COMPOSERS: Brubeck
LABELS: Naxos Milken Archive
ALBUM TITLE: Brubeck - The Gates of Justice
WORKS: The Gates of Justice
PERFORMER: Kevin Deas, Alberto Mizrahi
Dave Brubeck Trio
Baltimore Choral Arts Society
Russell Gloyd
CATALOGUE NO: 8.559414
Any reminder of Dave Brubeck’s
abilities as a composer beyond jazz is
to be welcomed. The Gates of Justice
is fairly typical of Brubeck’s output
for large forces (for further listening,
try Classical Brubeck on Telarc, also
conducted by Russell Gloyd). Dating
from 1969, the cantata certainly
deserves a recording despite being
very much of its time, with the
loping, bouncy choral sections and
snatched diction sounding very early-
BBC2 to British listeners
Its premise, the relationship
between the African-American and
American Jewish experiences, is
realised in a variety of ways. The
texts mix biblical and Hebrew liturgy
with spirituals, the Jewish Hillel saga
and some well-crafted bespoke lyrics
by Brubeck’s wife Iola, while the
musical parallels between the two
cultures are artfully woven into the
work, the transitions to Brubeck’s
trio sections being some of the most
effective examples of this. In overall
performance terms, however, the
entire show is stolen by the glorious,
clarion-like voice of cantor Alberto
Mizrahi. The sound is spacious but
never unwieldy. Roger Thomas
Brubeck
Any reminder of Dave Brubeck’s
abilities as a composer beyond jazz is
to be welcomed. The Gates of Justice
is fairly typical of Brubeck’s output
for large forces (for further listening,
try Classical Brubeck on Telarc, also
conducted by Russell Gloyd). Dating
from 1969, the cantata certainly
deserves a recording despite being
very much of its time, with the
loping, bouncy choral sections and
snatched diction sounding very early-
BBC2 to British listeners
Its premise, the relationship
Our rating
4
Published: January 20, 2012 at 3:54 pm