Today Dave Brubeck passed away, unquestionably one of my favorite jazz musicians and a legend in his field. I had the privilege of seeing him perform live twice. Once in September 2007 at the Rio Theatre in Santa Cruz and again in October of 2008 at the San Francisco Symphony Hall. He was an old man, hunched over at each of those shows as he walked to the stage. But when he sat down at the piano and his quartet came alive something sublime happened and his unique, his distinct and his timeless sound filled the halls with music lodged deep in to the American musical lexicon. At the shows he told stories of the other times he’d performed in the cities. At the San Francisco show, he waxed on for a while about performing in the Fillmore and the Tenderloin in the 60s.
My words would never be able to do justice to his career, his work, or his legacy: at those two events, I was lucky enough to capture a few memories of the shows which I’d like to share with you today.
Images from Dave Brubeck Live at the Rio Theatre, September 2007
Videos from Dave Brubeck Live at the San Francisco Symphony Hall, October 2008
Goodbye Dave, your talent will be missed but your music will live on.