Jeez, this is one they should hand to the new radio recruits as they report for duty. The pacing is spot-on perfect--the proportion of words to notes somehow works wonderfully. More, the host is as laidback and easygoing, yet smart, as Brubeck's classic works. She's jsut enough of the piece, never too much. I can't imagine any station format where this wouldn't fit in the evening. You could say she softballed him a little bit--nothing on the question of whether black musicians resented his Time cover, etc--but what the hell, that's all been covered, he's an old guy (though still right there), and in the end it's such a treat to see his music and his personality blend together.
Review of An Hour With Dave Brubeck
Bill McKibben
Posted on February 09, 2005 at 07:45 AM
Jeez, this is one they should hand to the new radio recruits as they report for duty. The pacing is spot-on perfect--the proportion of words to notes somehow works wonderfully. More, the host is as laidback and easygoing, yet smart, as Brubeck's classic works. She's jsut enough of the piece, never too much. I can't imagine any station format where this wouldn't fit in the evening. You could say she softballed him a little bit--nothing on the question of whether black musicians resented his Time cover, etc--but what the hell, that's all been covered, he's an old guy (though still right there), and in the end it's such a treat to see his music and his personality blend together.