Hi, guys,

I thought you might be interested in this little anecdote.

Over the years, I have interviewed any number of great jazz artists for the Edinurgh Evening News. They have included altoist Lee Konitz, pianist Brian Kellock and trumpeter Maynard Ferguson, among many others.

But my all-time best interview was with Dave Brubeck (a great hero of mine) three years back, when he appeared at the Usher Hall, here in Edinburgh. He is, without doubt, a thorough gentleman; and a brilliant jazzer.

I discussed with him the various phases of his working life: the original quartet with Paul Desmond, through to the recordings with Gerry Mulligan, to the Oratorios, and then back to the quartet with Bobby Militello. I then asked which of these ventures gave him the most musical pleasure.

He thought for a moment, then gave me that big old grin, and said: "All of it!"

I then asked him if, following his classical training with Darius Milhaud, he had deliberately set out to develop a brand new style. "Well, yes, I did" he said. "When I started out, I really wanted to play like Art Tatum. But I quickly discovered that nobody can play like Art Tatum, except Art Tatum!"

Great stuff.

Pat Quinn
http://www.standard-bearers.com

When I saw Brubeck at the jazz fest here, the thing that struck me the most was his joyfullness onstage. He truly was a gentleman to his bandmates and the crowd. He was often smiling hugely and encouraging another band member to push himself further, and making sure the crowd rewarded said brilliance with applause at the appropriate moment. One of the greatest live jazz performances I have ever seen.