On January 24, 1963, President Leo W. Jenkins presented several awards to Dave Brubeck and his band for having taken first place in a 1962 annual readers’ poll conducted by the jazz magazine, Down Beat. That evening, the Brubeck Quartet was on campus performing before a capacity crowd in Wright Auditorium. Down Beat reportedly joined Playboy in placing Brubeck’s band among “the elite in the jazz world.” Jenkins agreed to present the awards personally, honoring Brubeck’s quartet in his own way. The East Carolinian added that the band had “copped practically every award given to men in their field, as a group and as individuals.” The 1963 Buccaneer, in a full-page photo collage including snapshots of Jenkins presenting the awards, noted that Brubeck’s band had “charmed the packed audience with a program that lasted for two hours.”
There was a reason for the special treatment Jenkins gave Brubeck. After all, 1963 was not the quartet’s first concert in Wright. In the fall of 1957, the SGA invited Brubeck’s band to campus. At the time, the band was all white. However, when the group arrived on February 5, 1958, an African-American, Eugene Wright, had become the new bass player. This took ECC officials by surprise: African-American entertainers had never performed on campus, and were not allowed as a matter of school policy. Due to the sell-out circumstances, Eugene Wright was allowed to play, but only from behind the curtains. Nevertheless, some students spotted the African-American performer, and thoroughly enjoyed the concert.
The authors of “Cussin N’ Discussin,” a column in the East Carolinian, remarked “they were delighted to see a colored entertainer on the stage.” Soon the question arose: would African-American entertainers be allowed in the future. With student prompting, the ECC Board of Trustees considered the matter at their February 25, 1958 meeting. It was decided that the college would allow “negro entertainers if approved by the president and other administrative officers,” but with the understanding that they were paid entertainers, and that neither lodging nor food would be available on campus.
While the decision offended many who preferred full hospitality for African-American performers, it nevertheless marked a major departure from the earlier stance that campus segregation would not be compromised in any way. A succession of big name African-American performers soon appeared on campus facilitating with music resolution of the major challenge ahead, campus desegregation. Beginning with the 1958 Brubeck concert and Eugene Wright’s barely veiled appearance on stage in Wright Auditorium, jazz had helped pave the way.
In the summer of 1959, the Cavaliers, an African-American band, became the first to play on campus. Before the year was over, the Cavaliers returned twice, with the approval of ECC president, John Messick. However, Messick felt compelled to deny permission to another African-American group, the Hot Nuts, due to supposed obscenity in some of their lyrics. By the fall of 1959, Messick, not eager to deal with the challenges of full campus desegregation, abruptly resigned.
ECC vice president Leo W. Jenkins soon followed Messick as president. In addition to approving a number of African-American entertainers, beginning most notably with Count Basie in 1961, Jenkins guided the college toward compliance with the Brown v. Board of Education decision calling for an end to the Jim Crow “separate but equal” order in public education. Although achieved without a court order, by the time East Carolina desegregated its student body, UNC, North Carolina State College (later, NCSU), and Woman’s College (later UNC-G) had already admitted African-American students, making East Carolina the last major white school in the state to lay Jim Crow to rest. At East Carolina, positive steps in this direction trace back to the 1958 Dave Brubeck concert and Eugene Wright’s performance on stage that evening.
Sources
- “Brubeck Plays Thursday: Famous Group Receives Title of ‘Elite in Jazz.'” East Carolinian. January 22, 1963. Vol. 38, no. 24. P. 1.
- “Brubeck Plays Thursday: Jenkins Presents Annual Awards For ‘Down Beat.'” East Carolinian. January 22, 1963. Vol. 38, no. 24. P. 1.
- “Brubeck Quartet Comes Here Next Wednesday.” East Carolinian. January 30, 1958. Vol. 33, no. 14. P. 1.
- Ferrell, Henry C., Jr. No Time for Ivy: East Carolina University, 1907-2007. Greenville, N.C.: East Carolina University, 2006.
- Lilly, Nancy and Margeart Geddie. “Cussin’ N’ Discussin.'” East Carolinian. February 13, 1958. P. 2.
- “Minutes of the Board of Trustees, February 25, 1958.” University Archives # 01-01-25 February1958. P. 221. https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/10269.
- “The Entertainment Series Brought Brubeck to the Campus for a Progressive Jazz Session.” The Buccaneer. Pp. 102-103.
- “Trustee Officials OK Negro Entertainment.” East Carolinian. March 6, 1958. Vol. 33, no. 17. P. 1. https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/3853.
Citation Information
Title: Dave Brubeck Concert
Author: John A. Tucker, PhD
Date of Publication: 7/18/2019