Darius Brubeck and Catherine Brubeck, the author of Playing the Changes: Jazz at an African University and on the Road, answers questions on their new book.
Q: Why did you decide to write this book?
There were compelling motives, both public and personal. We were in South Africa at a time of great change. Introducing formal jazz education was a small but early, significant, and famously successful part of an overall transformation that took place on our watch. We wanted to memorialize some remarkable people, mainly musicians, and we were concerned about the lack of and apparent disregard for institutional memory at the University of Natal and in South Africa generally. Forty years after the ‘freedom struggle’, do people still remember the culture and respect the values that made South Africa a symbol of hope for the world? Many friends and colleagues persuaded us there was a story to tell and Darius’ parents, Dave and Iola Brubeck encouraged us to tell it.
Q: What is the most interesting discovery you made while researching and writing your book?
It was interesting to track the ways our life and work in South Africa impacted on others and we included other voices in our story. Darius would like to say that while Catherine’s contribution did not go unnoticed back in the day, how much of the program really did spring from her imagination as well as dogged diligence can only be appreciated in retrospect. We were reminded of many forgotten details digging through the archives of old newspaper clippings, reports, programs and photos. If the evidence hadn’t been there, we wouldn’t have believed we did so much, especially in the early years.
Q: What myths do you hope your book will dispel or what do you hope your book will help readers unlearn?
Well, the myths of white supremacy and the inevitability of violent culture-clash that underpinned apartheid have already been dispelled, but we believe encouraging and facilitating the enrolment of black students during our time was part of this process. Overthrowing the ‘myth’ that only formally trained musicians can succeed at university level is the throughline of our narrative. Catherine also considers the idea that jazz isn’t influential in the age of TikTok — a myth. Jazz doesn’t have to command millions of followers and earn billions of dollars to take people on a personally transformative journey. Finally, returning to the South African historical context, what we witnessed over and over again was that it wasn’t only Nelson Mandela who was willing to forgive.
Q: Which part of the publishing process did you find the most interesting?
Having never written an entire book before we found it all interesting. The editors’ guidance was especially welcome and often surprising. In some instances, her input changed our focus and direction. Promotion was mostly familiar to us because of our performance activities but such far-reaching coordinated publicity was a revelation. We are at this moment actively involved in promoting a documentary film, Playing the Changes, and an album, We Have Waited Too Long by the Jazzanians, the South African student group extensively featured in the book.
Q: What is your advice to scholars/authors who want to take on a similar project?
Even if it’s a scholarly work, reveal what you care about as this engages the reader regardless of whether there is agreement or not. Create an outline with chapter headings even if you change or drop them later. It will get you started. Write from the heart as well as the mind and eliminate later the parts that don’t work.
Q: What do you like to read/watch/or listen to for fun?
We reread classics like war and peace and the novels of Henry James aloud to each other as well as contemporary authors like Pankaj Mishra and Simon Kuper writing about the state of the world. We watch tv for fun and relaxation; soccer, films and foreign series (with sub-titles). We enjoy thrillers, political dramas, and documentaries. Some favorites are the Spanish Money Heist, the French Le Bureau and the Danish Borden. Most recently we thoroughly enjoyed Ripley. Every morning, we listen to BBC Radio 3, which mainly presents classical music, but also has some jazz and world music programs. Our favorite artists outside the jazz genre include Bob Dylan, the Rolling Stones, the Beatles, Joni Mitchell, James Brown, Frank Sinatra and Ray Charles.
Darius Brubeck is an American jazz pianist, bandleader, composer, broadcaster, educator, and former director of the Centre for Jazz and Popular Music at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. He is the son of legendary jazz pianist and composer Dave Brubeck.
Catherine Brubeck, a South African, has worked in events organization, publishing, and artist management (specializing in jazz) in America, South Africa, and the UK. She was the Project Manager at the Centre for Jazz and Popular Music, initiating and organizing extra-curricular projects and events throughout Darius’s term as director.