(Paying Subscribers, there are quotes from some historic Brubeck reviews in this essay, but you can read the complete reviews at the bottom, with Thanks!)
Thanks for this post. I'm looking forward to the next. My next door neighbor, a soft of big brother, turned me on to Brubeck in my early teens. I had already fallen in love with Bach, after our parish priest, would play a "Music of Jubilee" LP with organ chamber orchestra that included a wonderful trumpet soloist, Roger Voisin. The CD of that LP still thrills me.
I loved the interplay between Brubeck and Desmond and especially Paul's lyrical style. I never understood the negative comments about Dave's playing.
That next door neighbor was Bill Swing, who went on to become the Episcopal Bishop of San Francisco. During apartheid, he facilitated communication Archbishop Tutu, and later in retirement, in ecumenical activities with the Dali Llama.
I always assumed that this was an offshoot of prejudice agains Brubeck in the 1950s and 1960s. I confess that I was taught to view him negatively by writers such as Leroi Jones/Amiri Baraka, Frank Kofsky, etc. Add to that the fact his cover on Time magazine when many thought other, black musicians more deserving (Ellington, Parker, MJQ, etc.), perennial winning of the Playboy Jazz poll (which was not for "serious" jazzophiles), and a general East Coast prejudice against West Coast Jazz at the time. It probably took me until the 1980s before I discarded these views.
Absolutely, there are many reasons that jazz insiders viewed him negatively, and part of that is certainly that so many Black musicians did not get the same kind of acclaim. THANK YOU CLAUDE
Thanks for sharing these thougts on Brubeck! I have always been ambiguous on his playing, sometimes fashinated by his bombastic playing (Jazz goes to College) but also marvelled at his rhyrmic explorations. In the clip he plays for long (too long?) in a rhythm you only describe as "not exactly double time". But what is it?
Good question, but I was not avoiding the point--the reason I said "not exactly" is that he's playing freely and not strictly in any kind of time. THANK YOU BO!
Great piece! I wonder if one could say that a few British critics have been more ‘open-eared’ to Brubeck, e.g. Max Harrison who wrote a good piece abt his music, and also Richard Cook.
Good point. I will look at some of the British writing on him and I will see if they are generally more positive. UPDATE: I spot-checked and the British critics were often very hard on Brubeck--Raymond Horricks and Steve Race (although he later started to like it more) among others gave Brubeck some really bad reviews. So one can't say that Brubeck was any more liked in the UK. THANKS!
I've always wondered, perhaps unfairly, whether there are non-musical prejudices that have fed into the negative opinions about Brubeck's piano playing - the popularity, the portrait on Time magazine, etc. Interestingly, his influence seems to me to be more obvious on the outside or avant pianists that followed - Taylor, Hill, Shipp for example (not sure if it's an influence they'd have acknowledged, mind). Worth remembering Brubeck's more filigreed style too - eg Koto Song.
All good points. Cecil will be mentioned next time, and yes, Dave's style could be quite avant-garde so surely he had an impact there. And absolutely, in jazz there is a tendency as soon as someone become popular to try and tear him or her down, so assume they are somehow "pandering" to get fans. Yet Brubeck was if anything quite uncompromising. THANK YOU HUGO!
Thanks for this piece. I may be in the minority here but I find Brubeck's playing fascinating and, as illustrated in your breakdown of his solo on 'These Foolish Things' from a 1967 performance, he usually played outside of what was expected or typical of a jazz pianist in the 50s and 60s in the quartet setting. Looking forward to more.
I grew up with Time Out, The Modern Jazz Quartet, Chopin and various pop, folk, blues records on the family stereo. Plus big band. Saw Brubeck live once in the1970s, wish I had a clearer memory of that concert. A few years ago I saw that documentary about the state department’s recruitment of Armstrong, Goodman, Brubeck, et. al. to Eastern Europe and Africa. I had in the intervening years begun listening to more jazz on my own, including Brubeck, but Dziekuje blew me away. Still does, every time I listen to it. To my not-very-trained ear, I can hear him pull in Chopin and the folk music Chopin used. Obvious, probably. But every instrument has its obvious, unmistakable moments, times when they are the right voice. Can’t believe that more attention wasn’t paid to how Brubeck used his voice.
