The Real Ambassadors
The Real Ambassadors | |
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Music | Dave and Iola Brubeck Louis Armstrong |
Productions | 1962 Monterey Jazz Festival |
The Real Ambassadors is a
Background
In writing this work, the Brubecks drew upon experiences they and their friends and colleagues had touring various parts of the world on behalf of the
Among the events referenced, directly or indirectly, were the 1956 student riots in Greece in which stones were thrown at the US Embassy, which dissipated following performances by Dizzy Gillespie; Louis Armstrong's 1956 visit to Ghana as the guest of Prime Minister Kwame Nkrumah; and Armstrong's dispute with the Eisenhower Administration and President Eisenhower personally over the handling of the 1957 Central High School Crisis in Little Rock, Arkansas.
Recording and performance
The Real Ambassadors | |
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Soundtrack album | |
Released | 1962 |
Recorded | September, December 1961 30th Street Studio, New York City |
Genre | Jazz |
Label | Columbia |
Producer | Teo Macero |
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
New Record Mirror | [4] |
The musical's soundtrack album was recorded in September and December 1961 in the
The musical was performed in a cut-down version of 10 tunes, with Iola Brubeck narrating live, at the
Social impact
The Real Ambassadors was able to capture the often complicated, and sometimes contradictory, politics of the State Departments tours during the Cold War Era. Addressing African and Asian
They say I look like God.
Could God be black? My God!
If all are made in the image of thee,
Could thou perchance a zebra be?He's watchin' all the Earth.
He's watched us from our birth.
And if He cared if you black or white,
He'd a mixed one color, one just right.
Black or white... One just right...
Louis Armstrong, The Real Ambassadors, "They Say I Look Like God".
Despite Iola Brubeck's intention for some of her lyrics to be light and humorous in presentation, believing that some of the messages would be better received if presented in a satirical manner, Armstrong saw this performance as an opportunity for him to address many of the racial issues that he had struggled with for his entire career, and he made a request to sing the song straight. In one 2009 interview with Dave Brubeck, he remarked on Armstrong's seriousness: "Now, we wanted the audience to chuckle about the ridiculous segregation, but Louis was cryin'... and every time we wanted Louis to loosen up, he'd sing 'I'm really free. Thank God Almighty, I'm really free'."[10] After years of demeaning roles in his public performances, the collaboration in The Real Ambassadors offered Armstrong material that was closer to his own sensibility and outlook.[9]
The studio recording was finished in just one take, and everyone in the studio was "crying their eyes out" by the end of the performance. Armstrong's straight performance of Iola's lyrics, combined with Brubeck's subtle piano comping and gorgeous background vocals performed by Lambert, Hendricks, and Ross created a powerful, emotional musical experience for all involved.
Later, at the live performance of "The Real Ambassadors" with Armstrong at the 1962 Monterey Jazz Festival, Lambert, Hendricks, and Bavan put sackcloths and hoods over their heads (which they lifted before singing) just before beginning "They Say I Look Like God". The performance was not filmed, and Brubeck still regrets not having had the cash on hand to pay the festival's $750 fee to record the performance, stating that it was a "terrible goof" that the live performance wasn't filmed.
Releases and catalog numbers
- Columbia OL 5850 (1962)
- Columbia CBS 57035 (UK)
- Sony/CBS 467140 (1990 "I Love Jazz" CD reissue)
- Sony/CBS Legacy CK 57663 (US CD reissue)[11]
Track listing
- “Everybody's Comin' ["Everybody's Jumpin' "]” (1:45)
- “Cultural Exchange” (4:38)
- “Good Reviews” (2:05)
- “Remember Who You Are” (2:29)
- “My One Bad Habit” (2:37)
- “Lonesome” (2:24) *
- “Summer Song” (3:14)
- “King for a Day” (3:40)
- “Blow Satchmo” (0:44)
- “The Real Ambassadors” (3:08)
- “Nomad” (2:51) *
- “In The Lurch ["Two Part Contention" theme]” (2:28)
- “One Moment Worth Years” (4:17)
- “You Swing Baby ["The Duke"]” (2:31) *
- “Summer Song” (2:32) *
- “They Say I Look Like God” (5:26)
- “I Didn't Know Until You Told Me” (2:58)
- “Since Love Had Its Way” (2:31)
- “Easy As You Go” (2:32) *
- “Swing Bells / Blow Satchmo / Finale ["Watusi Drums" theme and "Blow Satchmo (reprise)"]” (6:05)
Asterisked selections appeared on the 1994 CD release, but not on the original LP release. All songs by Dave Brubeck and Iola Brubeck - except "My One Bad Habit" is by Dave Brubeck, Iola Brubeck and Ella Fitzgerald.
References
Penny M. Von Eschen. Satchmo Blows up the World: Jazz Ambassadors Play the Cold War (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2004).
Notes
- ^ a b Von Eschen, Penny M. Satchmo Blows Up the World, 2004, pp. 81, 89-90.
- ^ "Brubeck at Monterey: 1961-1966". 60th Annual Monterey Jazz Festival. Archived from the original on 2019-10-16. Retrieved 2019-10-16.
- ^ H. W. Wilson Company (1993). "Brubeck, Dave". Current Biography Yearbook. 54: 100–104.
- New Record Mirror. No. 93. p. 10. Archived from the original(PDF) on 1 April 2022. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
- ^ Stern, Chip. Liner notes for The Real Ambassadors, 1994, Columbia/Legacy CK57663.
- ^ "Dave Brubeck at Monterey: Part 5" Archived 2015-05-21 at the Wayback Machine. 2015. Retrieved 2015-05-20.
- ^ Search results for "Real Ambassadors" Archived 2015-05-21 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2015-05-20.
- ^ Program for "Dave and Iola Brubeck's The Real Ambassadors" Archived 2015-05-21 at the Wayback Machine. April 11–12, 2014. Retrieved 2015-05-20.
- ^ ISBN 0-231-12350-7.
- ^ Patrick, Jarenwattananon (2009-06-12). "Dave Brubeck on The Real Ambassadors". Archived from the original on 2009-08-21. Retrieved 2010-02-16.
- ^ "The Real Ambassadors". 2007-02-08. Archived from the original on 2011-07-21. Retrieved 2010-02-16.
External links
- The Real Ambassadors at Allmusic.
- Patrick Jarenwattananon, NPR Interview with Dave Brubeck on The Real Ambassadors.
- Interview with Penny Von Eschen on The Real Ambassadors.