Dave O'Higgins (ten/sop); Darius Brubeck (pno); Chris Brubeck (bs.gtr/tmb); Dan Brubeck (dms).
The 'Winter Wonderland' - not! continued and it was with wellies, Barbour jacket and Beanie hat that I made my precarious journey in the direction of the Metro to Gateshead. I was only half joking when I said, as I left, "I may be a little while".
The weather had depleted audience numbers more than somewhat yet those hardy souls who turned out were rewarded with an evening of many pleasures.
Blue Rondo a la Turk got things moving although it wasn't until they hit the 4/4 section that it moved jazzwise.
This was the opening round with the protagonists feeling each other out getting their measure before bursting forth.
Darius' solo reminded me of just how much his dad contributed to the locked hand block chord style associated with Buckner and Shearing - Darius too.
In Your Own Sweet Way is a ballad worthy of repetition and Darius said it was the most covered version of all Dave's tunes. and so it should be - melodically perfect, harmonically correct. On tenor, Dave (O'Higgins) kept the faith without losing out in comparision to the original.
Nomad. Dave Brubeck, it is said, heard this melody being played by a flute-player on a camel outside his hotel room in Kabul! Did the guy get royalties? Dave O'Higgins blew atmospheric soprano and swung like no flute-playing camel jockey ever did!
Dance of the Shadows and The Lion in the Bar were a couple of originals by the boys. Chris and Dan did the former - a piece full of intriguing intervals whilst the latter, by Darius, was a rockier, rollier number that brought the first set to a close.
Drinks in the bar and all seemed to agree it had been a good set.
The second set saw It's A Raggy Waltz - my personal fave of the 'pops' - Strange Meadowlark with Chris on trombone - a full, rich, Urbie Green-like sound - in duo with Darius.
The Golden Horn and Koto's Song followed with the inevitable Take Five to close during which Darius managed to work Winter Wonderland into his solo - a minor keyed WW at that! and, of course, for an encore - Unsquare Dance.
Dave O'Higgins held his own, Darius is more restrained than his father which can be a good thing or a bad thing according to taste! Chris did the business on bass and Dan has got the Joe Morello feel to the numbers.
I went home happy and even though I fell on the ice it was only the ice that broke!
Lance.
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