When your dad has been dubbed a "Jazz Master," it may be wise to take his road.
And that's what Chris and Dan Brubeck, sons of Dave Brubeck, have done.
The elder Brubeck - declared a Jazz Master by the National Endowment for the Arts in 2000 - long looked for links between jazz and classical music. His "Blue Rondo a la Turk" began as a play on Mozart's "Rondo alla Turca," and in the early '50s, his solo jams often included improvisations on Bach.
His sons, Chris on bass and trombone, Dan on drums, have continued this diligent musical search creating jazz both lyrically thoughtful and swinging.
They bring their Brubeck Brothers Quartet to the Tucson Jazz Society's "Love, Romance, and Brubeck" concert on Sunday.
Joining them are BBQ members Mike DeMicco, guitar, and Chuck Lamb, piano.
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Also taking part as special guest artists will be Tucson-based Brice Winston on tenor sax, and Winston's vocalist wife Eleonor.
"The concert will be a mix of original material and some Brubeck favorites," said Chris Brubeck, on the phone from his home in snowbound Connecticut. "A balance of ballads and up-tempo."
And it's likely their father's signature "Take Five" will be included in the mix.
"People are always disappointed if we don't play 'Take Five,'" said Chris.
"Dan (Brubeck) has been playing that song for about 40 years now. He has worked up a monster drum solo."
The Brubeck family occupies a unique place in two generations of the American Jazz Hall of Fame. While the original Dave Brubeck Quartet with alto saxophonist Paul Desmond made jazz popular with post-war college students, that group disbanded in 1967.
Brubeck wanted to concentrate more on composing. Then, in 1972 he began performing with his three sons - Chris, Dan and Darius Brubeck, who added electric piano.
While Darius went on to develop a career as a composer, educator and performer - dedicating years of his professional life to jazz education in South Africa - Chris and Dan continued working together with their dad Dave and with their own projects.
"I played in Dave's group for more than 12 years, recorded a dozen albums," said Chris.
"So actually, his material is also our material," he added with a distinct pride of ownership.
The new material Chris and Dan have created with DeMicco and Lamb in BBQ also is being well received by jazz critics.
Jazz Review described BBQ's 2006 CD "Intuition" as "a varied, inventive and energetic album whose sound seems larger than that of a quartet and whose accessibility belies the complexity of some of the meters."
When BBQ's 2008 recording "Classified" came out, Jazz Times Review said the new recording "picks up where the group's 2006 'Intuition' left off."
"We are not a smooth jazz band, we aren't simplistic," said Chris with emphasis. "We are more complicated than that, but we're still accessible.
"It won't be one of those concerts where everything is loud and fast. We always follow a fast song with a slow one."
When informed that Tucson's jazz audience seems to be about equally divided between fans of smooth jazz and straight-ahead jazz, Chris said "Then we'll be the perfect group for them.
"And because of Valentine's Day, we'll be playing some special love songs, too."
IF YOU GO
"Love, Romance and Brubeck"
• Who: Brubeck Brothers Quartet in concert.
• Presented by: Tucson Jazz Society.
• When: 7:30 p.m. Sunday.
• Where: JW Marriott Starr Pass Resort, 3800 W. Starr Pass Blvd.
• Tickets: $35 general admission, $25 TJS members, $20 students and active duty military with ID.
• Reservations, information: www.tucsonjazz.org or 903-1265.
Chuck Graham has written about the Tucson arts scene for more than 35 years. Read more of his arts coverage at "Let the Show Begin," www.tucsonstage.com
