01.27.12 | NEW TRIPLE PLAY CD WITH DAVE BRUBECK AS GUEST ARTIST
Please click here for information regarding the February 7 release of Chris Brubeck's Triple Play CD "Live At Arthur Zankel Music Center" with Joel Brown and Peter "Madcat" Ruth with Special Guests Dave Brubeck and Frank Brown

12.20.11 | A MESSAGE FROM DAVE
December 20, 2011


Dear Friends,

I celebrated my 91st birthday just two weeks ago today. As Eubie Blake remarked on his 100th birthday, “If I’d known I was gonna live this long I would have taken better care of myself.” Although I have retired from touring, I’m still at the piano every day and am thinking about doing another solo piano album of wonderful old tunes that most people have forgotten. It seems I’m about the only one left who still remembers them.

Sony/Legacy has been busy producing some new/old releases. “Their Last Time Out” has never been issued as an LP or CD, the tape only having been discovered this past year. It is a live recording of the last concert, December 1967, of the “classic” quartet with Paul Desmond, Joe Morello and Eugene Wright. Although we did get together in 1976 for a reunion tour, at that moment we all thought this would be our last time on the stage together, so there is a special atmosphere and emotion that can be detected in this live taping.

On my 91st birthday Sony/Legacy released a boxed set of CDs consisting of all (19) of the old Quartet’s studio recordings including the very first, “Brubeck Time”. The set includes the jazz impressions albums-- U.S.A, Eurasia, Japan, New York; the composer series—Cole Porter, Richard Rodgers, Matt Dennis—as well as the four “Time” series LPs and some of my favorites such as “Dave Digs Disney”, “Gone With the Wind” and “Southern Scene”.

Since my birthday is in December, the combination of birthday cards and Christmas cards and holiday greetings causes a cascade of mail in our letter box. I wish I could answer every one of them, but there is no way that I could do it, so I am hoping that you will have checked our website where I want to print in very large letters
THANK YOU
I am so grateful to all of you who have followed my music through the years and surprised and happy when young listeners tell me they have discovered and like my music. I hope this will lead them to explore more of the great jazz legacy.

Iola joins me in sending your way a warm wish for HAPPY HOLIDAYS and a blessed Christmas.

Dave

12.15.11 | "TIME OUT" Article
Please click here for a very comprehensive article about "Time Out" from today's "All About Jazz".

12.14.11 | BOSTON GLOBE REVIEW OF THE COLUMBIA STUDIO SESSIONS BOX SET
Please click here for the December 13 Boston Globe review of the 19 CD box set containing the complete Columbia studio albums collection 1955-1966 , including 9 albums on CD for the very first time

12.14.11 | HARTFORD CURRANT REVIEW OF "THEIR LAST TIME OUT"
Please click here for the review in the Hartford (CT) Currant's electronic edition of "Their Last Time Out", the just released live recording of what was thought to be the "classic" Dave Brubeck Quartet's final performance which took place in Pittsburgh PA on December 26, 1967.

11.29.11 | A MESSAGE FROM SIMON ROWE, DIRECTOR OF THE BRUBECK INSTITUTE
Please click here for a message from Simon Rowe, newly appointed Director of the Brubeck Institute

07.06.11 | BRUBECK & SONS REVIEW AND PHOTO FROM RAVINIA
Please click here for the Chicago Tribune review of "Dave Brubeck & Sons" at the Ravinia Festival on Father's Day, June 19, 2011. Also for a photo of the sons with Dave and Iola Brubeck please go to "Gallery"

06.03.11 | "TIME OUT" CERTIFIED DOUBLE PLATINUM
Recorded and released in 1959 "Time Out" was certified double platinum by the RIAA signifying sales of over 2 million units, thus joining a very small circle of jazz albums ever to achieve this milestone. Dave was presented with a plaque by the president of Sony Legacy, Richard Story. Richard and Adam Block, vice president for A & R, drove to Dave's house in Connecticut for the presentation.

04.27.11 | 2011 DOWNBEAT COLLEGE AWARDS ANNOUNCED
In The May issue of Downbeat the 2011 College awards were announced. The Brubeck Institute Fellows received a total of five awards. The winners are: Outstanding Performance (Chad Lefkowitz-Brown, saxophone) Outstanding Performance (Nick Frenay, trumpet), Original Composition-"Deviation" (Chad Lefkowitz-Brown), Jazz Arrangement-"All My Love" by Dave Brubeck (Nick Freney) Outstanding Jazz Group (Fantasy V with Joe Gilman Musical Director). Fantasy V consists of the Brubeck Fellows 2009-2010 which recorded the CD 90/10 at the Fantasy Studio in Berkeley, CA in May of 2010.

Congratulations to all!

12.05.10 | LA TIMES ARTICLE DECEMBER 5, 2010
Please click here for the article on Dave Brubeck published December 5, 2010 in the Los Angeles Times.

