Every year I try to catch the Kennedy Center Honors show. It was on tonight and I remembered to record it since I wouldn’t have been home when it started. And I am glad I did!
This year’s recipients were: Mel Brooks, Dave Brubeck, Grace Bumbry, Robert De Niro, and Bruce Springsteen.
The First Lady, Mel Brooks, Dave Brubeck, Grace Bumbry, Robert De Niro, and Bruce Springsteen, and President Obama
I was really looking forward to the tribute to Bruce Springsteen. John Mellencamp, Melissa Etheridge, Ben Harper, Jennifer Nettles, Eddie Vedder, and Sting all did a great job singing Sprinsteen’s songs. It was pretty cool watching the President and First Lady jamming to Springsteen songs.
But it was American jazz pianist Dave Brubeck tribute that I enjoyed the most! One of Brubeck’s songs “Take Five” (1961) is on of my all-time favorite songs!
Here is how they honored Dave Brubeck:
A jazz performance by some of the most famous musicians of the genre – Grammy Award winner Christian McBride (“Illuminations”), Grammy Award nominee Bill Charlap, Jon Faddis, Bill Stewart and Miguel Zenon – performing together as the Brubeck All-Star Jazz Quintet, presenting an intricate medley of Brubeck classics “Unsquare Dance,” “The Duke” and “In Your Own Sweet Way,” followed by renditions of “Take Five” and “Blue Rondo a La Turk.”
(from Kennedy Center Honors website).
Then Dave Brubeck’s four sons played on stage and played with the All-Star Jazz Quintet. Yes, it brought a tear to my eye. Then all of the musicans played “Happy Birthday” for Brubeck — it happened to be his 89th birthday.
When the tribute for Brubeck was over, I went to my laptop to find Dave Brubeck songs. I am looking forward to listening to more of Dave Brubeck songs.
Filed under: Current Events Tagged: | Bruce Springsteen, Dave Brubeck, Grace Bumbry, Kennedy Center Honors, Mel Brooks, Robert De Niro, Take Five
