Brubeck Fest to Celebrate State Department Tours

By I Mar. 18, 2008

Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the 1958 Dave Brubeck Quartet’s State Department tour, the 2008 Brubeck Festival will increase the number of events and expand the fest to another location. The Festival will feature performances of jazz, contemporary concert music, lectures and academic symposia.

Events include concerts featuring saxophonist Bob Mintzer with the Brubeck Institute Jazz Quintet and the Open World Jazz Octet, Deepak Ram Quartet and will conclude April 13 with the Dave Brubeck Quartet and the Ramsey Lewis Trio performing in Washington, D.C.

This year’s festival takes place in Stockton, Calif., from March 31–April 5, and in Washington, D.C., from April 8–13. In Stockton, the events will be on or near the campus of the University of the Pacific.

The State Department tours were designed to advance the interests and values of the United States through cultural diplomacy. The State Department sent many jazz musicians to all areas of the world; the DBQ traveled to Poland, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, India, Iran, Iraq and Turkey.

More info: brubeckfestival.com