Naxos are doing great
things for neglected music, not least
through their American Classics series.
A couple of years ago they gave us a
collection of Ned Rorem’s songs, accompanied
by the composer. Here, now, is Dave
Brubeck providing accompaniments for
half this collection of some of his
songs; the booklet text makes it clear
that this selection "represents
but a small sampling of his solo vocal
output". Can we hope for more,
then?
Having the composer
present always sets the imprimatur of
authenticity on a project. Brubeck not
only accompanies but also plays long
and elaborate preludes and interludes
to the songs and does so in his inimitable
way. His harmonic language was always
so distinct and stood out from the rest
of the jazz pianists I used to listen
to in my youth in the 1950s, often via
short-wave broadcasts from Voice of
America. In those days he was regarded
by some of my jazz-loving friends as
an "odd-ball", being too academic,
too intellectual, not real advocate
of swing. Well, the "cool jazz"
movement from the West Coast had its
detractors but Brubeck has survived
all the counter-trends during the last
half century. His compositions in those
days were also a bit off the beaten
track; he was one of the first to write
a jazz waltz, for example.
The present disc shows
him in a wide variety of styles, from
twelve-tone to pop. What is a common
feature, irrespective of style, is the
haunting beauty of his melodies. Many
of the songs at once catch you by the
collar and never let go. Mentioning
one or two favourites would mean that
I had to leave out others that I like
just as much. To my ears they are all
gems. The words, printed in the booklet,
are mainly by Brubeck, by his wife Iola
and still within the family, by their
son Michael, who wrote Once When
I Was Very Young. The unaccompanied
Tao is a setting of a Buddhist
text. There are also four poems by Langston
Hughes, not reprinted in the booklet.
If there is any criticism
at all it concerns the programme planning,
where the first six songs, beautiful
though they are, are also very slow
and create a somewhat sleepy feeling.
Not until track 7 is there some rhythmic
liveliness. One thing that contributes
to this feeling of sameness is the singing
of John De Haan. His is a thin-sounding,
reedy tenor voice, employed almost constantly
in piano and pianissimo in a crooning
manner that takes some will-power to
listen to in long stretches. The voice
has some similarity to that of Peter
Pears’ with sometimes a slow beat on
sustained notes but without the plangent
penetrating tone. This voice is much
more soft-centred. Of course a crooner
is more in keeping with Brubeck’s style
than an operatic hero, but one could
have wished for a little more power.
Interestingly, when we come to the Langston
Hughes settings, they are not only in
a darker tonal landscape but also set
for a lower voice. The baritonal part
of De Haan’s voice gives more power,
more focus to the singing. It is also
fine to hear Jane Giering-De Haan’s
bright soprano as a contrast in two
of the songs.
Day After Day;
yes, I have to mention it because it
is extremely fine; also employs De Haan’s
baritone register to good effect. Once
When I Was Very Young is a lovely
encore to a fascinating programme. With
good sound, an interesting essay by
John De Haan and with the excellent
Cliff Jackson deputizing for Brubeck
in the latter half of the concert this
is definitely a disc that can be whole-heartedly
recommended. Some of the finest songs
I have heard for a long time. And you
do get used to the singing, too!
Göran Forsling
John De Haan (tenor), Jane Giering-De Haan
(soprano) (Hold Fast To Dreams; The Dream Keeper),
Dave Brubeck (piano) (tracks 1; 7), Cliff Jackson
(piano) (tracks 9; 14) 