Great memories! Yes, his tribute to Poland, "Dziekuje" (meaning Thank you) is a fine example of why his composing is more universally praised. For the readers who haven't heard it, here's one performance:
Heard Brubeck live many times. Once with the Grand Rapids Symphony he included a piece for Basie and it was on the money, light, swinging, spare, a perfect mimicking of Basie and a bit of Fats filigree, literally ticking the keys, for flavor. No iron hands there.
Wynton Marsalis came through around the time of “Buggy Ride,” and had a young Eric Reed on piano. In his opening solo on a long blues he showed a deep understanding of Brubeck, fwiw.
Very interesting about Reed sounding like Brubeck--Reed's definitely an independent thinker. And in the second essay I will connect Dave with both Cecil and Waller, as you'll see. THANK YOU LAZARO
Interesting to read all those reviews of Hammond’s Vanguard recordings. Have tried to collect those over the years, and now Mosaic is bringing out a set.
Not sure I entirely agree with Hentoff that Brubeck is an island unto himself. Dizzy is about as idiosyncratic an improviser ever, and it’s hard not to sound like him if you go that way, yet so many were influenced by him. Why couldn’t the same be true of Brubeck?
Yes, that was a great series on Vanguard. As for Brubeck, I will talk next time about influence. You are of course quite right that Dizzy--and Monk as well, for example—are completely original and that one has to work hard to learn from them without sounding like them. I will show, I hope, that Brubeck is a different case. THANK YOU LAZARO
I ordered the Mosaic set a week or two ago! Spectacular sound quality on the half dozen samples they had online. Only shortcoming I heard was a bit too much of the room muddying drums on one track.
I love this, Lewis. Critics are boring for the most part. This solo reminds me of McCoy... a chord banger if ever there was one. Love this Brubeck solo.
Hi Lewis. Thanks for the name-check. I’ve thought a lot about Brubeck as I’ve been writing more and one thing I’ve concluded is that he has a true pop sensibility. In other words, people who are not serious fans can understand him. TIME OUT is an album of hit melodies and obvious improvisational gambits. This is a cliche, but those who look down on hit melodies should try writing one!
Thanks Ethan--I "get" that about pop sensibility--it's composing with a flair for drama, in a sense, and unafraid to wear emotion on one's sleeve--THANK YOU ETHAN!
I've always made the point that something that has wide popular appeal is not a sign of its inferiority. Before he abandoned the jazz world, he made a wonderful big band LP called "Body Heat," that had a lot of wonderful writing and playing. Some of the writing was highly programmatic. And I never begrudge artists from making a good living!
guilty as charged; truthfully I have never been able to stand Brubeck's playing (or Desmond's for that matter) but the solo you posted above is the first of Brubeck's that I have ever really, really liked. If only he had stuck to this approach instead of (just IMHO) that chattering, weirdly bombastic, shuffling-the-deck thing that, to my ears, always sounded like pseudo-modernist flailing. But give me These Foolish Things (if you can excise Desmond) and I would say Brubeck was a reasonable, artistic, and offered deep alternative to conventional piano.
Thanks--but, to be clear and I'll show next time, this is not an approach that he did not "stick to"--it's pretty much the way he played Throughout his career. It's risky and doesn't always succeed, but the approach is actually the same. THANK YOU ALLEN!
There is certainly a European classical influence to his piano playing. Which to my ears is reminiscent of John Lewis. It is clear why Jarrett was fond of him. He also was guilty of financial success which renders him suspect to many jazz fans who tend to fetishize early death of self deletion.
