Report from Buxton Jazz Weekender 2026
Phil Johnson reviews The Darius Brubeck Quartet’s performance Buxton for UK Jazz News. Read the full review which starts with the sets that preceded The DBQ, or read on below.
Johnson writes:
The evening’s third and final show was a triumphant performance by the Darius Brubeck Quartet, playing their familiar repertoire of Dave Brubeck classics and Darius’s own compositions. I have seen and even booked the band many times before, and I stayed for a very enjoyable hour before – apology – ducking out to watch the second half of the football. What sometimes gets lost in assessing the Darius Brubeck legacy, which is sizeable in itself, and the legacy of his father, which is massive, and foundational to modern jazz, is just what an incredible quartet of musicians this has become. There’s a longevity very unusual in any jazz band, with the same personnel for what must be fifteen years or so, since I first saw them perform.
Dave O’Higgins has always been one of the best saxophonists around, and he was masterful tonight, excelling on his essential solos in the Paul Desmond role (adapted for tenor sax), as well as in a featured spot of material from his own new recordings. Matt Ridley on double bass and Wesley Gibbens on drums are no longer the young tyros from of their early years in the band, but their roles have expanded considerably, and there’s now great freedom in what they choose to contribute. As the frontman, Darius Brubeck continues to combine incisive and heavily percussive pianism with charming introductions to each song. At one point he recalled his one previous visit to Buxton in the winter of 2010 when a mid-gig blizzard left both band and meagre Opera House audience stranded for the night in an adjacent hotel.
The group opened with the classic ‘Blue Rondo a la Turk’, followed by the beautiful Dave Brubeck standard ‘In Your Own Sweet Way’. They then progressed through a number of Darius originals including a dedication to his new great-granddaughter, and a lovely Township Jazz-style number composed by the great South African saxophonist Zim Ngqawana, who Darius had taught. There was also what Darius described as “a mash-up” of Stevie Wonder and J.S. Bach, before the Dave O’Higgins solo feature and my anxious exit, which meant I missed ‘Take Five’.
Praise from Jazzwise
Kevin Le Gendre praises a “barnstorming set” in his review for Jazzwise of the December performance at Union Chapel, London. Read the full article
Le Gendre writes:
With knowingly humorous intent Darius Brubeck asks a packed audience to make a request. Leading a British quartet the American pianist has just played several beloved pieces from Time Out, the landmark 1959 by his late father Dave Brubeck but the song has been teasingly omitted. As several members of the audience shout ‘Take Five’ the anthem status of the track is put into sharp focus for the simple reason that it has irresistibly endured over the decades, and Darius, a genial presence on stage who bears a striking resemblance to his father, knows full well he has a duty to give the people what they want. The thinking is justified because the rendition is excellent – double bassist Matt Ridley and drummer Wesley Gibbens have the familiar 5/4 beat well nailed while saxophonist Dave O’Higgins handles the sauntering melody well, the contrast of his tenor to Paul Desmond’s alto as enjoyable as it is perceptible.
Although the lighter sound of the smaller reed created magic in so much of Brubeck’s music the pianist also gelled effectively with Jerry Bergonzi’s tenor and Gerry Mulligan’s baritone, making the point that a heavier, bulkier frontline instrument could also be ‘cool.’ In any case the song is relevant to the release of Time Outtakes, a newly released cd of previously unheard versions of tracks from said album that provide a fascinating insight into Brubeck’s process. ‘Blue Rondo A La Turk’ and ‘Three To Get Ready’ are crowd pleasers from the repertoire, and hearing them on stage as opposed to on record, with a slightly looser feel underlines the inherent appeal of the music. As important as the metric ingenuity is, be it a sprightly 9/8 for the former or the odd-even back and forth of 3/4 and 4/4 for the latter, the compositions have melodies that are as joyous as they are sensitive. All the tricks with time are not a replacement to good tunes, but rather an enhancement of them.
Although Darius, as the second set makes clear, is fully committed to his father’s legacy, he is also a composer in his own right and his material took the spotlight in the first half of the concert. He has proved to be a consistent writer and bandleader in a career that stretches back to the 1970s and his originals such as the rousing, ecologically-minded ‘Earth Rise’ and the irreverent ‘Brexit Blues’ display an assured command of the core principles of jazz, as the tunes swing assuredly on tasteful chords that elicit focused improvisations from the leader, and Ridley who plays a lengthy, expansive introduction on the latter. The sense of playfulness is pushed further on the classical-R&B hybrid ‘Prelude And Funque’, which is toughened up by rollicking backbeats. But a highlight of the evening is the gorgeous, wistful cover of ‘Nomali’, a gem by Hugh Masekela, lion of South Africa. Brubeck did substantial jazz education work in the country, and his band Jazzanians released music on Ubuntu, the label founded by the late Martin Hummel, to whom the piece is dedicated. The year began with his funeral and now ends with an informal memorial.
