From 1942-1944, Brubeck served in the Army during World War II. While in service, he led the Wolf Pack Band
“I am primarily a jazz composer. Most of us don’t even like the word jazz—Ellington didn’t like it, Stan Kenton didn’t like it. It’s really an extension of what Bach and Mozart did every day: improvise. Bach improvised every Sunday. Classical music shouldn’t abandon it. The composers most likely to live on from the 20th century are Ives, Copland, Bernstein, Ellington, Gershwin and all the people wise enough to use jazz, like they were.” – Dave Brubeck
zb,
We both were awarded the Purple Heart for trench foot. I received two, one for "trench mouth".
After graduating in 1942, Brubeck was drafted into the army and served overseas in George Patton's Third Army. He was spared from service in the Battle of the Bulge when he volunteered to play piano at a Red Cross show; he was such a hit he was ordered to form a band.
All I know is Brubeck is cool. UOP. Only hot people in Stockton now, though. Lost their cool.
Thanks from the bass of my heart, John.
This is a perfect lay-me-down night-night. Cool.
Edit:
this may seem really dumb, but I was confused mentally for a moment when I tried to come up in my mental imagination the theme to Peter Gunn. Now I find I'm mentally thinking of the theme from the 1960s Batman series with word and theme by Neal Hefti. One word, one bass line.
Hate to call you a party pooper, zBrown, but now I can't get it out of my noggin. Do something before I go mental. Is there a Batman inhibitor in the house?
zb, I am saddened by the loss of my brother in arms; am posting of some edited peter wolf lyrics (written for thoughts along another line) but work here:
I feel the passing in the teardrops
I see shadows everywhere
But I still do carry on
Though there's a lot of good ones gone
"Edit:
this may seem really dumb, but I was confused mentally for a moment when I tried to come up in my mental imagination the theme to Peter Gunn. Now I find I'm mentally thinking of the theme from the 1960s Batman series with word and theme by Neal Hefti. One word, one bass line.
Hate to call you a party pooper, zBrown, but now I can't get it out of my noggin. Do something before I go mental. Is there a Batman inhibitor in the house?"
Here is "The Gunn Guitar": Bob Bain used it the original recording as well in the Pink Panther movies, Batman and The Munsters TV Series.
Last night at the jazz gig in Toronto, this black guy walks up to the mic and says he wants to sing Take Five in memory of Dave. One of the two guitar players looked a bit flummoxed at the 6 flat key signature, but I was sitting in front of the piano and said, "I can play that!"
After the verse, when we opened for solos, I shouted "bridge!" at the appropriate moment - perhaps not a bad idea when there 16 identical bars in a row!
I, um, left my trombone sitting on its stand for that little number. Need to practise a wee bit more, at least at the tempo buddy was singing it.
Most people don't realize Dave was an excellent classical musician,
and many tried to encourage him to go that route. But he loved jazz.
Many of my good friends who are classical musicians can also play
jazz very well. I started out as a jazz saxophone player with
classicl beginnings and played in
various bands until I finally took up piano and songwriting. Really
the various genres are more connected than most realize.
I'm with ms55401: Emasculated...Brubeck did for Jazz what Elvis did for rock and roll. Made it accessible to white audiences which was a good thing. But the music was hardly nonpareil at any point in time. Coltrane's take on 5/4 (My Favorite Things) makes Desmonds Take Five (which I like) look like the watered down cool jazz that it is. Some good music though. Ben Ratliff's "John Coltrane: The Story Of Sound" is a great read and has a sound argument of what many have pointed out; That jazz died the day Coltrane did. I think Largo also posted a Coltrane thread? I'd like to know why Largo thinks Brubeck is nonpareil......
My Favourite Things is a jazz waltz, in 3/4 not 5/4 time. I was just playing it on the piano an hour ago, trying to figure out the open voicings for solos on the E dorion.
However, I emphatically agree that Trane's version is the gold standard.
Pass the Piton...So effin right. Wrong tune brain fart indeed. Replace My Favorite (still makes anything by Brubeck look pedestrian) with "Nature Boy" off the seminal "The John Coltrane Quartet Plays". I hate getting old...
Let us know!