Dave Brubeck: The Gates of Justice
Dave Brubeck: The Gates of Justice
by David Krusch
Henry David Thoreau once
said, “When I hear music, I fear no
danger. I am invulnerable. I see no foe.
I am related to the earliest times, and to
the latest.” No album comes closer to fulfilling
this statement then Dave Brubeck's The Gates of
Justice, a jazz-tinged cantata that
combines wisdom from the Torah with speeches
by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the writings
of Hillel.
Written in the late 1960s
at the end of the civil rights movement, Gates was Brubeck's musical attempt
at forging a common bond between the American
Jewish and black communities. In a time
of national polarization over the Vietnam
War, and the fight for equal rights for all
Americans, the Union of American Hebrew
Congregations and the College Conservatory
of Music at the University of Cincinnati
invited Brubeck to compose a piece that
would awaken the spiritual connections between
the two communities. According to the composer,
“They were both enslaved, uprooted
from their homelands and wandered in the
diaspora.” Brubeck also noted that
the historical narratives of both peoples
have many parallels. Thoreau would be pleased
to know that Brubeck masterfully combined
elements from the “earliest
and latest” times
to create this powerful composition.
This is not a “Jewish” sounding
album, but its message is undoubtedly a Jewish
value: the brotherhood of man. Brubeck takes
his internationally renowned jazz trio and
fuses it with the two shining voices of bass
baritone Kevin Deas and Cantor Alberto Mizrahi.
With the accompaniment of the Baltimore Choral
Arts Society, the album often borders on
the operatic and dramatic, and would not
necessarily be enjoyed by younger audiences.
Even so, the universal message of fellowship
will inspire all people, regardless of age.
A striking example of Brubeck
incorporating ancient and modern elements
can be found in the seventh movement “Shout
unto the Lord,” which uses
verses from Psalms,
the Book
of Isaiah, Hillel,
and quotes from Dr. King. To illustrate
the connections between the black and Jewish
communities in the civil rights movement,
Brubeck intentionally juxtaposes the most
famous section of King's “I Have a
Dream” speech, “Free at last!
I'm free at last!/Thank God Almighty, we're
free at last!” with
Hillel's proverb, “If the time for
action is not now, when is it?” In
the tenth movement, ““The Lord
is Good,” popular songs from the 1960s,
such as Simon and Garfunkel's “The
Sound of Silence” and
music from The Beatles, are referenced to
give the piece a more modern feel. Jazz
interludes are dispersed between tracks,
which showcase the Brubeck trio at its best.
One of the highlights is from the “Open
the Gates Chorale,” complete with
a dynamic drum solo by drummer Randy Jones.
This powerful and important album should
have a place in all record collections. The album's
liner notes give more information about Dave Brubeck,
song lyrics, and the overall project of The Gates
of Justice. The Milken Archive is producing an
astounding collection of American Jewish music –
sacred and secular – with the collaboration of
distinguished artists, ensembles and recording producers.
We will be reviewing more of the collection in coming
weeks.
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