But as far as I know he never pandered to an audience and I suspect his relative success was a surprise to him.
The classical influence is there, of course, but it's very specific and limited, as I'll show next time. And yes, all jazz musicians hope to be financially successful, but whenever anyone actually achieves that success, they get lambasted! THANK YOU
I've blown hot-and-cold over Brubeck since I started listening to jazz seriously in 1956. I acknowledge his faults (or at least aspects of his playing that don't appeal to me). Dave was such a nice guy that it's impossible to be hard on him.
One thing about Brubeck is that he used a much wider repertoire on his live recordings than say, Rollins, Coltrane, Davis and Monk, who stuck to their good 'ol good ones! A new Brubeck record is always going to be an interesting experience, rather than a production-line effort.
Jazz would've been a less interesting experience without maverick performers like Brubeck, Herbie Fields, Charlie Ventura and Jimmy Giuffre, players who weren't afraid to not adhere to the party line.
Because Dave was the leader of his band, that doesn't mean that his work needed to be singled out for praise, any more than it would for Woody Herman's so-so clarinet playing, because he had a find band!
I rather enjoy what Woody did on clarinet, and his vocals as well! They were exactly right for their context. Woody was the consummate entertainer. Giuffre, PeeWee, Pres, Shaw, Don Byron, and Anat Cohen are among my favorite clarinetists, and they couldn't be more different.
Thanks for this post. I'm looking forward to the next. My next door neighbor, a soft of big brother, turned me on to Brubeck in my early teens. I had already fallen in love with Bach, after our parish priest, would play a "Music of Jubilee" LP with organ chamber orchestra that included a wonderful trumpet soloist, Roger Voisin. The CD of that LP still thrills me.
I loved the interplay between Brubeck and Desmond and especially Paul's lyrical style. I never understood the negative comments about Dave's playing.
That next door neighbor was Bill Swing, who went on to become the Episcopal Bishop of San Francisco. During apartheid, he facilitated communication Archbishop Tutu, and later in retirement, in ecumenical activities with the Dali Llama.
That's great that his name was Swing. Thanks for that great story, Jim. And yes, Voisin was a very distinguished classical trumpeter. THANK YOU JIM!
I always assumed that this was an offshoot of prejudice agains Brubeck in the 1950s and 1960s. I confess that I was taught to view him negatively by writers such as Leroi Jones/Amiri Baraka, Frank Kofsky, etc. Add to that the fact his cover on Time magazine when many thought other, black musicians more deserving (Ellington, Parker, MJQ, etc.), perennial winning of the Playboy Jazz poll (which was not for "serious" jazzophiles), and a general East Coast prejudice against West Coast Jazz at the time. It probably took me until the 1980s before I discarded these views.
Absolutely, there are many reasons that jazz insiders viewed him negatively, and part of that is certainly that so many Black musicians did not get the same kind of acclaim. THANK YOU CLAUDE
Thanks for sharing these thougts on Brubeck! I have always been ambiguous on his playing, sometimes fashinated by his bombastic playing (Jazz goes to College) but also marvelled at his rhyrmic explorations. In the clip he plays for long (too long?) in a rhythm you only describe as "not exactly double time". But what is it?
Good question, but I was not avoiding the point--the reason I said "not exactly" is that he's playing freely and not strictly in any kind of time. THANK YOU BO!
Great piece! I wonder if one could say that a few British critics have been more ‘open-eared’ to Brubeck, e.g. Max Harrison who wrote a good piece abt his music, and also Richard Cook.
Good point. I will look at some of the British writing on him and I will see if they are generally more positive. UPDATE: I spot-checked and the British critics were often very hard on Brubeck--Raymond Horricks and Steve Race (although he later started to like it more) among others gave Brubeck some really bad reviews. So one can't say that Brubeck was any more liked in the UK. THANKS!
