As he left Ellington said, 'It was lovely.' At 8:00 a.m., he and his band were off to an engagement in Oklahoma City. For Duke, it was back to business as usual, but, as Whitney Balliett wrote in The New Yorker, the maestro 'was finally given his due by his country.' -Doug Ramsey
One of the undeniable highlights of President Richard Nixon's administration was the 1969 White House gala celebrating Duke Ellington's 70th birthday, though jazz [more]
Although Dave Brubeck and Paul Desmond made many rewarding recordings together, this was their only duo album; it was inspired by several duo performances on board a [more]
Forty years after his classic quartet's first triumphant tour of the U.K. in 1958, Dave Brubeck took his then current group back for an anniversary visit, playing a [more]
Dave Brubeck appeared at the Monterey Jazz Festival on so many occasions since its launching in 1958 that it seems like [more]
For listeners interested in a mellow overview of much of what pianist Dave Brubeck is famous for, this is a nice compilation. Ballads: Music for You features various studio [more]
In conjunction with documentary filmmaker Ken Burns' ten-part 2000 PBS special, Columbia/Legacy and Verve teamed up to issue a special series of reissues covering much of [more]
Four of the five selections on Brandenburg Gate: Revisited (1963) are new interpretations of Dave Brubeck (piano) classics scored by the pianist's older sibling, Howard [more]
When Jimmy starts to sing, with a big band, small band or all-star group, every musician swings just a little bit harder. Jimmy is contagious! I consider it a privilege to provide a background in this album for Jimmy Rushing's voice. We didn't want to intrude on his style, simply to provide an accompaniment which would make him free. There were no suggestions as to how we should play behind him. We only knew that in working with Jimmy, we would have to rely on instinct to follow the feeling of the moment, to help him build the mood that he creates in a song. Jimmy is the daddy of them all. -Dave Brubeck
Although associated with the more modern styles of jazz, Brubeck always had a great respect (if not reverence) for the masters of the past. On ten [more]
Dave Brubeck has had a strikingly original style ever since he appeared on records, avoiding the usual Bud Powell runs and instead expressing his training in classical music [more]