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

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

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