I've always wondered, perhaps unfairly, whether there are non-musical prejudices that have fed into the negative opinions about Brubeck's piano playing - the popularity, the portrait on Time magazine, etc. Interestingly, his influence seems to me to be more obvious on the outside or avant pianists that followed - Taylor, Hill, Shipp for example (not sure if it's an influence they'd have acknowledged, mind). Worth remembering Brubeck's more filigreed style too - eg Koto Song.
All good points. Cecil will be mentioned next time, and yes, Dave's style could be quite avant-garde so surely he had an impact there. And absolutely, in jazz there is a tendency as soon as someone become popular to try and tear him or her down, so assume they are somehow "pandering" to get fans. Yet Brubeck was if anything quite uncompromising. THANK YOU HUGO!
Thanks for this piece. I may be in the minority here but I find Brubeck's playing fascinating and, as illustrated in your breakdown of his solo on 'These Foolish Things' from a 1967 performance, he usually played outside of what was expected or typical of a jazz pianist in the 50s and 60s in the quartet setting. Looking forward to more.
Absolutely, and as you can see I fully agree with you. THANK YOU ROBERT
I grew up with Time Out, The Modern Jazz Quartet, Chopin and various pop, folk, blues records on the family stereo. Plus big band. Saw Brubeck live once in the1970s, wish I had a clearer memory of that concert. A few years ago I saw that documentary about the state department’s recruitment of Armstrong, Goodman, Brubeck, et. al. to Eastern Europe and Africa. I had in the intervening years begun listening to more jazz on my own, including Brubeck, but Dziekuje blew me away. Still does, every time I listen to it. To my not-very-trained ear, I can hear him pull in Chopin and the folk music Chopin used. Obvious, probably. But every instrument has its obvious, unmistakable moments, times when they are the right voice. Can’t believe that more attention wasn’t paid to how Brubeck used his voice.
Great memories! Yes, his tribute to Poland, "Dziekuje" (meaning Thank you) is a fine example of why his composing is more universally praised. For the readers who haven't heard it, here's one performance:
https://youtu.be/0kpytCnPetU?si=Ju3UIVUNU5E06vzT
THANK YOU CHRISTINA!
Marvelous clip and analysis! Thanks!!
Thanks Mike--hope all is well!
Oddly enough, I found myself thinking of Mal Waldron as I listed to Brubeck's solo.
Makes perfect sense--THANK YOU STEVE
That solo reminded me of Cecil!
Heard Brubeck live many times. Once with the Grand Rapids Symphony he included a piece for Basie and it was on the money, light, swinging, spare, a perfect mimicking of Basie and a bit of Fats filigree, literally ticking the keys, for flavor. No iron hands there.
Wynton Marsalis came through around the time of “Buggy Ride,” and had a young Eric Reed on piano. In his opening solo on a long blues he showed a deep understanding of Brubeck, fwiw.
Very interesting about Reed sounding like Brubeck--Reed's definitely an independent thinker. And in the second essay I will connect Dave with both Cecil and Waller, as you'll see. THANK YOU LAZARO
Interesting to read all those reviews of Hammond’s Vanguard recordings. Have tried to collect those over the years, and now Mosaic is bringing out a set.
Not sure I entirely agree with Hentoff that Brubeck is an island unto himself. Dizzy is about as idiosyncratic an improviser ever, and it’s hard not to sound like him if you go that way, yet so many were influenced by him. Why couldn’t the same be true of Brubeck?
Yes, that was a great series on Vanguard. As for Brubeck, I will talk next time about influence. You are of course quite right that Dizzy--and Monk as well, for example—are completely original and that one has to work hard to learn from them without sounding like them. I will show, I hope, that Brubeck is a different case. THANK YOU LAZARO
You might enjoy this interview I did with Dave Brubeck from 1993, especially for his “take” on classical music and jazz. https://bluelake.ncats.net/ondemand/Past%20Interviews-Lazaro%20speaks%20with%20Dave%20Brubeck-0-20161206.mp3
Great--I'll check it out--THANK YOU LAZARO
I ordered the Mosaic set a week or two ago! Spectacular sound quality on the half dozen samples they had online. Only shortcoming I heard was a bit too much of the room muddying drums on one track.
