by Robert Wilkinson
Yes, the Master of Cool Jazz would have been 99 today. It’s also the birthday of Peter Buck of REM, and David Ossman of the legendary Firesign Theater! Today we have some great videos of great performances.
Dave Brubeck (December 6, 1920 – December 5, 2012) was a jazz pianist and composer, and according to wiki, was generally considered to be one of the foremost exponents of progressive jazz. During his life he received so many awards, honorary degrees, and accolades from both his peers and the press that it’s impossible to describe how loved he was and is.
I had the privilege of meeting him in Austin when I was a very young man, and he was perfectly elegant, charming, and way cool. He was totally focused on who he was with and whatever was coming down, and was as genuine and classy a person as I’ve ever met. Again, way cool.
I shared this with you on Paul Desmond’s birthday a few days back, but it bears re-posting here.
From Wikipedia, “Following the conclusion of World War II, Desmond started working ... with Brubeck at the Geary Cellar in San Francisco. Desmond soon hired Brubeck, but cut his pay in half and then replaced him altogether after taking him along to Graegle at The Feather River Inn for gigs; this was done so Desmond could gamble in nearby Reno. In 1950 Desmond left for New York City playing alto and clarinet for Jack Fina, but returned to California after hearing Brubeck's trio on the radio.”
The story of their encounter is somewhat humorous. Brubeck — married with three children and holding a grudge from his earlier experience with Desmond — instructed his wife Iola not to let him set foot in his house. But Desmond came to his home in San Francisco one day while Dave was out back hanging diapers on a laundry line, and Iola let him in and took him to Brubeck. Apparently all the begging in the world would not convince Brubeck to hire him, at least not until Desmond offered to babysit Brubeck's children.”
“... After convincing Brubeck to hire him following his stint with Jack Fina, the two had a contract drafted (of which Brubeck was the sole signatory); the language forbade Brubeck from ever firing him, ensured Brubeck's status as group leader, and gave Desmond twenty percent of all profits generated from the quartet. That is how the Dave Brubeck Quartet had its start, a group that began in 1951 and ended in December 1967.”
I turned on to the Dave Brubeck Quartet in the early 60s, and was totally hooked! At this point, I’ll just let his music speak for itself. Enjoy the Master at his craft!
First, some great live performances!
From 1953 in his very early days at the College of the Pacific, the Dave Brubeck Trio performing "Laura"
From 1961 on the Jazz Casual tv show, a 50 minute set of The original Dave Brubeck Quartet featuring Paul on alto sax, accompanied by syndicated jazz columnist Ralph J. Gleason! It begins with their greatest hit, “Take Five,” and moves through 9 more DBQ classics!
(The Dave Brubeck Quartet is made up of Dave Brubeck on piano, Paul Desmond on sax, Joe Morello on drums, and Gene Wright on bass).
From 1959 at the University of Rome, the Quartet in a live performance of “These Foolish Things”
In a strangely psychedelic video in 1962 from The Lively Ones showing the quartet superimposed flying above an LA freeway, here’s they are performing the pioneering 9/8 time signature shifts of “Blue Rondo A la Turk”
From Belgium in 1964, a great live performance of the classic “St. Louis Blues” From the same gig, “Koto Song”
Here’s that entire show! Dave Brubeck Quartet Live in Belgium 1964
I found it again! For your enjoyment, a 32 minute clip of DBQ on BBC television in 1964 giving us Dave Brubeck Quartet at Jazz 625
From the same BBC show, “Dialogues for Jazz Combo & Orchestra, 2nd Movement” and “The Wright Groove.” Here’s the closer! ”Take Five”
Last year I had the entire 33 minute set from the 1966 Jazz Gehört und Gesehen in Germany show on one clips. Set list is “Take the A Train,” “Forty Days,” “I’m in A Dancing Mood,” “Koto Song,” and “Take Five.” This year, I found each of them on individual clips. We begin with “Take the A Train” and "Forty Days, move into "I'm In A Dancing Mood," followed by “Koto Song,” and we close with ”Take Five”
I assembled some studio versions of maximum cool!
