Religious Rights Through jazz
Through Dave Brubeck's religious music, he connected people of various religions together, reminding them of the importance of brotherhood.
"I believe in the ultimate victory of faith, hope and love in a world full of conflict and destruction." |
"Dave Brubeck was a giant not only in music but in spirit. His work will continue to speak an eternal message of hope for the brotherhood of man." |
"...he endorsed the idea of 'loving your enemies' and 'lending the shirt off your back' for your fellow man. He talked many times about the poor being blessed and being the first to go to heaven. My father wanted to make people hear the music in the concert hall but come out thinking where they stood in their hearts on the bigger issues of justice in our society."
-Chris Brubeck, one of Dave Brubeck's sons
Dave Brubeck's religious pieces expressed his hope for social justice, most notably in The Gates of Justice. At the height of the civil rights struggle, he wrote about how the civil rights issue had to be addressed immediately.
"Brubeck still described its message as humanistic and universal, an echo of the prophetic calls in the Bible for social justice. And his belief in the common ground between American Jews and blacks was undiminished: 'They were both enslaved, uprooted from their homelands and wandered in the diaspora,' he said in connection with a 1997 performance. 'When I began exploring the music, I was thrilled to hear the similarities among Hebraic chant and spirituals and blues.'”
-Neil Levin, Artistic Director of the Milken Archive of Jewish Music
"...We should have all listened to what he said then. I'm trying to make our thinking along those lines, because until we do realize that we're all brothers, this world is going to be a tough place to live in."
-Dave Brubeck