| Identifier | 9215984 |
| Created At | Tue May 23 2023 23:54:00 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time) |
| Reference Number | 970118/Series 33-3 |
| Media Type | CDR |
| Media Count | 1 |
| Source Info | NPR satellite feed on Jan. 18, 1997. Piano Jazz programs typically did not air until 3 moths or more after they were recorded in order to allow time for editing, final production and also preparing quarterly information packets for subscribing NPR stations. Likely recorded in summer or fall of 1996. |
| Trades Allowed |
Performance
| Dave Brubeck & Marian McPartland 1997-01-?? Borders Books & Music, Washington, DC | |
|---|---|
| Set 1 | Just You, Just Me Dziekuje (Thank You) Marian McPartland In Your Own Sweet Way Summer Song The Desert and the Parched Land One Moment Worth Years St. Louis Blues |
| Set 2 | |
| Set 3 | |
| Comment | PLEASE NOTE THIS IS NOT THE OFFICIALLY RELEASED BRUBECK/MCPARTLAND
Program Notes David Warren Brubeck was born Dec. 6, 1920, in Concord, Calif. His father was a cattle rancher and his mother taught piano. His two older brothers, Henry and Howard, studied to become musicians, but Dave had no intentions of following them, although he took lessons from his mother. He could not read sheet music, but played well enough that this deficiency went mostly unnoticed. Later, as a student at the College of the Pacific, he initially studied veterinary science and was nearly expelled when one of his professors discovered that he couldn't read music. The college agreed to let Brubeck graduate only after he promised never to teach piano. After graduating in 1942, Brubeck was drafted into the Army and served for nearly four years. He was spared from service in the Battle of the Bulge when he volunteered to play piano at a Red Cross show. In early 1944, he met alto player Paul Desmond, who would become a critical partner in Brubeck's career. He returned to college after completing his service, attending Mills College and studying under composer Darius Milhaud. Around this time, he also did two lessons with Arnold Schoenberg at UCLA, in an attempt to explore the depths of twelve-tone theory. Their meeting went sour, as Brubeck could not reconcile Schoenberg's stance against improvisation. Odd Time Signatures, Unexpected Success After a few years working in the octet setting, the Dave Brubeck Quartet went on an extensive 1951 tour across college campuses, which yielded a series of albums bearing the names of various schools: Jazz at Oberlin, Jazz at the College of the Pacific and Jazz Goes to College. With the lyric alto saxophone of Paul Desmond, ace drummer Joe Morello (whom Brubeck swiped from Marian McPartland's trio) and bassist Eugene Wright, the quartet was set to make a major splash. The 1959 album Time Out included all original compositions, mostly in unusual time signatures. It quickly went platinum, and one of the tunes, "Take Five," is known well beyond the reaches of the jazz world today. In the 1960s, Brubeck continued to record strong albums and experiment with time signatures. He also branched out into writing for musicals and established an all-jazz radio station, and established a band with three of his sons. Brubeck has continued tirelessly composing, recording and touring; he currently plays up to 80 cities a year, and only recently retired from international touring. Just Dave, Just Marian This Piano Jazz was recorded before an audience at Borders Books and Music in Washington, D.C., in 1997. "I remember when it was a big deal that Dave turned 80. Now he's 90, and I'm still a bit ahead of him. We love to joke about that," McPartland says. "But, really, I know he is so proud of everything he has written and accomplished and is still doing. He just keeps going." Brubeck and McPartland start off the session with an inspired duet in "Just You, Just Me." "You always do something different in every session," McPartland says. "I have that record at home, and it's nothing like what you just did." "I have a bad memory," Brubeck jokes. Jazz Brings Freedom In "Thank You," Brubeck pays homage to Frederic Chopin, the towering keyboard figure of the Romantic Age. Brubeck chooses Chopin's darker moods for his musical portrait, but in talking with McPartland, he recalls his feelings of hope upon visiting Chopin's home country of Poland during the Cold War. "People in the U.S. don't realize that jazz brings freedom to these other countries almost more than anything else we can do," Brubeck says. Brubeck continues with a tune that has become a standard, "In Your Own Sweet Way," which has been recorded by more than 50 different jazz artists. To close this Piano Jazz, Brubeck and McPartland take the session to bedrock with a ringing duet of "St. Louis Blues." Originally broadcast Jan. 18, 1997. |