Dave Brubeck Quartet To Perform At WCSU

DANBURY — An evening with the Dave Brubeck Quartet — featuring Dave Brubeck on piano, Bobby Militello on sax and flute, Michel Moore on bass, and Randy Jones on drums — will headline at Ives Concert Hall on Friday, August 27, at 8 pm.

Tickets are $30 and $35 for adults, and $25 for ages 18 and under. The concert is being sponsored by Command Performance, a non-profit performing arts organization for greater Danbury. Call 825-3131 for tickets or other information.

Dave Brubeck’s versatility is extraordinary. At home in both jazz and classical music, he has had a profound influence on the composition and performance of music because of his distinctive use of eccentric rhythms, multiple rhythms, extended harmonic language, simultaneous confluent tonal centers, improvisation and counterpoint, and fusion of musical cultures.

In addition to the numerous jazz compositions for which he is known, Mr Brubeck has also composed a wealth of orchestral music, choral music, chamber music, and ballet. Over the years, Mr Brubeck has recorded dozens of albums and performed throughout the world in every major performance venue, with major performing artists and organizations in both jazz and classical styles, and has organized numerous jazz groups, the most well-known being the Dave Brubeck Quartet. Dave Brubeck is a Baldwin artist and Chairman of the Brubeck Institute.

The Dave Brubeck Quartet began as an offshoot of the Dave Brubeck Octet in the late 1940s when Mr Brubeck formed a trio with drummer Cal Tjader and bassist Ron Crotty. In 1951, Dave was persuaded by altoist Paul Desmond to make the group a quartet.

The Quartet recorded dozens of albums, including the landmark Time Out, and traveled constantly until its breakup in 1967. Mr Brubeck soon came back on the scene with a new quartet featuring baritone saxophonist Gerry Mulligan, although he had numerous reunions with Mr Desmond before the altoist’s death in 1977. Mr Brubeck joined with his sons Darius, Chris, and Dan in Two Generations of Brubeck in the 1970s.

In the early 80s tenor saxophonist Jerry Bergonzi fronted the quartet and since the mid-80s clarinetist Bill Smith has alternated with altoist Bobby Militello. Other recent members have included bassists Jack Six, Michael Moore and drummer Randy Jones.