A historic performance of The Gates of Justice took place on Feb. 26 at UCLA’s iconic Royce Hall. For the first time ever, Brubeck’s sons performed as the accompanying jazz trio. Preceding was a program of six recent and socially conscious works by contemporary composers, including six-time Grammy-winning pianist, composer, and music educator Arturo O’Farrill.

“We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.”
– Martin Luther King, Jr.

“When King said, ‘We must live together as brothers,’ people didn’t hear it. Now they damn well hear it.”
— Dave Brubeck

Part One:

World premiere of Arturo O’Farrill‘s I Dream a World for trio, string quartet, and singer India Carney.

World premiere of Arturo O’Farrill‘s I Dream a World for trio, string quartet, and singer India Carney.

Works performed by Tonality, conducted by Alexander Lloyd Blake:
Emmy Award-winning composer Joel Thompson‘s America Will Be (Langston Hughes, Emma Lazarus)
Nick Strimple‘s Psalm 133
Jared Jenkins‘s Democracy (Langston Hughes) featuring India Carney
Gerald Cohen‘s I felt my legs were praying (Psalm 35, Abraham Joshua Heschel)

World premiere of Dear Freedom Rider by Diane White-Clayton, written for 11 UCLA student singers who symbolize the first 1961 group of Freedom Riders

Part two:

Performance of Dave Brubeck’s The Gates of Justice
Cantorial soloist: Azi Schwartz, Senior Cantor of Park Avenue Synagogue
Baritone/spiritual vocalist: Phillip Bullock
Jazz Trio:
Darius Brubeck (piano)
Chris Brubeck (bass)
Dan Brubeck (drums)
Choir:
Tonality
Members of Los Angeles African-American church and synagogue choirs
UCLA Chamber Singers
Brass and Percussion: Students of The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music
Conductor: Neal Stulberg, director of orchestra studies and conducting at The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music