The Drummer Drives! Everybody Else Rides: The Musical Life and Times of Harry Brabec, Legendary Chicago Symphony Percussionist and Humorist - Softcover

Brabec, Barbara

Softcover

ISBN 10: 145070915X ISBN 13: 9781450709156

Publisher: Barbara Brabec Productions, 2010

Synopsis

Harry J. Brabec (1927-2005) was a percussionist and virtuoso snare drummer greatly admired by his peers not only for his talents as a musician, but for his keen sense of humor and gutsy approach to life. His name became legend when, at the peak of his career as Principal Percussionist of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in 1956, Fritz Reiner dismissed him for purely personal reasons, effectively destroying his career and leading to the failure of his first marriage. Barbara met and married Harry in 1961. Beat by beat in this autobiographic narrative and biography, she tells his comeback story as a freelance percussionist in Chicago in the sixties, then flashes back to his career before they met before going on to tell how her career path and their marriage changed when life forced Harry to move in new entrepreneurial directions in the seventies and beyond. THE DRUMMER DRIVES! offers a unique view of a colorful period of Chicago's musical entertainment history that is spiced with romance, drama, and Harry's wit and humor. The book revolves around the author's lifetime of journals and Harry's scrapbooks and nostalgic letters, which are filled with historical "music biz" stories and remembrances of the days when he was playing with the big bands and doing recordings in Chicago; his comments about many of the musicians, entertainers, and conductors he worked with; his thoughts on being Czech; his love of good food, fine books, record collecting, band music and the circus; and how he felt about getting old and being forced to lay down his sticks because of ill health. The book also includes colorful anecdotes shared by many musicians who knew and worked with Harry. There is much to enjoy in this informative and humor-laden memoir, but you may also find yourself tearing up at times as you read this honestly-told story of the author's unusual life journey with a man who was "no ordinary Joe," an individual so complex that she was still trying to figure him out after nearly 44 years of marriage and five years as his widow. Barbara Brabec is the author of several small business books. This is her first memoir.

About this title

From the Publisher

MUSIC TRADE REVIEWS

"Barbara's touching story of her life with Harry is an enjoyable read. Their love for one another speaks on every page. This is a true life tale of the travails of life with a freelance musician as only those who have lived it can tell it. The Drummer Drives! is a wonderfully well written documentation of a time in Chicago's musical entertainment history that is gone forever. It should be required reading for those young percussionists starting out who want to know what the music business was like at that time and how it has evolved to its present state."
Gary Matts, President, Chicago Federation of Musicians Local 10-208, A.F.M.

"... a delightful biography of Harry Brabec... Written by his widow, Barbara, who was also a performing marimbist, this deeply personal book recounts in great detail the life of a freelance drummer/percussionist. This book is a story of perseverance, creativity, fortitude in the face of great challenges, and a love commitment between a husband and wife that weathered storms and celebrated victories. It is full of humor and wit from Harry Brabec himself in the form of letters, comments, and jokes he made over the years. It also chronicles what the music business is like and what it takes to `make it.' This is a must-read for students who are planning to follow a similar road in life, as they will learn about perseverance, organization, integrity, and the basic skills needed to be successful as a performing musician. They will also see how a strong marriage bond makes all the difference when life in the music world gets difficult."
Tom Morgan, Percussive Notes, newsletter of the Percussive Arts Society

"Barbara Brabec, widow of former CSO percussionist Harry Brabec, has written a colorful and deeply personal memoir about her late husband's life, including his tenure with the CSO and his often stormy relationship with Music Director Fritz Reiner. Brabec (1927-2005) was a member of the percussion section from 1951 until 1956 (principal, 1952-56) and also served as librarian and stage manager from 1966 until 1971. THE DRUMMER DRIVES! Everybody Else Rides recounts a thirty-year period of Chicago's musical entertainment history, offering amusing anecdotes shared by friends and musicians who knew or worked with Harry."
Chicago Symphony Orchestra Insider's Newsletter

"As a publisher specializing in percussion history, I regularly receive drummer biography manuscripts. More often than not, they either do not have much of a story to tell or do not tell it very well. It is very refreshing to see one that made it to print that not only has something to say, but says it well."
Rob Cook, Rebeats Publications

"This book is a real find for any musician. As a conductor, I had the pleasure of working with Harry for a number of years, and I found him to be not only an interesting guy but a helluva musician. Harry's years with the CSO and Fritz Reiner will be of special interest to all who have heard of Reiner and his approach to musicians and music. The book describes Brabec's up-and-down life as a freelance musician and his many years of working with so many players. Anyone with an a desire to learn of what goes on as you work for that next job will enjoy this outstanding book written by the only one who really knew Harry and his work. Barbara Brabec is truly an artist in her own right."
- Fred Lewis, Conductor, Bensenville Municipal Band

From the Author

This book was an amazing journey for me as a writer, and one that literally changed my life. As explained in the book, there were many things about my husband's personal and professional life before I met him that he never told me about--particularly for the years between 1956 (when Fritz Reiner dismissed him from the Symphony) and 1961, the year in which we were married. Harry never wanted to talk much about those unhappy years and the failure of his first marriage, and I never prodded him because we were so happy together. Thus, when I began to write the complete story of his life without him to query, it was like trying to put a huge "Harry Brabec Puzzle" together. One might think that after nearly 44 years of marriage one would know everything about their spouse, but I was absolutely astounded by some of the things I learned about Harry in talking with old school chums and musician friends of his that I had never met before--things even Harry didn't know about himself. In objectively studying Harry's life not as his widow, but as a journalist in search of the truth, I also found that I was seeing my life and my marriage from a totally new perspective that gave me a lot of Aha! moments during the writing of the book.

When the writing was done, I knew things about myself that I had never realized before, and my philosophical thoughts on these revelations are included in the book's closing chapter, "A Widow's Ponderings and Regrets." I've always believed that we are the most interesting person we shall ever know, and when we're not trying to figure out someone else, most of us spend our lives trying to figure out ourselves. As Arthur Schopenhauer once observed, "If we were not all so interested in ourselves, life would be so uninteresting that none of us would be able to endure it."

With the publication of The Drummer Drives!, I also found a new voice I didn't know I had--that of a storyteller--and a new direction for my writing, which from here on will be NOT about business, but about my favorite topic of all: LIFE, and the lessons it holds for all of us.

About this edition

• Publisher: Barbara Brabec Productions
• Publication date: 2010
• ISBN 10: 145070915X
• ISBN 13: 9781450709156
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 285