I, as one lately come to the bandwagon, have discovered Dave Brubeck.
Mad Cow Bomber Send a noteboard - 11/12/2009 02:32:56 PM
He is pretty amazing. Full article at the link; along with a Youtube video of his piece, "Forty Days".
Back in my teen years, I was a bit of a classical music nerd. Then someone gave me a copy of the second Blood, Sweat & Tears record and, before you knew it, I was into jazz and forms of rock that required the musicians to know more than three chords.
During one of those nights exploring the exotic back bins of the only decent local record store (I think this was while I was still in Port Arthur, Texas), I ran into “Adventures In Time,” an excellent two-disc set covering the career of jazz pianist Dave Brubeck. On a lark, I bought it and soon I was deep into the work of the pianist and his classic quartet.
Some of the titles fascinated me, especially a tune entitled “Forty Days.” I could only think of one reason to give a tune that name.
As it turns out, that piece plays a crucial role in Brubeck’s first sacred oratorio, “The Light in the Wilderness.” The chorus sings these words, penned by the his wife, Iola: “Forty days alone in the desert, days and nights of constant prayer, seeking in the wailing wind an answer to despair. Forty days of questioning: Why was he there, in the lonely desert? Forty days of fasting and prayer, searching for his destined role. …”
Anyway, a few years later I interviewed Brubeck for the student newspaper at Baylor University and asked him about his very complex and personal faith journey, built on a blend of Judaism, liberal mainline Protestantism and, more and more as the years went on, Catholicism. In all, I’ve had four interviews with Brubeck, who is just as complex and delightful face to face as he is at a piano keyboard.
If you care about the arts, you probably know that Brubeck was one of the five legends honored the other night at the Kennedy Center — in a ceremony held on his 89th birthday. (Click here for info on the pianist and all of the honorees.)
I have to admit that I was afraid that Brubeck was going to die before the Kennedy Center committee got around to calling his name. Then, once he was selected, I wondered if anyone in the mainstream media was going to offer even a hint that Brubeck has made fascinating contributions to modern sacred music, as well as to contemporary forms of jazz.
Back in my teen years, I was a bit of a classical music nerd. Then someone gave me a copy of the second Blood, Sweat & Tears record and, before you knew it, I was into jazz and forms of rock that required the musicians to know more than three chords.
During one of those nights exploring the exotic back bins of the only decent local record store (I think this was while I was still in Port Arthur, Texas), I ran into “Adventures In Time,” an excellent two-disc set covering the career of jazz pianist Dave Brubeck. On a lark, I bought it and soon I was deep into the work of the pianist and his classic quartet.
Some of the titles fascinated me, especially a tune entitled “Forty Days.” I could only think of one reason to give a tune that name.
As it turns out, that piece plays a crucial role in Brubeck’s first sacred oratorio, “The Light in the Wilderness.” The chorus sings these words, penned by the his wife, Iola: “Forty days alone in the desert, days and nights of constant prayer, seeking in the wailing wind an answer to despair. Forty days of questioning: Why was he there, in the lonely desert? Forty days of fasting and prayer, searching for his destined role. …”
Anyway, a few years later I interviewed Brubeck for the student newspaper at Baylor University and asked him about his very complex and personal faith journey, built on a blend of Judaism, liberal mainline Protestantism and, more and more as the years went on, Catholicism. In all, I’ve had four interviews with Brubeck, who is just as complex and delightful face to face as he is at a piano keyboard.
If you care about the arts, you probably know that Brubeck was one of the five legends honored the other night at the Kennedy Center — in a ceremony held on his 89th birthday. (Click here for info on the pianist and all of the honorees.)
I have to admit that I was afraid that Brubeck was going to die before the Kennedy Center committee got around to calling his name. Then, once he was selected, I wondered if anyone in the mainstream media was going to offer even a hint that Brubeck has made fascinating contributions to modern sacred music, as well as to contemporary forms of jazz.
"The rent we pay for the little space we occupy on earth is the service we render to others."
I, as one lately come to the bandwagon, have discovered Dave Brubeck.
- 11/12/2009 02:32:56 PM
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Didn't know about his 'sacred' music, but i dig what i've heard of his bands. *NM*
- 11/12/2009 06:15:57 PM
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Thank you. That link and video made me smile. I am still listening and smiling. *NM*
- 12/12/2009 12:54:41 AM
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