Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, February 20, 1992 TAG: 9202200087
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: E-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: TRACIE FELLERS STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
BRUBECK THE YOUNGER TO PLAY
Think of the name Brubeck, and you're bound to think of classic jazz: the cool elegance and rhythmic precision of "Take Five"; the complexity of "Blue Rondo a la Turk," a song that reemerged in the '80s with a Grammy-winning vocal rendition by singer Al Jarreau.But now, a new generation of Brubecks is making its own mark in music. Four of Dave Brubeck's five sons are professional musicians.
Darius, the oldest, is dean of music at the University of Natal in Durban, South Africa. Chris plays trombone and bass and writes arrangements for orchestras. Matthew, the youngest son, plays cello with jazz artists as well as symphony orchestras. And Dan, 36, plays drums with The Dolphins, a jazz band based in upstate New York.
The quartet, including keyboard player Vinnie Martucci, guitarist Mike DiMicco and bassist Rob Leon, released its second album, "Old World New World," less than a month ago. That album pulls from bebop, rock, African and Eastern music to create a sound Dan calls "new electric jazz," and is already getting airplay on jazz radio stations from Los Angeles to New York, he said in a phone interview last week.
The Dolphins' first album, 1990's "Malayan Breeze," didn't capture the attention of many jazz listeners until nearly a year after its release, Brubeck said. "This time I think a whole lot more people are aware of us - the response is more immediate."
Now, after recent gigs in the Virgin Islands, Boston, New York and Washington D.C., The Dolphins bring contemporary jazz to Roanoke's Iroquois club tonight Tickets are $12. Doors open at 8:30 p.m. for the 9 p.m. show.
Dan, who also plays anywhere from six to 20 concerts with his brothers and father every year, probably wouldn't say he was a child prodigy. But he was reaching for drumsticks before most kids learn to tie their own shoes. "I always was playing music, from about 3-years-old onward. By the time I was 11 or 12, I was looking at it like . . . this is probably what I'm going to do with the rest of my life."
Dan was 11 when he made his first recording with his father, and in his teens when he started performing at festivals and in concert halls. As part of Two Generations of Brubeck, the band that featured father Dave and brothers Chris and Darius, Dan backed jazz greats including Paul Desmond, who played alto sax in Dave's famed quartet during the '50s and '60s.
As a young adult, Dan continued playing jazz with his father and brothers while gigging with rock bands and R&B groups. He and fellow Dolphins Martucci, DeMicco and Leon joined forces four years ago. Each member brings a different yet complementary musical element to the group, said Dan.
Leon, the Dolphins' bass player, is the son of a symphony conductor in Bogota, Colombia. "Rob comes obviously from that strong classical heritage, but was always into rock 'n' roll and played rock guitar, bass and drums. He's the most R&B-oriented player of the group," Dan said.
Guitarist DeMicco was influenced early on by blues players like John Lee Hooker, then got hooked on jazz by listening to masters including Wes Montgomery, Charlie Parker and John Coltrane. "Mike as a soloist astounds me all the time," Dan said. "He really is a very studied player."
Martucci, who plays keyboards, comes from a classical background and has studied jazz with well-known players such as Dave Holland and Jack DeJohnette. He's also written commercial jingles and music for movie scores.
"It's interesting because this combination of things really led to what the group sounds like," Dan said.
"We've tried to avoid the fusion category. . . . We definitely aren't elevator music, which is what a lot of fusion is. We started calling ourselves new electric jazz just to create a category for ourselves," he said.
"We're definitely pulling from bebop traditions, and there's inklings of African music in what we're doing and maybe Eastern music. And there're certainly rock influences.
So in that case, maybe we're fusion. We're certainly not purists.
"It's a melting pot of a lot of different things that we all enjoy playing. I think that's the bottom line. We just eliminated everything that we don't like playing."
AT 9 TONIGHT: The Dolphins play at the Iroquois Club. 324 Salem Ave., Roanoke. Tickets, $12. 982-8979.