I love this, Lewis. Critics are boring for the most part. This solo reminds me of McCoy... a chord banger if ever there was one. Love this Brubeck solo.
Good point about McCoy--THANK YOU CHRIS
Hi Lewis. Thanks for the name-check. I’ve thought a lot about Brubeck as I’ve been writing more and one thing I’ve concluded is that he has a true pop sensibility. In other words, people who are not serious fans can understand him. TIME OUT is an album of hit melodies and obvious improvisational gambits. This is a cliche, but those who look down on hit melodies should try writing one!
Thanks Ethan--I "get" that about pop sensibility--it's composing with a flair for drama, in a sense, and unafraid to wear emotion on one's sleeve--THANK YOU ETHAN!
I've always made the point that something that has wide popular appeal is not a sign of its inferiority. Before he abandoned the jazz world, he made a wonderful big band LP called "Body Heat," that had a lot of wonderful writing and playing. Some of the writing was highly programmatic. And I never begrudge artists from making a good living!
Yes, you mean Quincy Jones--Thanks Jim
guilty as charged; truthfully I have never been able to stand Brubeck's playing (or Desmond's for that matter) but the solo you posted above is the first of Brubeck's that I have ever really, really liked. If only he had stuck to this approach instead of (just IMHO) that chattering, weirdly bombastic, shuffling-the-deck thing that, to my ears, always sounded like pseudo-modernist flailing. But give me These Foolish Things (if you can excise Desmond) and I would say Brubeck was a reasonable, artistic, and offered deep alternative to conventional piano.
pardon the typos, I just woke up.
Thanks--but, to be clear and I'll show next time, this is not an approach that he did not "stick to"--it's pretty much the way he played Throughout his career. It's risky and doesn't always succeed, but the approach is actually the same. THANK YOU ALLEN!
There is certainly a European classical influence to his piano playing. Which to my ears is reminiscent of John Lewis. It is clear why Jarrett was fond of him. He also was guilty of financial success which renders him suspect to many jazz fans who tend to fetishize early death of self deletion.
But as far as I know he never pandered to an audience and I suspect his relative success was a surprise to him.
The classical influence is there, of course, but it's very specific and limited, as I'll show next time. And yes, all jazz musicians hope to be financially successful, but whenever anyone actually achieves that success, they get lambasted! THANK YOU
He is extremely underrated as a musician and a composer, both. I consider "Blue Rondo a la Turk" in particular to be a work of genius.
Thanks David!
I've blown hot-and-cold over Brubeck since I started listening to jazz seriously in 1956. I acknowledge his faults (or at least aspects of his playing that don't appeal to me). Dave was such a nice guy that it's impossible to be hard on him.
One thing about Brubeck is that he used a much wider repertoire on his live recordings than say, Rollins, Coltrane, Davis and Monk, who stuck to their good 'ol good ones! A new Brubeck record is always going to be an interesting experience, rather than a production-line effort.
Jazz would've been a less interesting experience without maverick performers like Brubeck, Herbie Fields, Charlie Ventura and Jimmy Giuffre, players who weren't afraid to not adhere to the party line.
Because Dave was the leader of his band, that doesn't mean that his work needed to be singled out for praise, any more than it would for Woody Herman's so-so clarinet playing, because he had a find band!
Interesting that you mention Giuffre--he's always been at the top of my list of under-appreciated musicians. THANK YOU for your comments!
I rather enjoy what Woody did on clarinet, and his vocals as well! They were exactly right for their context. Woody was the consummate entertainer. Giuffre, PeeWee, Pres, Shaw, Don Byron, and Anat Cohen are among my favorite clarinetists, and they couldn't be more different.