The Brubeck Brothers Quartet Celebrates Dave Brubeck

2020 marked the Centennial Year of jazz giant Dave Brubeck. To celebrate his life and legacy, Dave's sons Chris and Dan Brubeck, who performed and recorded with their father since the 1970s, curate a multimedia show with their own Brubeck Brothers Quartet. With Dan and Chris as the foundation, guitarist Mike DeMicco and pianist Chuck Lamb complete this dynamic quartet. Through stories told by his sons and music performed by the Quartet, the show invites audiences to travel along the timeline of Dave’s extraordinary life and career.

Orchestral Programs

The Brubeck Brothers Quartet have performed with orchestras all around the world. Among the program choices are:

The Basie Band is Back In Town, Dave Brubeck, arr. Chris Brubeck
Brandenburg Gate Revisited (for strings, one French horn & jazz quartet), Dave Brubeck, arr. Chris Brubeck
In Your Own Sweet Way, Dave Brubeck, arr. Howard Brubeck
Mister Broadway, Dave Brubeck, arr. R. Gloyd
Kathy’s Waltz (quartet only)
Black and Blue (Fats Waller tune – not Dave’s, but Chris & Dave often played it together)
Jazzanians, Dave Brubeck, arr. R. Gloyd
Cassandra, Dave Brubeck, arr. Chris Brubeck
Koto Song, Dave Brubeck, arr. R. Gloyd
Unsquare Dance, Dave Brubeck, arr. Chris Brubeck
Still in Love, Chris Brubeck
Marian McPartland (quartet only), Dave Brubeck
Take Five, Paul Desmond, arr. by Chris Brubeck
Blue Rondo a la Turk, Dave Brubeck, arr. by Darius Brubeck
Concerto for Bass Trombone & Orchestra, by Chris Brubeck
Vignettes for Nonet, by Chris Brubeck (for jazz combo and orchestra woodwind quintet – an interesting texture change during a full orchestra concert)

Jazz Big Band

Another popular option is to have the Brubeck Brothers Quartet play one half alone, and the second half with the school´s Big Band. The Big Band may also want to include charts of their own choosing on their half of the concert.

Bourbon Street Stroll, an 8 minute big band composition by Chris Brubeck;
Cassandra, by Dave Brubeck, arranged by Chris Brubeck (6 minutes)
The Basie Band is Back in Town by Dave Brubeck, arranged by Chris Brubeck (6 minutes)
Moody, by Dave Brubeck, arranged by Dave Wolpe (6 minutes)
Blue Rondo a la Turk by Dave Brubeck, arranged by Chris Brubeck featuring student soloists (10 minutes, flexible)
Take Five by Dave Brubeck, arranged by Chris Brubeck (10 minutes)

Chamber Concerts

The Brubeck Brothers Quartet has collaborated with faculty woodwind quintets to present a chamber music concert, which could include:

Chris Brubeck´s composition, Vignettes for Nonet, for BBQ and woodwind quintet (3 movements, total 22 minutes)
Chris Brubeck´s composition, Crescent City Suite, for woodwind quintet plus percussion (Dan Brubeck on drums) (3 movements, 15 minutes)
Chris Brubeck´s composition, Danza del Soul, for violin, cello, bass, piano, drums, and clarinet (3 movements, 24 minutes) (Dan Brubeck on drums and Chris Brubeck can augment upright bass part with expanded solos)
Note: We have often found that the audience reaction is so enthusiastic that we need to play an encore. Chris has made an arrangement of Dave Brubeck´s classic, Blue Rondo a la Turk, for woodwind quintet and jazz quartet. This encore often begets another encore, so Chris has also arranged Take Five for woodwind quintet and jazz group.

Of course, the program could include other composers but these are pieces Chris has written and for which he has the charts. It is certainly possible that an advanced student woodwind quintet or chamber group could be used for Danza del Soul instead of a faculty woodwind quintet.

Concert Band

Another residency option would be working with the school´s concert band (symphonic wind ensemble). There is an arrangement of Chris´s first trombone concerto, Concerto for Bass Trombone and Orchestra, which has been arranged for concert band (in case it´s impossible to work this out with the orchestra schedule). Chris was also commissioned by the U.S. Army Field Band to write a very challenging piece for band called On the Threshold of Liberty which would be another option.

In addition to all this, there are various choral and symphonic pieces available which could also be included in a residency program.