Discovery of the Month - Chris Brubeck's On the Threshold of Liberty

image of Chris Brubeck

While at Ithaca College, I wrote:
I heard a terrific piece by Dave Brubeck's son, Chris Brubeck, called Vignettes for wind quintet and jazz quartet. An enquiry to his website brought back the astonishing news that he has a wind band piece written already, Threshold of Liberty, published by Carl Fischer.

Since then I have been in touch with Chris again, following his blog adventures in Alaska, listening to his folk song tracks, his virtuoso trombone playing and of course his performances with his father (now an astonishing ninety years young) and brothers, and also puzzling over a limerick competition he set in his blog which I repeat here:

There once was a singer named Elvis
Who warbled while shaking his pelvis

But the main point of this entry is to re-introduce a work written in the early part of the 21st Century, On the Threshold of Liberty written for the US Army Field Band. His symphonic work, Quiet Heroes, based on the story of two flagraisers at Two Jima, was recently performed in a band version by the President's Own US Marine Corps Band.

Download a performance of On the Threshold of Liberty

To follow up the competition on Chris's blog, click here