Portland Observer, July 28, 1982 Section II Page 5
Getting Down With Dave
Attention Ail Biack Students
ll becomes increasingly clear that Dave Brubeck is a lasting influence in
music. It has been more than 25 years since he organized his intriguing, con
troversial quartet, and there has never been a period in that quarter-century,
despite the changing tastes o f a fickle public, when Brubeck has not been
productive and in demand.
Given his drives and energies, there is little doubt that Brubeck would
have been productive in any profession. Born in 1920, he grew up on a
Northern C alifo rn ia ranch where his father was manager, and he might
have become a successful cattleman. But his mother was a piano teacher,
and she insisted that Dave learn the keyboard as well as the range. Today all
three Brubeck boys are respected musicians, Howard and Henry in educa
tion, Dave as a world-famous jazz artist.
W ith an eye toward ranch life. Brubeck enrolled as a student o f veterin
ary medicine at College o f the Pacific in 1938. Shortly after, he switched to
music and was graduated in 1942. W orld W ar Two interrupted his private
studies with the great French composer, Darius M ilhaud. He served in the
Army and returned to his work with Milhaud at Mills College in 1946. M il
haud, long a student o f jazz, incorporated its elements into some o f his
greatest compositions. He encouraged Brubeck to play jazz. Dave formed a
trio, and in the late Forties organized an octet that is regarded as one o f the
most important experimental groups in jazz history. One o f the members o f
the octet was alto saxophonist and clarinetist Paul Desmond, who had earl
ier crossed paths with Brubeck.
‘ ‘ I met Dave in 1944 when he was coming through San Francisco on his
way overseas as a riflem an,” Desmond told Down Beat. “ We had a quick
session, started playing the blues in B-flat, and the first chord played was G-
m a jo r. K n ow ing absolutely nothing at the tim e about p o ly to n a lity , I
thought he was stark, raving mad.
“ His appearance at the time supported this point o f view adm irably.
W ild-haired, ferocious-looking, with a pile-driver approach to the piano,
and the expression o f a surly Sioux. It took much patient explaining and
several more listenings before I began to understand what he was up to .”
When that understanding was complete, Desmond and Brubeck became
one o f the most empathetic pairs o f improvisors in all o f music, and their
career together was to last uninterrupted from 1951 to 1968. During that
who attended and/or graduated from the
University of Oregon:
For those of you who have not received the information for
the upcoming reunion on August 27,28, 29, please call any one
of the following numbers:
i
0
k '
Rose Butler (wk > 287-1746, Ihm .l 287-7449
Gregory (D.C.) Gudger (Wk.) 796-6136, (Hm.) 284-9227
Armondo LaGuardia (wk.) 229-4010
Kan Adair (Hm.) 287-7891
MAKE A NEW HOME
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W m. D. Herboth
Remodeling
CALL: 289-1600
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STARPOINT
r
Keep On Dancing
THE DAVE BRUBECK QUARTET
The legendary compoeer, jazz performer, and winner of numerous
Downbeat polls, Dave Brubeck.
period, the Brubeck Quartet made dozens o f record albums and toured the
world many times. Brubeck recalls one punishing stretch o f 90 cities in 90
days. That sort o f schedule helped lead to the quartet’s decision to disband
after 17 years o f undiluted success. Brubeck and Desmond have frequently
rejoined on special occasions, Desmond sometimes sharing the spotlite with
baritone saxophonist Oerry Mulligan, an old friend who first appeared with
Brubeck at the New Orleans Jazz Festival in 1968 and subsequently has
often been a special guest at Brubeck concerts. One o f the most special re
cent Brubeck-Desmond encounters was a 25th anniversary reunion tour in
1976, in which the two, bassist Eugene W right, and drummer Joe M orello
gave concerts in 25 cities. This was the reconstitution o f the most famous
and long-lived o f the Brubeck groups, and its music can be heard on the live
25 th Anniversary Reunion album.
The tour included the Tw o Generations o f Brubeck u n it, made up o f
Dave and his sons Chris, Danny, and Darius, all accomplished professional
musicians with jazz careers o f their own.
