Join us for an author event and book signing at one of the leading independent bookstores in Northern California. We’ll also celebrate May 4th, which is unofficially regarded as “Dave Brubeck Day” worldwide, as a nod to the song, “Take Five,” which propelled Dave’s group to the top of the charts in the early 1960s. At the same time “Take Five” was being hummed by music lovers around the world, Dave and Iola Brubeck would team up with Louis “Satchmo” Armstrong to create and perform a unique jazz musical dubbed The Real Ambassadors, which challenged the inequalities of racism and Jim Crow head on during the volatile civil rights struggles in America. It’s a tale of persistence, fortitude and compassion as a cast of thirteen talented musicians brought the music to the stage in a once-in-a-lifetime premiere at the 1962 Monterey Jazz Festival. Keith will read a short excerpt from his new book before discussing his decade long research journey discovering what made this jazz musical so noteworthy. Its message of inclusion and confronting racial hatred resonate today just as they did sixty years ago.