Dave Brubeck is feeling good again. "Things I couldn't do last week, I'm doing today," the jazz legend said by phone during a break from several hours of practice at his Connecticut home. Earlier this year, an illness kept him away from the piano. But the 88-year-old musician is regaining vigor that defines nearly six decades at the pinnacle of the jazz world. His ambitious performance schedule is back on track, and he has already made up the appearances he missed. If Dave Brubeck is feeling good, while preparing for an appearance here on Martha's Vineyard this Sunday, August 2, his many fans here should be ecstatic.
Jazz master Dave Brubeck will play a benefit concert for the YMCA Sunday in Edgartown.
"It takes a lot of strength," Mr. Brubeck said, "especially the way I play. I play with a lot of force. When that isn't there it's very disappointing to me. Today I feel like it's coming back."
Mr. Brubeck, along with the most
recent incarnation of his quartet, is scheduled to perform in Edgartown at a fundraiser brunch and auction for the YMCA of Martha's Vineyard. The critically acclaimed quartet includes Mr. Brubeck on piano, Bobby Militello, playing saxophone and flute, Randy Jones on drums, Michael Moore on bass.
It is not the first time he's played to a Vineyard audience. Mr. Brubeck played at The Hot Tin Roof in the 1990s. "Carly Simon was there," Mr. Brubeck said. "That was a big event."
More than one jazz historian credits Dave Brubeck with a large part in keeping jazz music alive. Mr. Brubeck's chart topping hits introduced millions of people around the world to jazz.
Few people, in any profession or creative endeavor, have sustained the stature Mr. Brubeck has enjoyed in his six decades of performing and recording. Winner of the National Medal of the Arts, a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, and the Smithsonian Medal, along with many others, he was on the cover of Time Magazine in 1954, the face of a resurgence in jazz music.
In 1959, he released a genre-altering album called "Time Out," including a tune called "Take Five," played on radio stations throughout the world. "Time Out" was a revolutionary musical experiment, turning the standard 4/4 time signature on its ear with recordings in 5/4 and 9/8 time, very difficult to play, and impossible to dance to. Several record company executives advised against releasing it. But it became the first jazz album to sell a million copies, and remains one of the best selling jazz recordings in history.
"I've been a fan of his since the 50s," said David Crohan, the much-admired jazz piano player who owned the Island House in Oak Bluffs for 20 years. "Ironically, somebody just gave me a Dave Brubeck album for my birthday. I've been listening to it for the last couple of days. I've been very impressed again with the lucidity of his playing and how he achieves what he wants with, quite often, sort of a minimum amount of notes, and seemingly, effort."
Mr. Brubeck's appearance on the cover of Time Magazine in 1954 marked a renewal of the country's interest in jazz
David Stanwood, an Island piano technician and player, speaks in nearly reverential tones about Mr. Brubeck. "His music just touches you in a very deep way, you never get over it," he said. "He's a huge influence. There's nobody like him, he's unique in the world culture of jazz. It's an awesome privilege to have him here."
Mr. Brubeck served in the United States Army during World War II. Pulled back from a front lines deployment, he was ordered to create a band to entertain the troops, and formed the Army's first integrated band. Then, as now, he was outspoken in words, and progressive in action, on the issue of race.
"It's been very important," said Mr. Brubeck. "It was always hard, even in the Army." He recalls touring the world as a musical ambassador on officially sponsored State Department trips, and returning home to face obstacles touring the United States with the same band. "We had to play in the South a lot," Mr. Brubeck said. "All over the United States there were problems for a mixed group finding a hotel or a restaurant or a lavatory when you got gasoline. The concerts were OK. Once you got to a jazz audience you didn't have any problem."
But Mr. Brubeck spends most of his time looking toward the future. He is intimately involved in the Brubeck Institute at his alma mater, the University of the Pacific, where young musicians receive advanced jazz education. He continues to write extensively and practice several hours a day. He is working on a documentary with Clint Eastwood, and has collaborated recently with Wynton Marsalis.
An unassuming musician, generous in his quartet leadership as well as his appreciation of other musicians, he was asked if he thought of himself as an innovator. He answered quite simply: "The music is there."
Sunday, it will be here.
"All That Jazz" with Dave Brubeck Quartet Benefit Brunch for YMCA of M.V., Sunday, August 2, 11 am-2 pm, Starbuck Neck Waterfront, Edgartown. Sunday Brunch. Auction with Marty Nadler. Ticket, $350. 508-696-7171 ext. 2.
