Mitchell Sardou Klein, Music Director and Conductor of the Peninsula Symphony says it’s a concert he’s been trying to schedule for years – they’re calling it Reunion, and it brings together four jazz greats (David Benoit, Taylor Eigsti, Chris and Dan Brubeck) for a concert inspired by another one 18 years ago.
There’s more information at the Peninsula Symphony website.
Klein says in 2001, a South Bay concert brought together Dave Brubeck and David Benoit, two of the most popular and talented jazz piano masters of their time. “The two of them as kind of reigning piano jazz greats, presenting a young teenager as part of the concert who they both felt was the future of jazz piano, and his name is Taylor Eigsti.” Eigsti has grown to have quite a career of his own, and has appeared as a soloist several times with the Peninsula Symphony. “Now we’re 18 years later, and there is a reunion that we’re going to do with the Peninsula Symphony and Taylor Eigsti, and David Benoit, and the Brubeck brothers, Dave’s sons, Chris and Dan Brubeck, and I’ve been talking about this for years, we finally pulled it all together.” In addition to the concert-opening Porgy and Bess: A Symphonic Picture by Gershwin and a brand new work by Eigsti, Klein says there are lots of jazz favorites planned. “‘Take Five’, some of the iconic jazz pieces, ‘Caravan’ appears on the program. ‘Blue Rondo alla Turk’. Benoit standards like ‘Napa Crossroads’. It’s just going to be a fun program… Chris Brubeck’s fantastic bass trombone concerto is on this program, it’s just a hoot, and brilliant, brilliant piece, and a wonderful feature for him, so you’ll get to see on this program David Benoit, Taylor Eigsti, Chris and Dan Brubeck doing what they do in a symphonic context.”