Concert review in UK Jazz News
Sebastian Scotney reviews the Darius Brubeck Quartet’s concert at Union Chapel, in UK Jazz News on 17th December 2025.
The concert was a tribute to Dave Brubeck’s ‘Time Out’ and ‘time signature’ jazz as well as a celebration of the quartet’s 20 years together.
The author writes:
One very happy image stays in mind from Monday night’s completely packed Brubeck concert at Union Chapel, because it captures the mood of celebration so well: at the end of ‘Blue Rondo a la Turk’, I noticed bassist Matt Ridley smiling as he twirled his double bass on its own axis like a spinning top.
The members of the Darius Brubeck Quartet have reason indeed for celebration. The four were marking two decades in existence with the current line-up, although as Darius Brubeck himself noted, the actual anniversary will fall in early 2026 and the birthday junketing is merely getting off to an early start. The group recently played a set of dates in Palermo, and that showed: the ease of communication and flow of a quartet thoroughly played in helped create a concert which didn’t just draw the audience in straight away, it also elicited a response which continued to grow warmer as the evening developed.
There were many highlights in Mondays concert: a gloriously spacious solo piano introduction to “Strange Meadowlark”, some wonderful intensity builds in Dave O’Higgins’s soloing, especially on “Blue Rondo a la Turk”, and Matt Ridley’s strongly characterful solo bass introduction to “Brexit Blues”.
There is an inevitable dramaturgy to their set these days. By half time, memories of Darius’s father’s classic, indelible album “Time Out” start to emerge, and legacy and heritage dictate where such an evening should end: with Darius first going through the delicate motions of clearing his conscience by asking a member of the audience to actually “request” “Take Five”, and then by playing it, building up to the point where a rip-roaring, rim-shotting energetic and extrovert drum solo from Wesley Gibbens ensues. Gibbens apparently has the unique distinction among the four of never having missed a quartet gig…. And from that point, there’s only one place to go – a unanimous standing ovation from the full house.
And yet it needs saying: there is so much more to Darius Brubeck than the memories his father and of Paul Desmond’s “Take Five”. At UKJN we marked his 75th birthday – and his recovery from having been very seriously, frighteningly ill from Covid – back in 2022, and the birthday wishes we gathered from friends and colleagues show what a benign and broad influence he has had on the music.
Among the outpourings of affection in that piece, the first one – by a fluke of the alphabet – stands out. Chris Ballantine of the University of KwaZulu-Natal remembered that Darius “established the first degree-programme in jazz on the African continent, put jazz pedagogy on an entirely new footing, changed countless lives for the better, and helped launch the careers of many of the South African jazz performers now globally esteemed.”
Darius dedicated the concert and the second set in particular to the much-missed Martin Hummel, whose naming of his label as “Ubuntu” drew its main inspiration from Darius Brubeck. All the happiness of a twirling bass and a standing ovation serve as a reminder that life can and does also bring darker moments. A perspective which in itself gives a good reason to be celebrating the good times.
Read the article for more photos and a list of the pieces played.
Jazzwise praises The Darius Brubeck Quartet
Darius Brubeck, though he pays extensive tribute to his father’s compositions, is a different musician, an ethnomusicologist and emeritus professor. Since living in England he has toured regularly with the same band – Matt Ridley (bass), Wesley Gibbens (drums) and the elegant Dave O’Higgins on tenor. At Jazz Hastings, this highly accomplished, super-relaxed quartet presented a well-designed set notable for its varied time signatures: 7/4, 6/4, 5/4, 9/8; rhythmic variety made appealing listening, in a groove, neither stilted nor pretentious.
Brubeck’s South African years were acknowledged by a cover of Masekela’s ‘Nomali’. This version was edgier – O’Higgins and Brubeck’s inventions were more modern jazz, less African modal, than the original. The tune’s simple beauty evoked memories of Masekela, Pukwana, Feza, McGregor, Makeba – the whole South African sound legend transported to England away from prohibitive Apartheid.
