Wilton, CT – With 2020 being the centennial year of Dave Brubeck, it’s only fitting that two of the organizations in the town where Dave and Iola Brubeck chose to raise their family are doing a celebration of all things jazz. This is the thirteenth season of Wilton Library and Wilton Historical Society’s collaborative Scholarly Series, and this year’s theme is “Jazzed Up—
The History of Jazz in America.” The five-part series runs from January through April, 2020, beginning with a talk by Dave Brubeck’s son, Darius, entitled “Dave Brubeck: Twentieth-Century American,” on Thursday, Jan. 16, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. in the library’s Brubeck Room. The series continues on four Sunday evenings, from 4 to 5:30 p.m., covering Civil Rights, the influence of Louis Armstrong, the Harlem Renaissance and women in jazz. The series is sponsored by Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. The Wilton Bulletin is the media sponsor.
Elaine Tai-Lauria remarked about the series, “We are excited to offer this rich look into our American Jazz history. Wilton Library offers a unique experience to share the special history of Wilton's own jazz great, Dave Brubeck, through the lens of his eldest son Darius. I was thrilled when Tish Brubeck informed me that Darius had accepted our invitation. Having him speak in the Brubeck Room, where all the Brubecks have performed…it really is quite a legacy.”
Kim Mellin concurred, “When we realized the Brubeck Brothers were performing for a library concert and that Darius would be able to kick off this series, the rest came together as if we were writing a musical score. It was perfection.”
The lectures are scheduled for either Wilton Library or the Wilton Historical Society as follows:
- Thursday, Jan. 16 Darius Brubeck—Dave Brubeck: Twentieth Century American at Wilton Library, 6:30 to 8 p.m. Darius will provide an overview of the panorama of Dave’s life in music over several decades. Born in 1920, Dave Brubeck was the epitome of jazz from the last half of the 20th century reaching into the 21st. Focusing on the flow of history, Darius has divided the century into decades using presidential terms as milestones and then has folded in major themes in Dave’s work. In his late career, Dave was perceived as a world figure representing a universal, yet typically American, brand of idealism. Pianist and composer Darius Brubeck toured the world with Two Generations of Brubeck and the New Brubeck Quartet. He moved to South Africa where he initiated degreed programs at university and eventually founded the Centre for Jazz and Popular Music at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. The moderator is Steve Hudspeth.
- Sunday, Jan. 26 Dr. Gil Harel—Jazz, Civil Rights, and Social Justice at Wilton Library, 4 to 5:30 p.m. In his talk, “Jazz, Civil Rights, and Social Justice,” Dr. Gil Harel, PhD, Brandeis University, will discuss the ways in which jazz as a medium was intertwined with the civil rights movement and the unrelenting drive towards social justice. Gil Harel is a musicologist and music theorist whose interests include styles ranging from the western classical repertoire to jazz. The moderator for this session is Max Gabrielson.
- Sunday, Feb. 9 Chris Coulter—Seriously Satchmo: The Importance of Louis Armstrong, The Early Years at Wilton Library, 4 to 5:30 p.m. In this lecture, Chris Coulter will explore Louis Armstrong’s early life and his important recordings that laid the groundwork for his most influential and remarkable career as one of the country’s most prominent musicians. Chris Coulter is a longtime local professional musician and Connecticut state-certified music educator. Chris has been performing on saxophones, flute and voice for over thirty years and he currently teaches music in the New Canaan Public Schools. Max Gabrielson will be the moderator.
- Sunday, March 8 Reggie Quinerly—The Harlem Renaissance: Connections and Creativity at the Wilton Historical Society, 4 to 5:30 p.m. Reggie Quinerly will address the factors, influences and artistic offerings associated with the unique period in America’s history that was the Harlem Renaissance. Quinerly grew up in a rich musical environment in Houston and graduated from the Mannes School of Music at New School University where he got to study with three great drummers: Jimmy Cobb, Lewis Nash, and Kenny Washington. In 2017, he fulfilled a life-long goal of returning to higher education, as a Juilliard faculty member and in the summer of 2019, he joined the faculty at Hunter College. The moderator is Steve Hudspeth.
- Sunday, April 5 Brenda Earle Stokes—Women in Jazz: Past, Present, Future at the Wilton Historical Society, 4 to 5:30 p.m. Vocalist, pianist and composer Brenda Earle Stokes shares the rich history of women in jazz, focusing on the many contributions of the often-overlooked female instrumentalists and composers. Brenda Earle Stokes is a rare jazz artist with a true command of both the piano and the voice as well as being a noted composer. She has played alongside numerous jazz musicians and has held residencies at the Kennedy Center and the Banff Canter for Fine Arts as well as touring clubs and festivals as a bandleader across the US, Canada, New Zealand and Australia. She also is active as an educator. Steve Hudspeth will moderate this final session.
Wilton Library is located at 137 Old Ridgefield Road in Wilton; the Wilton Historical Society is at 224 Danbury Road (Rt. 7) in Wilton.