"Rhythms of the Range," a new orchestral work by award-winning composer Chris Brubeck, will paint a musical portrait of the American West. Inspired by his father's cowboy days, Chris's composition will pay tribute to the ranches and rangeland that shaped Dave's experiences.  A working cowboy from the age of 13, Dave Brubeck used some of those memories in a series of short pieces called Reminiscences of the Cattle Country, in which he included “Round Up”, “Christmas at the Ranch”, “Ode to a Cowboy” and many others.  

These ranch-inspired pieces were written early in his musical career when Dave was studying with the French composer Darius Milhaud. Milhaud encouraged Dave to focus on an American jazz sound and style rather than try to compose European-influenced symphonic works.

15 years ago, father and son composers Dave and Chris Brubeck collaborated on the Grammy-nominated orchestral work Ansel Adams: America, a 20-minute musical and visual celebration of the American landscape as captured by the famed photographer Ansel Adams.  Originally commissioned by a group of seven orchestras across the country, it has since gone on to be performed more than 50 times in the US and Europe.

Dave Brubeck has passed on, but his son Chris will draw inspiration from Dave’s themes to create a new orchestral work - Rhythms of the Range - which will cast the spotlight on the ranches and vital rangeland of the American West.  

Rhythms of the Range provides a unique opportunity to engage two worlds that don’t often intersect - Western ranch life and a symphonic experience — and brings the Brubeck sound back to where it began, on the open range.