Greetings Friends -
I'm writing this on the plane on my way back from Iola, Kansas, where the Brubeck Brothers Quartet had its first gig in 15 months, and it sure felt good to be back onstage with Dan, Chuck & Mike. We presented our multi-media #Brubeck100 Centennial concert, and everyone enjoyed the videos, photos and stories that go along with the music. We all felt like it was a hug from Mom that our first concert after all these troubled times was in the city of Iola so of course, we included Dave’s tune "For Iola" in the playlist.
Hard to believe that we’re already in May - a month where we celebrate spring with the dogwoods and lilacs in full bloom. We also observe Memorial Day, when we honor the men and women veterans who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country. Tish & I remember those Memorial Days when Dave & Iola happened to be home and we were able to bring them to our town’s celebration - first with a good old-fashioned pancake breakfast followed by a parade of our local vets, as well as boy and girl scouts, high school band, sports teams and garden club ladies. It was a real slice of small town Americana and we always enjoyed those days.
Dave served in General Patton’s Army during WWII, and was greatly affected by the experience. The National WWII Museum writes about Dave’s Army experience here. Dave's experiences in WWII inspired many of his compositions including We Crossed the Rhine, Brandenburg Gate Revisited, and his first major "classical" composition The Light in the Wilderness (further described below) .
Brandenburg Gate Revisited is often played with orchestra and jazz quartet, but in 2019 Matt Brubeck wrote a beautiful new arrangement of the piece for orchestra in which the jazz quartet parts are covered by members of the orchestra. In October 2020, the Russian National Orchestra led by our friend and long-time collaborator, Vladislav Lavrik premiered Matt’s arrangement of Brandenburg Gate, Revisited as part of an amazing Brubeck Centennial Celebration concert. A video of the full concert is now available to view and included in a link below.
I hope that everyone enjoys their holiday weekend, and takes a moment to remember those who served for us.
-- Chris Brubeck
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Dave (second from the left) with some of his Army buddies.
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Private Brubeck Remembers
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Telarc released the solo piano recording “Private Brubeck Remembers” in honor of the 60th anniversary of D-Day in 2004. The 14 tracks poignantly reflect Dave’s Army years as a musician and a G.I.
"The titles of the tunes are almost an autobiography of my war years...I think every person who has ever worn a military uniform can relate to my story." - Dave Brubeck, 2004
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The Light in the Wilderness
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 The Light in the Wilderness is an oratorio with music by Dave Brubeck and texts from the Bible adapted by Dave and his wife Iola. Premiered at University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill in 1968, this oratorio was Dave’s first major “classical” composition, written after the “Classic” Dave Brubeck Quartet disbanded in 1967.
Dave's service in the U.S. Army in Europe during World War II showed him the cruelty of man as he witnessed men in Christian cities “totally ignoring the commandments”. He vowed to himself, “If I ever lived through this thing I want to write a major piece to try to remind humanity of what the essential teachings of what Jesus' life is all about.” This experience led Dave to write The Light in the Wilderness and intended the final composition to be a message of hope for his children and their generation growing up in 1960s America.
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Virtual Concert: The Russian National Orchestra Performs Brubeck Tribute
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In a live concert broadcast on October 7, 2020 from Zaryadye Hall in Moscow, the Russian National Orchestra conducted by trumpet soloist Vladislav Lavrik, along with Brubeck friend and saxophone soloist Igor Butman with the Igor Butman Quartet performed some of Dave's best known jazz and classical works in a two-hour long Centennial program.
The concert featured the premiere of Matt Brubeck's arrangement of Brandenburg Gate, Revisited which can be heard starting at 27:00 minutes.
The RNO has premiered many of Dave's orchestral works over the years. In 1997, the RNO gave the European premiere of Brubeck's mass To Hope! A Celebration in Moscow, which was recorded and released on DVD as "Brubeck Returns to Moscow". In 2002, the Dave Brubeck Quartet performed three concerts during the RNO's Western U.S. concert series, and the RNO also premiered Dave's composition, Regret, inspired by what Dave Brubeck called as "the sumptuous sound" of the RNO strings.
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Gigs are being re-booked and new dates are popping up every day. Stay up-to-date with all the latest on the Brubeck events calendar.
JUNE 17, 2021
Brubeck Brothers Quartet returns to Pro Musica in Joplin, MO
Thursday, June 17, 2021
Outdoor Location & Time TBA
JUNE 19, 2021
Brubeck Brothers Quartet at Jazz In June, Norman, OK
Brookhaven Village, Andrews Park, Norman, OK
Time TBA
JUNE 24, 2021
Brubeck Brothers Quartet
at Norwood Village Green Concert Series
Norwood, NY
Time TBA
JUNE 26, 2021
Darius Brubeck Quartet at Thaxted Festival
Thaxted, Essex, UK
7:30 PM
JULY 12, 2021
Darius Brubeck Quartet at Shoreham-by-the-Sea,
West Sussex, UK
8:00 PM
JULY 18, 2021
Brubeck Brothers Quartet at Greater Hartford Festival of Jazz,
Bushnell Park, Hartford, CT
6:30 PM
AUGUST 14, 2021
Brubeck Brothers Quartet with the Classical Tahoe Orchestra
Brubeck @100! Special Centennial Concert
Incline Village, NV
7:00 PM
AUGUST 21, 2021
Brubeck Brothers Quartet at Boscov's Berks Jazz Festival,
Reading, PA
7:00 PM
AUGUST 25, 2021
Darius Brubeck Quartet at The Stables
Wavendon, Milton Keynes, UK
8:00 PM |
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Dave Brubeck 100
Explore the Centennial
website for upcoming events,
music, and all things Brubeck.
Click here to visit!
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Brandenburg Gate - The Dave Brubeck Quartet (Live, 1967)
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