Brubeck - The Gates of Justice (Milken Archive American Jewish Music)

Editorial Reviews
Cincinnati Enquirer
"Brubeck's artistry is as fresh...as always.

American Record Guide
"The Dave Brubeck Trio is as elegant and riveting as ever."

Album Description
Dave Brubeck, a jazz legend, is going strong at 83, with major appearances throughout the USA in 2004, including Carnegie Hall. His trio and quartet draw standing room only crowds. The Gates of Justice, one of the first full-length jazz oratorios, was born out of the idealism and turmoil of the 1960s. Unique in its concept, "Gates" aims specifically to unite the spiritual and musical traditions of Judaism and African American cultures. "Gates" showcases the incomparable Dave Brubeck Trio within a choral and jazz-band setting, with two highly individual soloists: a Jewish cantor singing scriptures and prayers from the Jewish tradition, and a black baritone singing texts of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., spirituals, and jazz melodies. The blend of musical styles is captivating. This is a major release that can promote the entire Milken Archive series. It demonstrates the universality of the American Jewish music concept, crossing borders within the Judeo-Christian traditions, as well as the classical and jazz traditions.

Brubeck - The Gates of Justice (Milken Archive American Jewish Music)

Tracks:

I. Lord, The Heavens Cannot Contain Thee
II. Oh, Come Let Us Sing
IIIa. Open The Gates
IIIb. Chorale
IVa. Except The Lord Build The House
IVb. Except The Lord Build The House (Improvisation)
V. Lord, Lord
VI. Ye Shall Be Holy
VII. Shout Unto The Lord
VIII. When I Behold Thy Heavens
Ix. How Glorious Is Thy Name
X. The Lord Is Good
XI. His Truth Is A Shield
XII. Oh, Come Let Us Sing A New Song

Album Description

Dave Brubeck, a jazz legend, is going strong at 83, with major appearances throughout the USA in 2004, including Carnegie Hall. His trio and quartet draw standing room only crowds. The Gates of Justice, one of the first full-length jazz oratorios, was born out of the idealism and turmoil of the 1960s. Unique in its concept, "Gates" aims specifically to unite the spiritual and musical traditions of Judaism and African American cultures. "Gates" showcases the incomparable Dave Brubeck Trio within a choral and jazz-band setting, with two highly individual soloists: a Jewish cantor singing scriptures and prayers from the Jewish tradition, and a black baritone singing texts of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., spirituals, and jazz melodies. The blend of musical styles is captivating. This is a major release that can promote the entire Milken Archive series. It demonstrates the universality of the American Jewish music concept, crossing borders within the Judeo-Christian traditions, as well as the classical and jazz traditions.

Customer Reviews:

According to Mr. Brubeck..........2005-12-24

In 1996 or 1997, I was invited to see Mr. Brubeck's performance of 'The Gates of Justice' at Fairfield University in Connecticut. Music has always had the ability to move me deeply. As a musician, I was drawn to musicianship but more importantly, passion in the work.
By no means am I an aficionado of choral music but witnessing that performance on that summer evening changed me. I am also not a religious person, I tend to congratulate man for his accomplishments. Therefore, I decided to write Mr. Brubeck and convey my appreciation for what his performance meant to me. In particular, I noticed that the performance was being recorded by the university and I was interested in obtaining a copy being that his album was out of print. To my surprise, Mr. Brubeck told me that he did not have a copy of that work. According to him, that tumultuous period (the 1960's)produced many works that were either recorded or performed and forgotten about or lost.
So, from time to time I would do a search on Amazon to see if one was available and today, as I was listening to Yes' 'The Gates of Delirium', I thought to give it another try. So here it is!
Listening to the samples on the site I must admit, the live performance grabs the listener much more than the studio takes. To see the choir, the percussionists, the strings and horns, soloists and finally, Mr. Brubecks trio charge out of a crescendo was earth-shattering.
If a live performance does exist, I'd love to own it. If however, this is the best I can find, I'll take it.

