Jazz for aficionados

While Joe Morello attracted every one's attention with his inventive time keeping, I don't think he has nearly the body of works as Art Blakey; consequently, I'll have to go with Blakey, plus he has such a wide range in music over the years.

Naturally I have Joe Morello's best in my collection.

Here is something I posted a long time ago. I saw Dave Brubeck not long before he left us.



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".

This was my 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

Brubeck:

Interesting music. Jazz??? A different question.

Cheers

btw, if you didn’t at least play with the best on occasion, how can you even be in consideration for ’The Best’. That’s like Ali fighting us Aficionados, knocking us all out in the first second of the first round, then declaring himself ’The Greatest".

Well, maybe 3 seconds in the case of the OP.

Cheers