Dave and Iola Brubeck were interviewed for this oral history project on January 30 and 31, 2007. During the interviews, Dave and Iolas discussed a broad range of topics from throughout their livesOral History. Some of the stories cover well-known episodes in their career, others are related here for the first time.

The interviews were filmed at Ellington's Jazz Bar and Restaurant on Sanibel Island, Florida. The interviewers were Shan Sutton, Head of Special Collections at the University of the Pacific Library, and Keith Hatschek, Director of the Music Management Program in the University of the Pacific Conservatory of Music.

The Brubeck oral history project is a collaborative effort supported by the University of the Pacific Library, Brubeck Institute, and the Experience Music Project of Seattle. The excerpts presented here were selected from over five hours of interview footage. Access to the entire interviews and their transcripts is available at the University of the Pacific Library's Special Collections department, and the Experience Music Project.

Click here for a link to site for text and visual from interviews.

The following topics are discussed.

Dave and Iola Brubeck on performing with their sons in Poland in 1958, Keith Hatschek
Dave and Iola Brubeck on touring Poland in 1958, Keith Hatschek
Dave Brubeck on the need for cultural exchange programs, Keith Hatschek
Iola Brubeck on representing the United States when playing in foreign countries, Keith Hatschek
Dave and Iola Brubeck on Dave's change in career plans at the College of the Pacific, Shan Sutton
Dave and Iola Brubeck on Dave's World War II experiences and his Army band The Wolf Pack, Shan Sutton
Dave and Iola Brubeck on Earth is Our Mother, Shan Sutton
Dave and Iola Brubeck on jam sessions in India and Turkey in 1958, Shan Sutton
Dave and Iola Brubeck on the album Time Out, Shan Sutton
Dave and Iola Brubeck on the concept of the "classic" Dave Brubeck Quartet, Shan Sutton
Dave and Iola Brubeck on The Gates of Justice, Shan Sutton
Dave and Iola Brubeck on their memories of other jazz greats, Shan Sutton
Dave and Iola Brubeck on the legendary concert at Oberlin College in 1953, Shan Sutton
Dave and Iola Brubeck on The Light in the Wilderness and the use of spiritual themes in their compositions, Shan Sutton
Dave and Iola Brubeck on The Real Ambassadors and working with Louis Armstrong, Shan Sutton
Dave Brubeck and Iola Brubeck on Dave's appearance on the cover of Time magazine in 1954, Shan Sutton
Dave Brubeck on being both a pianist and composer, Shan Sutton
Dave Brubeck on Dziekuje, Shan Sutton
Dave Brubeck on his first paying gigs in rural California, Shan Sutton
Dave Brubeck on how he would like to be remembered, Shan Sutton
Dave Brubeck on In Your Own Sweet Way, Shan Sutton
Dave Brubeck on learning to play piano, Shan Sutton
Dave Brubeck on meeting Bill Clinton and receiving the National Medal of the Arts from him, Shan Sutton
Dave Brubeck on musical telepathy and improvisation in the Quartet, Shan Sutton
Dave Brubeck on performing to segregated audiences and facing apartheid in South Africa, Shan Sutton