Among Brubeck’s many other contributions to jazz, his work with un
usual time signatures has received the widest acceptance by other musicians.
Until the mid-Fifties, when Brubeck and drummer Max Roach began exper
imenting independently with 3 /4 time, virtually all serious jazz perform
ances were in 2 /4 or 4 /4 . From combining 3 /4 and 4 /4 , Brubeck moved on
to work successfully in 5 /4 , 7 /4 , 9 /8 , 10/4, and some divisions o f 13 and
15. Using Brubeck’s and Desmond's pioneering work as a point o f depar
ture, younger musicians have developed proficiency in even more uncon
ventional time s ig n a tu re s , such as 1 9 /4 , 3 2 /8 , 7 /8 , and, in the case o f
trumpeter-bandleader Don Ellis, 3 '/i/4 .
In addition to his jazz playing and composing, Brubeck has written sever
al large-scale compositions with religious orientations, including “ The
Light in the Wilderness,” “ The Gates o f Justice,” and “ Truth is Fallen.”
He has performed and recorded these m ajor works with prominent sym
phony orchestras.
Brubeck’s piano style has not always met with critical approval, but his
influence can be heard in the work o f a number o f important young pian
ists, just as the inspiration o f James P. Johnson, Fats W aller, A rt Tatum ,
and Duke Ellington can be heard in Brubeck’s playing. He is a vital link in
the jazz piano tradition and a strong contributor to it.
— Doun Ramsey
W ith their second alu m b , Keep
On I t , this B altim ore/W ashington-
area sextet continues its innovative
take on tried-and-true rhythm and
blues, with an early hit-bound can
did ate in the title tra c k , a m ore-
th a n -w o rth y successor to their
smash single o ff last year’s debut,
” 1 Just Wanna Dance W ith Y o u .”
Four o f the six S tarpoint m em
bers are brothers— Ernesto, O rlan
do, Greg and George Phillips— who
discovered a passion for music at an
early age while growing up in Balti
m ore. As teenagers, the P h illip s
brothers found a kindred musical
spirit in Kayode A d eyem o , who
brought a wealth o f influences to
their sound, from Michigan to Bar
bados to Nigeria, all areas where the
w ell-travelled A deyem o had once
made his hom e. V o calist Renee
Diggs rounds out the outfit, with the
present line-up including Ernesto on
g u itar, O rlan d o on bass, Greg on
drum s, George on keyboards and
K ayode on percussion, bass and
timbales.
Together they formed a series o f
bands, playing a ll over the B alti-
m ore/W ashington district. Known
as Lycindiana when they first start
ed perfo rm ing in 1972, the group
appeared up and dow n the east
coast, doing assorted session work
for both Motown and A ll Platinum
Records. In 1978, the group became
S ta rp o in t, and a fte r a continual
sharpening o f their ensemble skills,
inked an agreement with Casablan
ca Records.
On the Lionel Job-produced Keep
On It , Starpoint offers a platter o f
steamy, uncompromised funk and
soul, with the exotic allure o f their
international backgrounds. Songs
lik e “ F o r Y o u ,” “ I W a n t You
Closer,” “ Baby Let M e Do It ” and
the n o -holds-barred rhythm s o f
“ S ta rp o in t’s Here T o n ig h t,” dis
play the ferocious musicianship o f
this veteran band and their constant
striving to redefine the borders o f
fu n k , soul, R&B and good-tim e
dance music. “ We simply strive for
the best,” claims brother Ernesto.
O n Keep On I t , S ta rp o in t has
achieved just that.
"THE CLASS OF 7 2 ”
invites you to join us in celebrating our 10-yaar class
reunion. Dance and festivities will begin at 9 p.m ., hors
d'oeuvres and door prizes courtesy of "72."
Entertainment w ill be provided by "VELVET: featuring
Shawn Price."
COSMOPOLITAN AIR-TEL
Sat., July 31,1982* Main Ballroom
6221 NE 82nd
Admission:
(over 21)
As our special guests, the Class of '62 will be served
Champagne. Bring a friendl
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KILLS
FLEAS.TICKS!
Variety Salon
4554 N.E. Union
284-6017
3516 N.E. 15th
287-5618
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