Dave Brubeck — North Sea Jazz Festival, 2004

Live capture of the Dave Brubeck Quartet at the North Sea Jazz Festival 2004, one of the last major filmed concerts by the American pianist, then 83 years old. A key figure of West Coast cool jazz, Dave Brubeck had popularised, from 1959 onward with the album Time Out and the Paul Desmond tune “Take Five”, the use of asymmetrical metres (5/4, 9/8) and block chords. This filmed live concert finds him with his late-career quartet: Bobby Militello on alto sax and flute, Michael Moore on bass and Randy Jones on drums. The full concert moves through standards (“On the Sunny Side of the Street”, “Yesterdays”) and original compositions (“London Flat, London Sharp”, “Travelin’ Blues”) before the expected turn through “Take Five”. Recorded in the Netherlands on the stage of Europe’s most respected jazz festival, this live performance illustrates the longevity and lyricism of a musician who became, in his own lifetime, a reference point of American jazz. Year: 2004.