photo: Houston Chamber Choir, chamber orchestra, Brubeck Brothers and Paul English Quartets | photo credit: Jeff Grass Photography
What happens when two celebrated jazz quartets, a chamber orchestra comprised of Houston’s finest musicians, and a GRAMMY®-award winning choir take the stage to present the music of a legendary American artist? Attendees of the Brubeck! A Celebration concert on June 1 witnessed the epic event, a one-of-a-kind tribute concert celebrating Dave Brubeck’s contributions to jazz and his explorations of new musical forms.
The concert is a core element to The Voice of Dave Brubeck, a multi-year collaborative project of the Lago Vista Community Concerts Foundation that follows the recent centennial celebration of Brubeck’s life, with a goal of showcasing the artist’s classical explorations and introducing newer generations to his timeless works.
Spearheaded by producer and Rice University professor of composition Arthur Gottschalk, the program featured the GRAMMY® Award-winning Houston Chamber Choir alongside a 19-piece orchestra and the Brubeck Brothers and Paul English Quartets.
Brubeck Brothers Quartet: Chris and Dan Brubeck, Mike DeMicco, Chuck Lamb
Horace Alexander Young III
Pianist Paul English
Conductor Robert Simpson, Founder and Artistic Director of Houston Chamber Choir
Chris Brubeck on Trombone
Pianist Paul English, Drummer Tim Solook
Bassist Austin Lewellen
Following the concert, the featured ensembles began recording the upcoming commercial album of the program, which will showcase an underrepresented cross section of the late musical legend’s oeuvre. Featuring a diverse offering of celebrated and previously-unrecorded choral and orchestral works that Brubeck regarded as some of his finest, the full album from PARMA Recordings and Navona Records is expected to release in late 2024.
“We hope that by presenting this music, Brubeck’s other voice can be heard and that audiences can expand their understanding of Dave as a great mind, a choral artist, and someone rooted in classical music beyond his contributions to the jazz world.”
– Brian Miller, Executive Director, Houston Chamber Choir
