Dave Brubeck Documentary on TCM Dec 6th

[BERIGAN]

I tend to remember these sorts of things about 30 minutes before the program is on, so a bit more of a heads up this time...

Interesting sounding jazz related film on before it, which I am not familiar with...

3:15pm [Drama] All Night Long (1962)

A jazz band's leader thinks his wife is unfaithful.

Cast: Patrick McGoohan, Marti Stevens, Betsy Blair, Keith Michell Dir: Basil Dearden BW-91 mins,

5:00pm [Documentary] Dave Brubeck: In His Own Sweet Way (2010)

Executive produced by Clint Eastwood, this documentary chronicles the life and music of America's jazz ambassador Dave Brubeck on the occasion of his 90th birthday.

Cast: Dave Brubeck C-84 mins, TV-PG

http://www.tcm.com/schedule/index.jsp?startDate=12/6/2010&timezone=EST&cid=N

[AllenLowe]

All Night Long has Mingus in it -

[A Lark Ascending]

The Brubeck was shown in the UK last night.

Quite enjoyable, though too many celebrities (Clint, Jamie Cullum, Sting) and family members drooping over the piano in awestruck wonder at the genius. A bit hammy in that respect. But worth watching.

[Jazzjet]

All Night Long has Mingus in it -

And Brubeck. Plus Tubby Hayes, John Dankworth etc. More ham than your local branch of Tesco but worth watching.

[AllenLowe]

sounds good - but please don't make me watch the Brubeck.

[ejp626]

All Night Long has Mingus in it -

And Brubeck. Plus Tubby Hayes, John Dankworth etc. More ham than your local branch of Tesco but worth watching.

I believe that All Night Long is coming out as part of an Eclipse box set (Basil Dearden’s London Underground).

[JohnS]

The Brubeck was shown in the UK last night.

Quite enjoyable, though too many celebrities (Clint, Jamie Cullum, Sting) and family members drooping over the piano in awestruck wonder at the genius. A bit hammy in that respect. But worth watching.

I agree, worth a watch.

[Ken Dryden]

Brubeck recorded the soundtrack to a Canadian mystery movie titled "Ordeal By Innocence" back in the 1980s, though he doesn't appear in it. Featuring his quartet with Bill Smith, Brubeck plays a number of familiar works, in addition to an unusually slow setting of "Truth."

[Teasing the Korean]

Oh, Christ, I have to endure STING AGAIN if I watch the Brubeck? Thank God for fast forward.

[A Lark Ascending]

Oh, Christ, I have to endure STING AGAIN if I watch the Brubeck? Thank God for fast forward.

Not much of him. He grunts once in a brief ten second segment; a bit later on he passes some comment but I can't remember what he said.

[Teasing the Korean]

Thanks. It must be exhausting to be Sting - Everytime someone makes a documentary of a musician, Sting has to think of something profound to say.

[A Lark Ascending]

He really struggled this time. Took two goes before he could even get his lips to move.

[paul secor]

Watched it today. Mr. Brubeck comes across as a nice guy with a certain amount of talent who is true to himself and who was lucky enough to be in the right place(s) at the right time(s). Watched All Night Long beforehand.

Two telling moments - a clip with 10-15 seconds of Bird playing blew away all of Dave Brubeck's music in the documentary. And Brubeck accompanying Mingus in All Night Long seemed embarassing (for Brubeck).

I also kept wondering why Ashley Kahn was in the documentary. I remember listening to him on WKCR 20 some years ago when he did a blues show. He seemed pretty superficial then and I don't have any sense that his commentaries have made much progress since then. I'm not saying that I could do any better, but there are a lot of people who could.

[Teasing the Korean]

OMFG, Dave Brubeck lives in the MOST AMAZING MODERN HOUSE in Connecticut that he's lived in since 1960. YOU HAVE TO WATCH THIS DOCUMENTARY TO SEE THIS AMAZING HOUSE!!!

[Stereojack]

The Brubeck was shown in the UK last night.

