University of the Pacific Professor Emeritus Keith Hatschek will discuss his new book, The Real Ambassadors: Dave and Iola Brubeck and Louis Armstrong Challenge Segregation. This in-person program is free to attend and no registration is required. Copies of Hatschek’s book will be available for sale and signing.
Hatschek’s book explores the story of three determined artists and the stand they took against segregation by writing and performing a jazz musical titled The Real Ambassadors. First conceived by Dave and Iola Brubeck in 1956, the musical’s journey to the stage for its 1962 premiere tracks extraordinary twists and turns across the backdrop of the civil rights movement. A variety of colorful characters, from Broadway impresarios to gang-connected managers, surface in the riveting storyline.