Editor-in-chief of Down Beat from 1959 to 1962, Gene Lees recounted that for a long time, "intimidated" by the number of potential detractors, led to believe that he alone could not hold a truth rejected by the vast majority of his colleagues, he had not had the courage to stand up to them and admit the respect that Brubeck's approach inspired in him, prudently contenting himself with acknowledging, like everyone else, his ability to compose. Until his friend Oscar Peterson, the pianist he placed above all others, told him that appreciating Dave's playing was the most legitimate attitude: a duty for anyone who knew how to listen. In a portrait published when the person concerned was still alive, The Man On The Buffalo Nickel, Lees concluded: "The public was right; the critics were wrong. Dave Brubeck, part Modoc Indian, is one of the great jazz musicians." In any case, he became one, which is perhaps even more glorious. Text by Alain Gerber
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