Brubeck was one of my favorite artists every year. He seemed so sincere and appreciative of the festival, almost as much as George Wein himself. I had the opportunity to play festival a year after college. We were supposed to play the harborside stage, which they don't use anymore. About a week before the festival, they called us and told us the band had been moved to the first slot on the main stage Sunday morning. One week before we were due to perform it finally dawned on me why, Mr. Brubeck had passed the previous winter. That realization hit me like a ton of bricks. I made a point to leave it all on the stage that day, as a lot of my bandmates did as well. Then soaked in the whole day with backstage passes, trying to really enjoy the moment as much as I could. I will never forget that day as long as I live. Very grateful to the Festival Foundation for allowing us the opportunity.