12.01.10 | WALL STREET JOURNAL ARTICLE DECEMBER 1, 2010
Please click here for the article on Dave Brubeck published today, December 1, 2010 in "The Wall Street Journal"

11.09.10 | DAVE BRUBECK QUARTET WINS 2010 READERS POLL
The December 2010 issue of "DownBeat" magazine contains the results from the 75th Annual Readers Poll, awarding Best Jazz Group for 2010 to The Dave Brubeck Quartet. The first time that Dave's name surfaced in the DownBeat Readers Poll was in 1950, winning for the first time in 1953 as well as wining the Critics Poll the same year. Dav went on to win the Readers Poll in 1954, 1955, 1960, 1962, 1963, 1964 and 1965.

The members of The Dave Brubeck Quartet are Randy Jones (drums) who started with Dave in 1979, Bobby Militello (alto and flute) who first played with Dave in 1983 and became the regular soloist in 1994 and Michael Moore (bass) who started in 2001. It must be noted that for most of the 80's the group consisted of Bill Smith (clarinet) who first played with Dave in 1946 at Mills College and was a founding member of The Dave Brubeck Octet, and son Chris Brubeck (electric bass and bass trombone). Both the current quartet and the quartet from the 80's are featured on the 2 CD Concord release "The Definitive Dave Brubeck". CD #1 features Dave's Fantasy recordings including a 1942 solo piano recording from Dave's student days at the College of the Pacific. CD #2 has four tracks from Concord Jazz, including "Take Five" from Moscow, and four tracks from Telarc, closing with the 2007 studio recording of "Forty Days". In the "Gallery" tab, cick on "The Dave Brubeck Quartet" for a picture of the current group.

In addition to winning the Jazz Group, Dave placed 6th under "Piano" and 3rd under the "Composer" category.

Not bad for someone about ready to celebrate his 90th birthday on December 6.

04.22.10 | US HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES HONORS DAVE BRUBECK
Please click here to read House Resolution 1283 submitted by Congressman Paul Hodes, Second District, New Hampshire, honoring Dave Brubeck.

03.22.10 | SMITHSONIAN JAZZ APPRECIATION MONTH FEATURES DAVE BRUBECK
The 2010 Jazz Appreciation Month portrait of Dave Brubeck was created by artist LeRoy Neiman to celebrate Brubeck's Jazz legacy. Please click here for the link to the Smithsonian site for more information.

02.16.10 | 2009 KENNEDY CENTER HONOREES AT THE WHITE HOUSE
Please click here for the video of the White House reception that took place just prior to the Awards Gala on December 6, 2009.

04.28.08 | Dave Brubeck Receives the Benjamin Franklin Award for Public Diplomacy
On April 8, 2008 at the U.S. Department of State, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice honored the recipients of the inaugural Benjamin Franklin Awards for Public Diplomacy. The awardees were chosen for their outstanding leadership in advancing America's ideals through public diplomacy by offering a positive vision of hope and opportunity rooted in America's belief in freedom, justice, opportunity and respect for all.

The Award

The creation of the Benjamin Franklin Awards for Public Diplomacy was announced by Secretary of State Rice in January 2007 at the Private Sector Summit on Public Diplomacy to recognize that all sectors of American society - individuals, schools, foundations, associations, and corporations - actively contribute to advancing America's ideals through public diplomacy. The awards highlight that solutions to the challenges of the 21st century will come from these sectors working together to empower, educate, and inspire key audiences such as women, youth, and educators; and to engage with under-served communities and grassroots organizations both in the United States and abroad.

This new award program is the most prestigious honor that the Department of State can bestow on American citizens who are making outstanding contributions to public diplomacy. The awards were presented in four categories: individuals, corporations, academic institutions, and not-for-profit organizations.

Individual Category Award Winner: Dave Brubeck

As a pianist, composer, cultural emissary and educator, Dave Brubeck's life's work exemplifies the best of America's cultural diplomacy. Declared a "Living Legend" by the Library of Congress, his career has spanned seven decades, giving thousands of concerts and devoting countless hours to introducing the language of jazz to new generations around the world. In 2000, the University of the Pacific founded the Brubeck Institute to honor two of its most famous alumni, Dave and his wife Iola. The mission of the Institute is to build on Dave Brubeck's legacy and his lifelong dedication to music, creativity, education, and the advancement of important social issues including civil rights, environmental concerns, international relations, and social justice. This year marks the 50th anniversary of Dave Brubeck's first tour for the Department of State. We recognize Dave Brubeck for offering a positive vision of hope, opportunity and freedom through a musical language that is truly American.

Winners in other categories include the following:

- Non-Profit Organization: Search for Common Ground
- Academic Institution: University of Southern California
- Corporation: Johnson & Johnson

The Benjamin Franklin Award for Public Diplomacy is managed by the Office of Private Sector Outreach for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, which was established in 2005 to engage U.S. businesses, universities, foundations, and private citizens in the critical work of public diplomacy. To nominate a candidate for the Benjamin Franklin Award for Public Diplomacy or to discuss potential partnerships, email us at diplomacyupdate@state.gov.