[AGL] Ramsey Lewis, Dave Brubeck

[Fontaine Maverick]

Gerry,

This is one of the reasons I got back on Mikes list. I can always count on you to pull something delightful and knowledgeable out of your head about music. 

The saxaphonist was Bobby Militello - BIG man. I was more worried about him having a stroke than I was about Brubeck. But he was good. 

Font

 Bobby Militello has been playing Alto & Flute with the Dave Brubeck Quartet since 1982.
He also played with Maynard Ferguson from 1975 to 1979 on Baritone Sax and Flute. During
his tenure with Maynard, Bobby appeared in the Downbeat Readers polls from 1977 to 1979 on
Bari and Flute and recieved critical aclaim in many artricles and reviews.
Other major artists he has worked and recorded with are The Bill Holman Big Band, The Bob Florence
Big Band, Doc Seversinson and the Tonight Show Band, Cheryl Benteen from Manhattan Transfer, Jeff
Jarvis and Emiel Van Egdom, to name a few. Bobby has played with most of the major symphonies in
the world and has done a number of recordings with the London Symphony, with Dave Brubeck, along with
many TV appearances with Brubeck, Maynard and on his own. Throughout his career, spanning some 40
years, he has formed various groups of his own ranging from Fusion/Funk to Bebop. His first national
recording was with Maynard Ferguson in 1975 and his first solo album was recorded in 1982 on Motown
Records, entitled BobbyM Blow. Enjoying a large range of musical styles, Bobby has merged his love
for many types of music into his present style of bop. This, combined with his obvious ability to
express emotion in his playing, makes for a unique sound and approach to playing the alto sax,
tenor sax, flute and soprano. He is one of those artists that prefers to record live, when possible,
in order to truely exhibit the qualities that make jazz so interesting.
Bobby has been on over 150 recordings and various television and film scores.
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Gerry 
  To: survivors' reminiscences about Austin Ghetto Daze in the 60s 
  Sent: Saturday, December 02, 2006 8:13 AM
  Subject: Re: [AGL] Ramsey Lewis, Dave Brubeck


  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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