It's About Time: The Dave Brubeck Story

Rating:
Summary: About Time, indeed!
Review: It's somewhat surprising, given the tremendous number of jazz biographies published in the last thirty years or so, that is it took so long for a definitive tome about the life of one of the most popular jazz musicians of all time. There are, perhaps, many reasons why this is so. Firstly, Bru has always been a bit hard to categorize; "serious" jazz musicians have been known to eschew his music as too "pop," too hook-oriented; others (this book included) point to his background in classical music as evidence of an artist too singular to sit comfortably aside many of his contemporaries (stylistically, he borders more often on Ravel than, say, Miles Davis). Another reason why perhaps it took so long for this book to appear is that, as compared to many of his contemporaries in the West Coast Jazz scene, Bru's life was relatively tame; he didn't suffer from harrowing addictions, or spend time in prison. Brubeck's life was more that of a working musician and a family man. On the other hand, as this book clearly indicates, his life was anything but ordinary. Brubeck's Columbia recordings, featuring his trademark multiple-meter compositions, probably reached the ears of more Americans than any other jazz musician of his time. His frequent international travel brought him into contact with a wide range of musical styles and idioms, which he incorporated brilliantly into his music. Perhaps best of all, and a major focus of the latter part of this book, Bru raised a family of sons who have continued to build on his legacy, while forging jazz voices of their own. "It's About Time" chronicles the height of Bru's popularity in the 50's and 60's, follows through with his experimental forays into classical music in the 70's, and generally presents a well-rounded portrait of an artist who reflected the optimism of his generation. It features a much-appreciated - and comprehensive - discography of Bru's recordings, and a reasonable amount of analysis of Bru's artistry. If there's anything I'd have liked more of, it would be more discussion of Brubeck's artistic process, and a more in-depth analysis of his compositions. Perhaps that's the next book that needs to be written. I would recommend this book very highly to fans of Dave Brubeck. To those less familiar with his work, I'd say, buy a copy of "Time Out," "Time Further Out," and "Time in Outer Space" first - then, read the book.