This is a memory lane thread, and not so much of a "Share news about music" thread. So, hopefully as such it is reasonable to post here.
Back when I was in High School in the mid-50s, my friends and I were getting into music and playing together. One of my friends came from a family of a piano-teaching Mother and four piano-playing sons. One of the older brothers had a rehearsal jazz band and we got indoctrinated early into the jazz idiom. One of the "hot" groups at that time was the Dave Brubeck Quartet, which included one of my early influences, Paul Desmond (alto sax).
I will admit - Brubeck was never high on my list of piano players - I did own many of their LPs and played them until the player needle almost wore through to the other side.
My comment about Brubeck notwithstanding, this thread is about my most favored piece of his work. "Home at Last" is a solo piece by Brubeck from the LP, "Jazz Impressions of the USA". It is very introspective and he uses a lot of linear passages within chord structures - a musical feature that I have long admired. At a little past 2-1/2 minutes into the piece, Brubeck breaks from the rubato feeling into a slow, quasi-stride swing that is a wonderful change of pace. In the liner notes for the LP, "Jazz Impressions of the USA", Dave states: "Home at Last was actually recorded in my home at the completion of a tour. It attempts to convey my inner peace as I look again upon familiar landmarks - the calm of the Bay, the quiet of the hills, the warmth of the fireside, the love of the family - all felt with increased poignancy after my long absence. The wanderer has returned."
You can hear this piece on YouTube at
Home at Last. I hope you enjoy it.
Ralph Rayner