From Newport 1971, the Dave Brubeck Trio with Paul and Gerry Mulligan guesting in a great live 10 minute video of “All the Things You Are”
From Berlin in 1972, the Dave Brubeck Trio with Paul and Gerry Mulligan guesting in a great live 1 hour 17 minute show! “Dave Brubeck, Paul Desmond, and Gerry Mulligan in Berlin”
For the closer of today’s birthday tribute, here are 5 from the great 1964 Dave Brubeck Quartet album Jazz Impressions of Japan:
For the encore, I found all the tracks from the 1963 album The Dave Brubeck Quartet at Carnegie Hall. This concert has been called the best performance of the band’s career, so enjoy! And yes, they’re in order of the set list.
An incredibly up tempo version of this song which closed the set, "Take Five"
RIP Dave and thanks for giving our world a more beautiful selection of sounds than existed before you. You made our world a better place for living your life and sharing your tremendous talent. Aum and blessings, piano Master.
*********
On a different note - literally! – it’s also the birthday of the great David Ossman (December 6, 1936) of the legendary Firesign Theater.
You can find more about the Firesign Theater, one of the funniest comedy troupes in history, at the bottom of the birthday tribute to Felix Cavaliere and the late great Peter Bergman, also of the Firesign Theater. (They called themselves the “Firesign Theater” because David is and Peter was a Sagittarian, Phil Austin was an Aries, and Phillip Proctor is a Leo!) You'll find links to the first two Firesign Theater albums "Waiting for the Electrician or Someone Like Him" and "How Can You Be In Two Places At Once When You're Not Anywhere At All?" Still very funny, and not dated in the least!
*********
Peter Buck (December 6, 1956) was the co-founder and lead player for REM, a great rock and roll band that dominated the airwaves in the 80s and 90s. He gave us some extraordinarily memorable guitar hooks, and helped develop a sound that has become iconic in pop music. He’s also produced more music and bands than I can list here today, so truly he’s a musical force majeure!
We’ll begin with one of my favorites! It’s a song that never quite leaves the atmosphere, given what humanity’s going through right now!
“It’s the End of the World As We Know It (and I Feel Fine)"
From Switzerland in 1999, “It’s the End of the World As We Know It (and I Feel Fine)"
Going back, we find them rocking hard from the beginning! This is the clip from their very first television performance, which happened on Letterman in October 1983. For your enjoyment, live and very energetic, American rock and roll at its best! “Radio Free Europe”
Here’s the next part of that appearance. It begins with an interview, and then REM rocks again! “South Central Rain”
These numbers will sound familiar!
Live in Trafalgar Square in 2001, “Losing My Religion”
From Perfect Square in 2004, another great live performance of “Losing My Religion.” From the same gig, “The One I Love”
From what looks to be the 2003 dvd concert in Germany, “Orange Crush”
Here they are on Austin City Limits giving us the poignant “Man in the Moon”
From Dublin in 2005, REM live doing their tune with an iconic but very strange title phrase, “What’s the Frequency, Kenneth?” (Being attacked while asked that phrase repeatedly really rattled Dan Rather's composure....)
From June 1984 at the Capitol Theater in New Jersey, REM live giving us “Driver 8”
Here’s the entire hour and 5 of that show! REM Live at the Capitol Theater - 1984
From another gig that same year, “Carnival of Sorts (Boxcars)”
Moving forward, here’s a fantastic 1 hr 35 min video from October 1985 at Rockpalast. This show is great! R.E.M. Live in Concert in Germany 1985
Going back to earlier days, here’s a great 50 min live show from Oct 1982! REM Live from the Raleigh Underground 1982
Here’s the music video for another early tune, “I Am Superman”
From Letterman in 2001, a fantastic performance of an equally great tune, “Imitation of Life”
Here’s a video clip with the lyrics to “It’s the End of the World As We Know It (and I Feel Fine)" (I believe it's considered the song with the most historical references.....)
We’ll close with the original music video helping us rock on past the end of time!“It’s the End of the World As We Know It (and I Feel Fine)"
If you want more REM, here’s your encores! I found 3 links to all their material.
The Best of REM - in Time (1988-2003) (1 hr 17 min. Begins with a live clip and then autoloads the album.)
Here’s a link to 50 videos! The Best of REM
This one is said to be the best of the IRS years 1982-1987. It begins with the first tune, and then autoloads the rest. For your enjoyment, “Begin the Begin – Perfect Square”
© Copyright 2019 Robert Wilkinson
Comments