An Evening with Chris Brubeck & Time for Three

AN EVENING WITH CHRIS BRUBECK & TIME FOR THREE

Saturday, January 8, 2022 | 7:30 PM Village Church, Destin

“A composer with a real flair for lyrical melody – a 21st Century Lenny Bernstein.” ~ The Chicago Tribune

Defying convention and boundaries, Time For Three stands at the busy intersection of Americana, modern pop, and classical music. To experience Time For Three (TF3) live is to hear the various eras, styles, and traditions of Western music fold in on themselves and emerge anew. Bonded by an uncommon blend of their instruments fused together with their voices, Charles Yang (violin, vocals), Nicolas “Nick” Kendall (violin, vocals), and Ranaan Meyer (double bass, vocals), have found a unique voice of expression to share with the world.

Grammy-nominated composer Chris Brubeck continues to distinguish himself as an innovative performer and composer. An award-winning composer, he is clearly tuned into the pulse of contemporary music and no stranger to the Sinfonia stage. Paired with Time For Three, an incredible jam session will ensue culminating in the Southeast U.S. premier of Chris’s concerto for the boys entitled “Travels in Time for Three.”

Fanfare for a Friend: In Honor of Maestro Peter Jaffe Chris Brubeck Travels in Time for Three Chris Brubeck

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Time for Three

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efying convention and boundaries, Time For Three stands at the busy intersection of Americana, modern pop, and classical music. To experience Time For Three (TF3) live is to hear the various eras, styles, and traditions of Western music fold in on themselves and emerge anew. Bonded by an uncommon blend of their instruments fused together with their voices, Charles Yang (violin, vocals), Nicolas “Nick” Kendall (violin, vocals), and Ranaan Meyer (double bass, vocals), have found a unique voice of expression to share with the world.

Earning praise from NPR, NBC, The Wall Street Journal, and the Chicago Sun-Times to name a few, the band has become renowned for their charismatic and

energetic performances. Having graced the stages of Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Center, and The Royal Albert hall, their inimitable and mutable style fits equally well in an intimate club setting, like Joe’s Pub in New York, or Yoshi’s in San Francisco. In 2016, Time For Three was featured on the famed “Night of the Proms” tour, sharing the stage with such artists as Chaka Khan and Ronan Keating, playing arenas throughout several European countries. The trio has collaborated with artists as diverse as Ben Folds, Branford Marsalis, Joshua Bell, Aoife O’Donovan, Natasha Bedingfield, and Arlo Guthrie, and have premiered original works—written for the band - from composers Chris Brubeck and Pulitzer Prize-winners Jennifer Higdon and William Bolcom. An upcoming commission project includes a work by Pulitzer Prize winning composer, Kevin Puts. They’ve appeared on ABC’s Dancing With The Stars, and won an Emmy for “Time For Three In Concert,” produced by PBS. Yet for all their accolades and diverse experiences, the irrepressible band constantly hungers for new ones. In 2020, the band partnered with cellist and composer Ben Sollee to put together the soundtrack to the new Focus Features' film Land, starring and directed by Robin Wright. The film first premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 31, 2021.

With a collection of new songs, the band has teamed up with GRAMMY-winning songwriter Liz Rose and GRAMMY-winning producer Femke Weidema for new recordings released through Warner Music.

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Chris Brubeck

the Canadian Brass Quintet (No Borders) and Affinity:

Concerto for Guitar & Orchestra written for celebrated guitarist Sharon Isbin. Among Chris's favorite

commissions are a violin concerto, Spontaneous Combustion, written for Nick Kendall, Travels in Time for Three for the celebrated string trio, Time for Three; as well as River of

Song written for Frederica von Stade and commissions from the Muir String Quartet, The Boston Pops, Time for Three, and consortiums including Baltimore Symphony, Colorado Music Festival, Indianapolis Symphony, Portland Symphony, Oakland East Bay Symphony, and many others.

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rammy-nominated composer Chris Brubeck continues to distinguish himself as a multi-faceted performer and creative force. An award-winning writer, he is clearly tuned into the pulse of contemporary music. The respected music critic for The Chicago Tribune, John von Rhein calls Chris: “a composer with a real flair for lyrical melody—a 21st Century Lenny Bernstein.”

Chris has created an impressive body of symphonic work while maintaining a demanding touring and recording schedule with his two groups: the Brubeck Brothers Quartet (with brother Dan on drums), and Triple Play, an acoustic trio featuring Chris on piano, bass and trombone along with guitarist Joel Brown and harmonica player extraordinaire Peter Madcat Ruth. Additionally, Chris performs as a soloist playing his trombone concertos with orchestras and has served as Artist in Residence with orchestras and colleges in America, coaching, lecturing, and performing with students and faculty.

