Jazz for aficionados

Celebrating Dave Brubeck by posting his greatest hits; NO, "Take Five" was not the only one, Dave had a very long and illustrious career.

Near the end of his career, I was fortunate enough to see Dave at a free outdoor concert; it was blessed by a most beautiful, golden Fall day at the Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows outside of Belleville, IL. I recall seeing a limousine driving up the winding road to the amphitheater where Dave would perform. His long hair was completely white, and he looked far too dignified for a jazz musician.

I followed his entourage to the top of the hill where there was a lone piano in the center of a stage. Many of my old friends that I hadn't seen for 20 years or longer were in the crowd to welcome Dave on what was to be his last performance. Although we saw and recognized one another, this was Dave's day, not an old friends day, and we wanted to spend it with him, alone in a crowd; we politely failed to acknowledge one another.

The awe and admiration this crowd felt for Dave was palpable; we found it was hard to believe we were seeing someone who had long outlived his peers; we were teenagers when we first saw him, and now we had our own teenagers alongside us to witness this event.

There was no fanfare; Dave went directly to the piano and began playing music suitable for the modern dancers in gauzy pastel dresses who would perform. Everyone was spellbound from the first notes, it was more about who was playing than it was for the music, which was for the choreography of the dancers.

While Dave Brubeck was a giant among giants when compared to his peers, the thing that sat him apart was his long and exemplary life as a person; when comparing great jazz musicians, that's about as rare as "chicken lips".

That was my most unforgettable day that I spent with Dave Brubeck; now to his music;


  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncL4sOPgv_o


    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbdEzRfbeH4


    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3eimKbIdHU


        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_lOqfke3yc


          https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHdU5sHigYQ



         

Many thanks o10 for bringing this great artist up again.  When I began listening to jazz on my own in high school (separate from the Sachmo and others I'd heard my dad playing), the Dave Brubeck Quartet was an early favorite.  Their first album I bought was "Gone With The Wind", not "Take Five" which was the introduction for so many folks (both released in 1959).  And today while "Take Five" continues to lead in popularity, aided by numerous reissues, that is not the album I'd recommend to anyone looking for an introduction to Brubeck's music.  In stead, I'd suggest "The Dave Brubeck Quartet at Carnegie Hall".  My choice is for two reasons -- it includes more of his popular numbers, including those from "Take Five", plus it offers that special energy that sometimes comes from a live performance.  Both the musicians and the audience were into it that evening.  My suggestion comes from someone owning nearly 20 Brubeck albums.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFrnCnbEJMQ&list=PL64D93478E0879D5B

Now for a story I've shared online, but possibly not here.  Many years ago one of my friends from our audio club said Brubeck was coming to perform with our local symphony orchestra.  Knowing I was a jazz fan he ask if I wanted to order tickets to attend?  At that point Brubeck was in his 80s and I'd had the good fortune to see him live a few time prior to that.  So I declined, saying I didn't want to be disappointed by one of my musical heros who could no longer stand up to his established standard of performance due to age.  Well, my mistake!  I did have friends who attended, and their reports as well local media reviews all raved about the performance.  Apparently DB still had it so long as he toured.

I'll call and raise you one.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltHAw3QZEDE