Host Lee Mergner welcomes brothers Chris Brubeck and Dan Brubeck on the Journey of Jazz Cruise 2025 to discuss growing up with their father, the legendary Dave Brubeck, and how they carried on his musical legacy.

Key Topics and Discussions:

• Dave Brubeck's Cowboy Roots: Dave Brubeck grew up a cowboy; his father, Grandpa Pete, was a tough rodeo champion and foreman of a vast 45,000-acre ranch. Dave's experiences riding horses and hearing the rhythms of nature, like the one-stroke engines for cattle water pumps, inspired his musical time concepts.
• The Grandparents' Marriage: The surprising marriage between "Grandpa Pete" (the tough cowboy) and the grandmother (a classical pianist who studied in Europe with a student of Franz Liszt, Derer Hess). The grandmother attempted to bring "high culture to the ranch," sometimes resulting in pranks played by Grandpa Pete on visiting opera guests.
• Military Service and the Wolfpack: Dave Brubeck served in Patton's army during World War II, present near the Battle of the Bulge. After playing piano impromptu for troops at a supply depot nicknamed "The Mud Hole," Colonel Brown reassigned Dave to put together a band. The band, nicknamed the Wolfpack, was significant as the first known integrated band in the army.
• Darius Mio and Composition: Dave Brubeck's interest in composition led him to study with the great French composer Darius Mio at Mills College after WWII. Mio, who encouraged Dave to "Praise your boogie woogie for me," inspired Dave to pursue large-scale compositions to remind humanity of the horrors of war (a pursuit that eventually led him to break up the classic quartet).
• Joining the Family Band: The brothers' journey into music was gradual, beginning with exposure to jazz musicians like Joe Morello as children. The formal establishment of the family group occurred when a promoter suggested Dave, Darius, Dan, and Chris perform as a quartet, eventually leading to the formation of the New Brubeck Quartet. Chris played fretless bass in this group.

Musical Selections Mentioned/Played:

• "Ode to a Cowboy": Written by Dave and lyricist Iola Brubeck, originally intended for Dan Brubeck. The track played is from the album In their own sweet way.
• "The Real Ambassadors": The anti-segregation musical co-written by Dave and Iola Brubeck. The original recording featured Louis Armstrong, Carmen McCrae, and Lambert, Hendricks & Ross. The show was performed live only once by the original cast at the Monterey Jazz Festival.
• "Someday My Prince Will Come": Dave's version, inspired by hearing Disney tunes playing softly through the wall from his children's record players. Dan Brubeck, the drummer, explains the new approach to the jazz waltz developed by Dave and Joe Morello.
• "My One Bad Habit": A ballad written by Dave and Iola Brubeck, inspired by a line Ella Fitzgerald told Dave at a diner: "my one bad habit is falling in love". Chris Brubeck confirms playing the trombone on this track.

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• Theme Music: Provided by Marcus Miller from his song "High Life" on his album Afrodeezia on Blue Note.