and roll generation".
The Economist wrote: "Above all they found it hard to believe that the most successful jazz in America was being played by a family man, a laid-back Californian, modest, gentle and open, who would happily have been a rancher all his days—except that he couldn't live without performing, because the rhythm of jazz, under all his extrapolation and exploration, was, he had discovered, the rhythm of his heart."
Enjoy the concert - a little dicey sounding at times, but the spirit shines.
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