Dave Brubeck's Definitive "Jazzanians"

Abstract

On December 5, 2012, American contemporary music lost one of its most important personalities-pianist and composer Dave Brubeck, who died one day before his 92nd birthday. His death marks the passing of one of the most creative and versatile musicians in American history. Widely known as an innovative jazz musician, Brubeck's skills in writing and arranging music for classical ensembles went far beyond jazz traditions, making him a subject of interest and investigation for contemporary music researchers. He became an emblematic figure for those, who, like me, received a classical music upbringing and became fascinated by his ability to fuse jazz and classical sources into the specific style that eventually became his trademark.Despite having received a classical education, I have always been attracted by the jazz sound, so that discovering and demonstrating the plenitude of Brubeck's legacy became a natural research goal in my graduate studies. In planning this personal tribute to the late Dave Brubeck, I came to the conclusion that, perhaps, the most eloquent examples of his unique compositional style could be demonstrated around the story of a little tetrachord. Throughout a period of 17 years (1987)(1988)(1989)(1990)(1991)(1992)(1993)(1994)(1995)(1996)(1997)(1998)(1999)(2000)(2001)(2002)(2003), it inspired Brubeck to create five important compositions and came to be known, by those who love Brubeck's music, as the "Jazzanians tetrachord." The compositions varied in form, covering the full spectrum of jazz, classical, and fusion styles. I call these compositions "realizations."Trying to trace Brubeck's realizations chronologically through that 17-year period, I first examined published scores but discovered that there were mysterious gaps. I found Internet performances and obtained recordings that were not related to any of the published scores. For example, watching a DVD of Brubeck's second tour in Russia, I heard a short excerpt of orchestral background music which included the "Jazzanians" theme. I realized this was yet another version of the "Chorale" that I had studied as a published score.