The evocative ballad ‘Sea of Troubles’ was a performance highlight in the second sent. This two-chord alternator, in a gentle, undulating 7/4, leaves plenty of space for O’Higgins’ explorations, after a drum intro and Brubeck’s tumbling waves of notes. O’Higgins plays a mellow, breath-coated, Conn10M tenor (favoured by Benny Carter, Coleman Hawkins and Lester Young), incorporating furry vintage jazz tones into his post-Coltrane phrasing. But the surprise of the evening was the choice of ‘Blowin’ in the Wind’ (recorded by the quartet back in 2008). The change of time signature, a 5/4 setting, brought to the tune an eerie ambience and unexpected swing.
An Abdullah Ibrahim tribute medley incorporated some of Ibrahim’s characteristic South African piano sounds. Tunes by Brubeck père included ‘Pick Up Sticks’, legendary spiky blues ‘Rondo a la Turk’ and inevitably, ‘Take Five’. All were faster, more up-beat, less Desmond, gloriously augmented. The encore was ‘Winter Wonderland’, oh-so-muzak nowadays, but this upbeat 5/4 version was a suitable finale to a fascinating and polished performance.
Victoria Kingham, February 2024
Review in Hastings Online Times, December 2023
Darius Brubeck Quartet wows the Jazz Hastings audience
Jazz Hastings was proud to welcome the son of a famous father, Darius Brubeck, son of Dave, and his quartet to its December gig last week. And Victoria Kingham was there to enjoy a memorable evening, complete with unusual time signatures – like father, like son.
Another packed night at the best jazz club this side of London. Chairs are brought in from everywhere, jazz club organisers meet and greet, friends and neighbours sit down, everyone anticipates a good time. I love this audience. I love this club too. It’s decorated with silver and gold garlands, a Christmas tree with lights – very traditional, unlike the jazz which follows.
Ethnomusicologist and ex-professor Darius Brubeck pays considerable tribute to his father’s compositions, but is a musician of a different order. Since settling in Rye, he has toured regularly with the same band – Matt Ridley on bass, Wesley Gibbens on drums, and the elegant, extraordinary Dave O’Higgins on tenor.
This highly accomplished yet relaxed quartet presented a well-designed set, particularly notable for its time signatures – 7/4, 6/4, 5/4, 9/8…The careful rhythmic variety made appealing listening: in a groove, but neither stilted nor pretentious. The band have recorded many of the numbers, mostly on Live in Poland (2019) or Years Ago (2016).
Brubeck spent years teaching and playing jazz in South Africa, a fact acknowledged by a version of the Masekela number Nomali. Their version was edgier – O’Higgins’ and Brubeck’s inventions are more modern jazz and less African modal than the original. The simple beauty of the tune evoked a small tear, as did the memories of Masekela, Pukwana, Feza, McGregor, Makeba – the whole South African sound transported to England away from prohibitive apartheid.
Another favourite was the evocative ballad Sea of Troubles (cf. Hamlet, everyone’s favourite bipolar antihero) presented in the second, highly integrated, set. It’s a two-chord alternator in a gentle 7/4, leaving plenty of space for O’Higgins’ exploratory improvisation after Ridley’s drum intro and Brubeck’s tumbling waves of notes. It’s a lovely sound – O’Higgins plays a mellow, breath-coated, Conn 10M tenor sax (favoured by luminaries Benny Carter, Coleman Hawkins, Lester Young), incorporating a vintage reminiscence into his post-Coltrane phrases.
But the surprise of the evening was a version of Blowin’ In the Wind – an extraordinary choice, but in fact recorded by this quartet in 2008. The change of time-signature to 5/4 brings it an eerie ambience and swing, One other tribute was a medley of the music of Dollar Brand (Abdullah Ibrahim), incorporating some of Ibrahim’s characteristic, open South African piano sounds, and dedicated to St Leonards’ own ex-South African jazz promoter, Reg Hendrickse.
Numbers by Brubeck père included Pick Up Sticks, legendary Blue Rondo a la Turk (definitely a blues!) and inevitably Take Five, one of the few jazz tunes to top the popular charts. Way back, I almost wore out the single that featured both these. Faster, more up-beat, less Desmond obviously, but there it was in its augmented glory.
The encore was Winter Wonderland, oh-so-muzak nowadays, but this 5/4 version is upbeat and interesting, and made an impressive end to an evening of rhythmic variety and invention.
Victoria Kingham
Jazz Café review, December 2023
Darius Brubeck may now be 76 years old, but his music remains as lively, vibrant, and charismatic as ever. Performing live at the Jazz Cafe in Camden, the legendary pianist was joined by his quartet of 16 years featuring Dave O’Higgins on tenor saxophone, Matt Ridley on double bass, and Wesley Gibbens on drums.
