[AGL] Ramsey Lewis, Dave Brubeck

[Gerry]

86! Old Dave is still at it, huh? Who was the saxophone player?

When I was in High school we were divided between the Brubeck fans and the Gerry Mulligan fans. While I liked them both I leaned toward Mulligan who was more swing and bebop oriented...and I started spelling my name with a G instead of the traditional J (Gerald being the source). Much later I found that his given name was Gerard...

When I was at Yale ('56) I used to go down to NYC to see Geru who had a great group with Zoot Sims. Then Dave played a concert at Yale in a hall that up until that time had been reserved for classical music only...he broke the barrier. Wonderful event. Paul Desmond in top form.

My last year in the Air Force I had a roomie who was a big Brubeck fan and that's all he played. By then I was a Hard Bop fan and used to chide him for not liking Thelonious Monk. Odd thing was my roomie was Black...

Brubeck was raised on a ranch in isolated northeastern California and never heard any jazz until he left home to attend college. He intended to major in veterinary medicine. Then he got drafted and was exposed to more music. His Jewish mother had taught him to play piano and he found that playing the piano in the Army got him out of a lot of hard duty. By the time he returned to college he was hooked and changed his major.

Last time I saw them both Mulligan was the sax player in the Dave Brubeck Quartet. This was at the Paramount in the '70's...with Alan Dawson on drums (the teacher of Tony Williams)...fine group.

I am finding my music these days on Rhapsody and lately on XM radio. So much to listen to. And ol' Dave will probably outlive me...
G


  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Fontaine Maverick 
  To: survivors' reminiscences about Austin Ghetto Daze in the 60s 
  Sent: Friday, December 01, 2006 9:39 PM
  Subject: [AGL] Ramsey Lewis, Dave Brubeck


  Had a beautiful evening at the Paramount last night (much better birthday gift than an MP3 player). Ramsey Lewis played for about an hour - I think he is still at the top of his game Cooool jazz, some pop (In wit de in crowd was played, of course) all the guys in the trio are fine musicians (bass, drum, piano). 

  Brubecks set was also beautiful, no one plays the piano like him, but it was clear to this fan that the arrangements had been changed to let the sax player take on more of each piece - I think the kind of  playing he did in the old days must take more energy than an eighty six year old can manage. I am glad I got to see him again. 
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