The Brubeck Brothers Quartet is coming to The Westport Library for a special fundraising event on Saturday, March 9, with proceeds going to support and maintain the Library’s vast array of free programs and offerings.
There will be two types of tickets sold for the evening: a general admission ticket for $75 and a VIP ticket for $125 that includes an exclusive pre-event reception with the Brubeck family and special gifts, including a vinyl LP exclusive pressing of Time OutTakes featuring previously unreleased takes from the original Brubeck masterpiece Time Out.
Click here to buy tickets to this can’t-miss event.
“This event isn't just a tribute — it’s an ode to the genius of Dave and Iola Brubeck,” said Westport Library Executive Director Bill Harmer. “Through captivating visuals and masterful storytelling, the evening will unveil the extraordinary life of Dave Brubeck, drawing you into his genius, innovation, and spirit. Don't miss this unforgettable musical and cultural journey.”
The Brubeck Brothers Quartet is led by brothers Chris and Dan Brubeck, sons of the jazz legend. The two — Chris on bass and trombone and Dan on drums — have been making music together their whole lives, having put out their first record in 1966. Over the last decade, their recordings have consistently landed in the Top 10 of jazz radio charts. Rounding out the quartet is guitarist Mike DeMicco and pianist Chuck Lamb. Together, the group has performed at concert series, colleges, and jazz festivals across North America and Europe, including Newport, Detroit, Montreal, The Hollywood Bowl, and Monterey Jazz festivals.
“The Brubeck Brothers Quartet attains that rarefied level where music is both relaxed and expressive, and their joy in its creation is contagious,” All About Jazz said of the group. “There’s really nothing out there that comes close to their unique brand of inventiveness.”
Dave Brubeck is one of the leading lights in jazz history, a pianist and composer who gained international fame and acclaim in the 1950s and 60s. Time Out was the first jazz album to sell one million copies, and the hit song Take Five is to this day one of the most recognizable jazz singles of all time.
In his decorated career, Brubeck received the Kennedy Center Honor, a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, the National Medal of Arts, a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, the Smithsonian Medal, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, among many others. He lived in Fairfield County for most of his adult life, passing away in 2012 one day before his 92nd birthday.
“Every once in a while, jazz is blessed by one of those great figures who can do it all,” jazz historian Ted Gioia told The Washington Post at the time of Brubeck’s passing. “They give us a body of work that is full of musical riches ... but the music also can appeal to the average listener. Dave Brubeck is one of those figures.”
Each year, The Westport Library hosts more than 1,000 free programs, bringing together a remarkable 85,000-plus individuals — three times Westport's population — and offers a multitude of offerings for patrons of all ages. Westport provides 79% of the Library’s funding. That leaves 21% that the Library must fund itself, through a mix of generous donations, individual contributions, and fundraisers like this one.
“We’re incredibly fortunate to live in a town that values what the Library is able to deliver and that supports our diverse collection of offerings,” said Westport Library Development Director Agata Slattery. “For March 9, we’re thrilled to bring the Brubeck Brothers Quartet to our unparalleled Trefz Forum for an evening that will be entertainment of the highest order, all while helping us continue to provide the yearlong programming that we love to host and deliver to — and for — our community.”