Naxos ID [8.559414]
Released by Naxos American Classics
Playing Time: 50:13
REVIEWS
U.S. Release Date: January 20, 2004
International Release Date: January 2005
GRAMMY Winner: David Frost, Producer of the Year, Classical
Jazz icon, pianist and composer Dave Brubeck wrote this cantata in an attempt to heal the rift between the Jewish people and American blacks that emerged after the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1968. Based on biblical and Hebrew liturgical texts, together with quotations from Dr. King's speeches, Negro spirituals and the Jewish sage Hillel, with lyrics by Brubeck's wife Iola, it was intended to underscore and resurrect the spiritual parallels between Jews and blacks. The work draws on their shared history of enslavement and dispersion, their ongoing quest for social justice, and similarities in their forms of musical expression.
REVIEWS
"...powerful and dramatic."
— Eric Haines, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"Performance: Four stars. Sound: Four stars."
— Roger Thomas, BBC Music Magazine
"...unfolds with energy and power, in a universal message of brotherhood and nonviolence that is just as relevant today as when Brubeck wrote it.... Brubeck's artistry is as fresh at age 80 as always. His piano improvisations, woven between movements, are thoughtful and deeply personal."
— Cincinnati Enquirer
"The great discovery on this disc is that jazz icon Dave Brubeck is also a serious composer.…straightforward, visceral and sincere."
— Max Stern, The Jerusalem Post
"...an exuberant, sometimes anguished 'collage' (Brubeck's term) of everything from austere chorales to snippets from the Beatles, held together by exotic Hebraic intervals and harmonies—a plea for human unity in a time of chaos and terrible ethnic strife. In other words, it is appropriate for our time as well as for the late 60s."
— Jack Sullivan, American Record Guide
"Highly recommended."
— Patrick C. Waller, MusicWeb-International.com
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Audio clips of tracks on this CD are available on the Naxos Web site. Click here to listen.
Performers:
Dave Brubeck Trio
Dave Brubeck, piano
Michael Moore, bass
Randy Jones, drums
Kevin Deas, baritone
Cantor Alberto Mizrahi, tenor
Baltimore Choral Arts Society
Tom Hall, director
Russell Gloyd, conductor
Tracklisting:
| 1. | I. Lord, the Heavens Cannot Contain Thee | 3:08 |
| 2. | II. Oh, Come Let Us Sing | 3:45 |
| 3. | IIIa. Open the Gates | 4:34 |
| 4. | IIIb. Chorale | 5:04 |
| 5. | IVa. Except the Lord Build the House | 2:05 |
| 6. | IVb. Except the Lord Build the House (improvisation) | 2:17 |
| 7. | V. Lord, Lord | 5:59 |
| 8. | VI. Ye Shall Be Holy | 1:05 |
| 9. | VII. Shout unto the Lord | 8:24 |
| 10. | VIII. When I Behold Thy Heavens | 3:02 |
| 11. | IX. How Glorious Is Thy Name | 1:49 |
| 12. | X. The Lord Is Good | 3:45 |
| 13. | XI. His Truth Is a Shield | 4:14 |
| 14. | XII. Oh, Come Let Us Sing a New Song | 0:58
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