Chris is a much sought-after composer, and has been commissioned to write many innovative works. Pas de Deux,

Concerto for Violin, Cello & Orchestra, written for Jaime Laredo and Sharon Robinson was co-commissioned by the Classical Tahoe Orchestra, which presented the world premiere of the piece under the baton of Maestro Joel Revzen. Chris's recent compositions include concertos for

Chris's highly acclaimed Concerto for Bass Trombone and

Orchestra, has been played by many of the top bass trombonists in the world (including former Boston Symphony bass trombonist and now Arizona resident Douglas Yeo) and was recorded with Chris as soloist with the London Symphony Orchestra. Joel Revzen conducted Chris and the LSO at Abbey Road Studios resulting in the

release of the popular cd, Bach to Brubeck on Koch International Classics. In addition to the dozens of jazz recordings Chris has made, he is also very proud of the two

CDs he recorded with Frederica von Stade, Across Your Dreams and Convergence (which features River of Song). Chris and his father, Dave Brubeck, co-wrote Ansel Adams:

America, an exciting orchestral piece which features 101 of Ansel Adams’ majestic images projected above the

orchestra. In 2013, Ansel Adams: America was a Grammy finalist for Best Instrumental Composition.

Chris is an advocate for arts education and serves on the advisory board of Norwalk Youth Symphony and Classical Tahoe, and is on the honorary board for the Tennessee

Arts Academy. He is also a founding director of Brubeck

Living Legacy, a non profit founded by the Brubeck family to honor and continue the legacy of his parents, Dave and Iola Brubeck.

Brubeck's skill both as composer and soloist is extraordinary. - Fanfare Magazine

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PROgRAM NOTES

Chris Brubeck (1952 -) Fanfare for a Friend: In Honor of Maestro Peter Jaffe

Peter Jaffe is a marvelous musician and despite his abundant knowledge of Classical music, he has an expansive appreciation and knowledge of many musical genres. His enthusiasm for music is infectious and we have enjoyed many joyful collaborations over the years with The Stockton Symphony Orchestra. I initially met Maestro Jaffe through my father, Dave Brubeck, who told me that Peter was an extremely talented and cheerful conductor whose company I would really enjoy. As with many things, my father was right in his assessment!

I was very deeply honored that the Stockton Symphony Board thought of me as a composer when the idea of saluting Maestro Jaffe with a new piece came up. Little themes for this musical tribute immediately began to dance in my head. Since Peter was a great friend of both me and my father, my first musical thought was to employ a compositional technique that my father had grown fond of in his later years. He liked to look for the inherent rhythm in someone's name and use that as the "rhythmic cell" for the piece. For example An-ge-la Lans-bur-y implies two triplets and a 6/8 time signature. Whereas Peter Jaf-fe implies a four note figure. Therefore this piece starts off with a series of orchestral pyramid chords proclaiming "Pe-ter Jaf-fe, Pe-ter Jaf-fe." Since the Board asked me to compose a work that would celebrate his 20 years as the Stockton Symphony music director and conductor, I thought I'd start with the feeling of a Fanfare and an orchestral salute. Peter's tastes are vast and eclectic so as an inside joke I threw in a fleeting Bach-like passage before quickly returning to the musical language of the opening. In several key places throughout this composition I also insert a stabbing chord (one of Peter's favorites which is a collection of notes that are harmonically both major and minor chords sounding simultaneously.) This kind of chord was used in a revolutionary way by Stravinsky in the Classical world and by Dave Brubeck as a modern Jazz innovation.

Also, there is a fugue-like section that is again based on the "Peter Jaffe" rhythmic cell. With another "inside" nod, it starts on my instrument, the bass trombone, and the theme is tossed around the orchestra in fugue-like imitation. After a couple of minutes of continuing this playful repartee the tuba, contra bassoon, cellos and basses play the Jaffe theme at half speed as the upper voices go rolling along at their original clip. I know this is the kind of internal musical architecture that Peter really enjoys.