This was a gig of two halves. The first featured straight-ahead covers from his father’s legendary 1959 album Time Out, whilst the second explored the infectious sounds of South African jazz. The balance between the personal and political was spot on – it was at once deeply respectful of his father’s musical legacy whilst also sharply aware of social injustices and racial liberation struggles during apartheid.
Just as on Time Out, the band opened the night with ‘Blue Rondo a la Turk’ and navigated the darting rhythms and shifting tempos with a classy precision. This was followed by more Brubeck classics, ‘Three to Get Ready’, ‘Strange Meadow Lark’, and ‘Cathy’s Waltz’. Like his father, Darius has a wonderful ability to combine the symmetrical elegance of Haydn and the lyrical phrasing of Chopin with the cool swinging rhythms of West Coast jazz, a sound that is well over 60 years old but remains as fresh and exciting as ever. ‘Take Five’ was saved as the final tune of the set, an eagerly anticipated crowd favourite which did not disappoint and featured top-notch solos from all bandmembers. O’Higgins was particularly impressive throughout, his tenor bringing a muscular modern edge to tunes that were originally recorded with Paul Desmond’s dark and dry alto tone.
In the second set, Darius moved beyond the repertoire of his father to explore the sounds of South African jazz, a style that has deep resonance within Darius’ own life. For 15 years Darius lived in South Africa, and in 1984 even founded the first university degree in jazz studies at the University of Natal. In 1988, he established the Jazzanians, the first multiracial student jazz ensemble to perform outside of South Africa and which in no small part echoed his father’s inclusion of black bassist Eugene Wright into his legendary quartet over 30 years previously. The quartet performed a handful of tunes from South African jazz legends, including Hugh Masekela’s ‘Nomali’ and Abdullah Ibrahim’s ‘Tsakwe / Royal Blue’ and ‘Mannenberg’. Gibbens came alive during this set, his flurries of sticks, brushes, and bare hands providing infectiously danceable shuffle beats and complex polyrhythms. A feeling of up-tempo exuberance was tangible throughout, and the chemistry on show was a joy to experience.
The quartet also performed a rendition of ‘The Rainbow’, the only original composition by Darius of the evening. Dedicated to the famous Durban jazz club situated on the fringes of black and white communities, The Rainbow was a space where multi-racial music, despite its illegality at the time, continued to thrive during the years of apartheid. The story of this era in Darius’ career is still not so widely known to audiences in the UK, an era which Darius hinted will be centre stage for upcoming releases in the new year.
For an encore, the quartet performed a heart-warming cover of ‘Winter Wonderland’. Rearranged around a 5/4 time signature, this not only ended the gig on a suitably Christmassy note but also tied in with the rhythmic experimentation from the first set.
Published in London Jazz News, 14th December 2023, by Spargo
DownBeat Reviews, May 2020
Live in Poland, reviewed by Brian Morton
Now and then, the circumstances around a recording are almost as interesting as the content. Darius Brubeck’s 2018 tour of Poland took place during the centenary of the country’s restored independence, but also, on the anniversary of his father Dave’s pioneering 1958 tour, the first by a Western group behind the Iron Curtain.
Live In Poland feels like an extended dziekuje—or “thank you,” and the title of the folksy sixth track—to the Polish people in return. The warmth of reception is evident, most obviously in the reaction to “Take Five,” but also in the palpable chemistry between the group and the crowd at the Blue Note in Poznań. Brubeck begins “Earthrise” with huge, sonorous rolls on the keyboard, before the swinging main theme announces itself.
Does Dave O’Higgins sound remotely like Paul Desmond? Of course not; there’s too much Coltrane in his makeup, but he has the ability to make the tenor sound light and supple. The sheer delight of “Matt The Cat” and Hugh Masekela’s “Nomali” rescue the set from any possible solemnity.
But Darius Brubeck originals are the meat of the album, his “Sea Of Troubles” a glorious Hamlet-like soliloquy with profound blue interventions from the group.
Live In Poland: Earthrise; In Your Own Sweet Way; Matt The Cat; Nomali; Sea Of Troubles; Dziekuje; Take Five.
Personnel: Darius Brubeck, piano; Dave O’Higgins, tenor saxophone; Matt Ridley, bass; Wesley Gibbens, drums.
On Sale Now, Ubuntu Music