POWERFUL MUSIC AND PERFORMANCES . . ........2004-07-02

Amazon's editorial review is an excellent introduction to this powerful recording. Additionally, Neil H. Levin states in the liner notes: "Dave Brubeck has always maintained that he wrote . . . THE GATES OF JUSTICE (1969) to bring together - and back together - the Jewish people and American blacks." Brubeck writes, "When I began exploring the music, I was thrilled to hear the similarities among Hebraic chant and spirituals and blues." Therefore, a cantor usually sings the tenor role and an African American the baritone role. And it would be hard to find any singers better suited to these roles than Cantor Alberto Mizrahi and bass baritone Kevin Deas on this recording.

Being an alumnus of several excellent choral groups, when listening to a new work I usually ask myself whether or not I would want to sing that particular piece of music. In this case the answer was an immediate "yes, definitely yes!" Not only is this an incredibly exciting piece of music, but one that also cries out for justice and an end to hatred and hostility.

Mr. Brubeck writes, "The deeper my involvement in the composition, the more apparent it became that I was no longer thinking in terms of social justice, as evidenced in the histories of Jews and American blacks. Rather, through their unquenchable will to survive and to be free, I had been led inevitably to the more basic problem of man (universal and individual), his relationship to other men, and ultimately to God."

GATES OF JUSTICE is not only powerful and exciting, it is also an important political and social statement for our times. One of the eternal religious obligations in Judaism is found in the admonition "Justice, justice you shall pursue"; and a bumper sticker of old reads, "If you want peace, then work for justice." Brubeck writes: "And when men have fulfilled their obligations to each other, they will no longer need to ask: 'Where is justice? Where is God?' It will be self-evident: 'HERE I AM!'"

Tracks:

Open The Gates (Excerpt) - Cantor Alberto Mizrahi
Hashkiveinu - Hans Peter Blochwitz
Hudi Mitn Shtrudl - David Krakauer
III. Modere - Juilliard String Quartet
Old Jerusalem - Ana Maria Martinez
III. King David Dancing Before The Ark - Robert Vernon
Sheyibbaneh Beit Hamikdash - Cantor Benzion Miller
IV. Dance Of The Phantom Spirits - Gerard Schwarz
VII. Hinei Ma Tov - Vienna Boys Choir
VII. Psalm 126 - Prague Philharmonic Chorus
El Melekh Yoshev - New London Children's Choir
I. Demon's Welcome - Richard Stoltzman
Service Sacre L'Kha Dodi - Prague Philharmonic Chorus
The Flood, Part I - Fritz Weaver
Adon Olam - Academy Of St. Martin-In-The-Fields
IV. Camini Por Altas Torres - Lucy Shelton
Sheva B'Rakhot (Excerpt) - Cantor Simon Spiro
Mayn Goldele - Nell Snaidas
The Heavenly Host Delivers The Commandments To Moses/The People Dance Around The Golden Calf - Ian Denolfo

Album Description

The Milken Archive of American Jewish Music is a vast recorded panorama of the rich body of Jewish music, both sacred and secular, that has developed over the course of American history. This recording features nineteen tracks representing the broad scope of the Archive recordings.

Customer Reviews:

Wonderful introduction to a distinguished new series.......2003-09-29

I can't express how excited I am about this new series from Naxos and the Milken Archive! There is some absolutely stunning music on this sampler, and I can't wait until the full recordings are released. Especially notable are Ernst Toch's "Cantata of the Bitter Herbs" (what gorgeous choral & orchestral writing), Paul Schoenfield's Viola Concerto (utterly fantastic excerpt "King David Dancing Before the Ark"), the excerpt from Joseph Achron's suite from The Golem, "Open the Gates" from Dave Brubeck's Gates of Justice, and the lovely duet from Joseph Rumshinsky's Yiddish operetta "Di goldene kale." Also, if you're not familiar with Jewish liturgical music or with klezmer, there are wonderful examples on this disc. My only disappointment is that, because of economic reasons, most of the recordings had to be made with European ensembles. Although the performances are excellent (under directors Gerard Schwarz, Neville Marriner, Yoel Levi and others), it's just a shame that this music, which, in addition to being Jewish, is also very AMERICAN, cannot be preserved on CD by American ensembles. At any rate, I'm pretty certain that within the next couple of years, I'll have collected all the 50 discs in this project. You don't have to be Jewish to appreciate this great music. And at around $7.00 a disc, they're an incredible value. This marvelous sampler will get you hooked on some fabulous music.

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