“‘Jazz-mad Collegiennes:’ Dave Brubeck, Cultural Convergence, and the College Jazz Renassaince in California”

This paper explores one of Dave Brubeck's musical contributions which is seldom discussed in jazz literature: his college jazz tours. I argue here that Brubeck's experiments in musical hybridism, along with his college-themed albums, nationwide tours on college campuses, and personal correspondence with his college-going fan base, not only paved the way for the jazz-classical compositions which defined his early work, but helped recast American colleges into performances spaces for live jazz as well. In essence, this paper reveals how Brubeck's campus tours dramatically altered the California jazz world by tapping into a newfound resource—a new jazz audience—and propelling the broader West Coast jazz movement towards national recognition. In contributing to the development of jazz's relationship with colleges nationwide, Brubeck's college jazz tours provided a critical performance space during the most visible period of California jazz.