The middle of the piece has a romantic theme which I wrote as a salute to Peter's lovely wife, Jane. As they say "behind every great man, there is a great woman," and Jane

and Peter enjoy a terrific partnership. Between them they are a four-legged, two-brained walking encyclopedia of musical knowledge and over the years I have called them many times seeking answers. They actually admire creative and skillfully played rock music as well; so I introduced a Blues Shuffle/ Boogie Woogie ostinato (Pe-ter Jaf-fe, Peter Jaf-fe in a repeating 6/8 feel) near the end of the piece which "Rock and Rolls" along while the brass interjects the Stravinsky chord above it. Echoing Classical structures, there is a recapitulation of the introduction, only this time compressed to build more energy towards the ending. Peter Jaffe is such an energetic conductor that there was no doubt in my mind that this piece written in his honor had to include a compelling finale.

I hope you enjoy listening to this piece as much as I enjoyed writing it. I have played with many great orchestras and conductors all over the world. I want you to know that in my opinion the citizens of Stockton are extremely fortunate and blessed to have a man of Peter Jaffe's abilities and character leading one of the most important organizations in their community for the last 20 years. This is my sincere musical tribute to a marvelous musician, great friend and innovative thinker with a very big heart. I think the ideas expressed in this piece beat the heck out of me giving a long speech praising his many achievements. Bravo Maestro Jaffe! May your days continue to be filled with joyful music!

Chris Brubeck (1952 -) Travels in Time for Three

A few years ago, I took the train to Philadelphia from Connecticut and stayed at Ranaan Meyer's house (Tf3's bass player) where, along with the other guys, we played and bounced ideas off of each other over the next 3 days. The first jam session started off with the group reading a sketch I had written on the train ride on the way to Philadelphia. That theme turned out to have the staying power to be the main theme that, in the final composition, ties the four movements together.

As we tossed ideas back and forth while improvising on the jazzy "train" theme, we fell into playing the theme in a "classical" manner. This central idea is clearly expressed in the final version of the first movement. It sounds as if the group was instantaneously transported into the Baroque era with the orchestra following along in this contrasting style. This reflected the fact that both the group and I have tremendously eclectic tastes. We love all kinds of music from Funk to Classical -- we embrace it all. The styles shift on a dime, the common thread being the main theme, and as the music quickly leaps from the sensibilities of the program notes cont. page 81 sinfonia gulf coast | 79

program notes cont.

1700's to the 21st Century it almost seems like the trio were musical "time travelers." These factors inspired the title... "Travels in Time For Three."

On my second day in Philadelphia, we started jamming in some odd time signatures. Soon a country fiddle was playing in 4/4 over the odd-metered bass line. This crazy confluence of genres was the foundation of the second movement. Since we had taped our jamming, I referred back to it for inspiration as I began to develop and compose "sketches." The fiddle melodies dance over a 4-bar rhythmic pattern group consisting of one bar of 4/4, one bar of 3/4, one bar of 4/4, one bar of 5/4. There is a quick change in style and suddenly the rhythmic foundation becomes a Funk pattern in 9/4 time. To mix things up, Ranaan plays a country fiddle-style solo on double bass which is actually in "good old" 4/4 time for a while. Whatever time signature is being played, the music is always swinging whether in an Irish "folky" way, or in an innovative odd-metered funky stew.

The third Movement, by total contrast, is marked "Adagio Pensivo" and is dominated by the string section of the orchestra. This movement, led by Nick & Nikki, emphasizes harmonic exploration, with many "webs" of melodic suspensions extending through the opening passage. This sets the table for a double bass solo in the highest expressive range of the instrument. At the emotional climax of the movement, the main theme is restated and reharmonized in an expansive way. The musical arc of this Movement is completed with a return to the opening motif and a quiet resolution.

In the last movement, "Clouseau's Mardi Gras", I made the note "Misterioso Burlesco" in the score as this movement takes the audience on a humorous ride from a sneaky Mancini-influenced opening, to a Cajun fiddle/Mardi Gras Funk parade, to a Gospel Funk Country groove in 7/4, complete with blazing fiddles matching the intensity of rock and roll. After individual cadenzas, the entire piece climaxes into a fast 7/8 version of the original theme. This serves as a vehicle to propel the celebratory music to an exciting conclusion.

This concerto was tailor-made for Time for Three, and I'm happy I was able to create a vehicle for them that showcases their remarkable talents and spirit and thrills audiences all over the world. I think you'll enjoy taking this musical journey with them.

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Sinfonia Gulf Coast’s Music Education and Youth Orchestra DirectorAaron King Vaughn runs an after-school string program for 3rd & 4thgrade students at Destin Elementary School twice a week?

$100 per semester, price includes:

• Instrument rental

• Twice weekly lessons

• Performance opportunity

Contact akvaughn@sinfoniagulfcoast.org for details.

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