Quite enjoyable, though too many celebrities (Clint, Jamie Cullum, Sting) and family members drooping over the piano in awestruck wonder at the genius. A bit hammy in that respect. But worth watching.

These were a bit of a drawback for me, but the good far outweighed the bad, and there was planty of vintage footage, even an interview with Paul Desmond!

[Dan Gould]

OMFG, Dave Brubeck lives in the MOST AMAZING MODERN HOUSE in Connecticut that he's lived in since 1960. YOU HAVE TO WATCH THIS DOCUMENTARY TO SEE THIS AMAZING HOUSE!!!

I grew up in that town and my parents still live there and I had no idea it was THE MOST AMAZING MODERN HOUSE. Guess I should have WATCHED THE DOCUMENTARY.

[AllenLowe]

"Mr. Brubeck comes across as a nice guy...who is true to himself "

this is basically how I always defend him - but thinking about it now, what's the big deal? This describes virtually every musician I know (with the exception of a few from New Jersey) -

[JSngry]

"Mr. Brubeck comes across as a nice guy...who is true to himself "

this is basically how I always defend him - but thinking about it now, what's the big deal? This describes virtually every musician I know (with the exception of a few from New Jersey) -

Don't know if it's a "big deal" or not, but I know lots of players who are less than true to themselves, assuming that they even have a self to be true to, which is far from a guaranteed quantity...

I think the main issue is integrity, does somebody have it or not. With a popular figure like Brubeck, there's always an element that will say/shout/refuse to believe anything other than that they've sold out or some such, because how else could they become so well-liked.

Well hey, some people just got it like that. They do what they do and people dig it. And some don't gt it like that. Not everybody who is popular has integrity, and not everybody who has integrity is popular. There's really no immediate/direct correlation. Given all the hype invested in convincing the marketplace otherwise (both ways), it don't hurt anything to sort out who's who for those who might care.

[medjuck]

I've seen the first half of the tv show and heard parts of a radio show in NPR. There was some contradictory information in them. In the film Kahn says that Paul Desmond asked to join the Brubeck trio but on the radio I thought I heard a much more interesting story: Brubeck had played in a Desmond led group and there'd been some sort of falling out. DESpite that Brubeck knew he needed a horn and asked Desmond to join a group with Dave as the leader. Anyone know which story is true?

[Teasing the Korean]

No one else was bowled over by the house? I dream of living in a place like that one day. They should have spent at least 10 minutes talking about the house, the architect, etc.

[AllenLowe]

I care that he has integrity and I respect his right to do what he wants to do. But it still is very mediocre music.

[Chuck Nessa]

He was overly kind to me in my late teens. He bought me a steak dinner. I will never forget that.

[JSngry]

He was overly kind to me in my late teens. He bought me a steak dinner. I will never forget that.

What was the occasion? Sounds like a good story!

[Chuck Nessa]

I saw the quartet in Des Moines (forget if I was in high school or a freshman in college) and after the concert I spoke with the group members. Wound up at the Fort Des Moines Hotel with the band at a "reception" held for them - you know the "society" types fawning. After a few courtesy "hellos" the band made an early exit and they took me along. Morello, Desmond and Wright eventually went to their rooms but Brubeck said "I'm hungry, how about you". Don't remember my answer but we wound up in the hotel restaurant and he ordered steak dinners for the two of us. The kitchen was closed but they made an exception for him, but we sat at a counter to eat. I can still see him next to me, cutting his steak. I have no memory of the conversation(s), but remember the kindness.

Stuff like this means a bunch.

[jeffcrom]

But it still is very mediocre music.

To a large extent, yes. But there are plenty of instances of Brubeck rising above his somewhat limited talent and creating something remarkable. The track that turned me into something of a Brubeck fan was "Someday My Prince Will Come," from 1957. Around the five minute mark, there are three levels of time going on at once - Eugene Wright is playing in three, Joe Morello is in four, and Brubeck is in four, but at a different tempo. And it swings.

Edited December 8, 2010 by jeffcrom