Rich Glauber: Musical Bricoleur

The French have a word that has no equivalent in English: bricoleur. A bricoleur is a man who makes something out of nothing, who takes on odd jobs, is a Jack-of-all-trades, fixes things using whatever is on hand, and seems to accomplish his task through nothing short of magic. His repertoire is extraordinary, determined by the challenges he faces and then surmounts through his spectacular creativity.

Rich Glauber is Eugene's musical bricoleur. He has no equivalent. He is master musician, impresario, benign shaman and trickster. On a recent trip to Costa Rica, his performances were called "musica en accion" music in action--a term that begins to capture a sense of Glauber's magic. As he travels the globe--whether to Costa Rica, Israel, or Spain--he delights throngs and finds new ways to express himself in the universal language of music. Luckily, he makes Eugene the center of his universe.

In the late '80s, Glauber was a founding member and keyboardist for Caliente, the popular salsa band based in Eugene. In 1990, he became an Artist-in-Education for the Lane Arts Council, performing hundreds of school concerts and workshops throughout western Oregon. He has entertained at the Oregon Country Fair, the Willamette Valley Folk Festival, the Eugene Celebration, Seattle's Bumbershoot Festival, and at numerous local venues.

Glauber was trained classically and is an accomplished musician, whether he's playing guitar, bass, keyboard, flute, percussion, or even his charming 32-button, antique accordion named Syd. He is as adept at calypso, salsa, and klezmer as he is at folk, rock, or jazz. He is an enchanting story-teller. And he is an ingenious, perceptive, and often funny songwriter whose works speaks to those he encounters in ways beyond mere words. His stories and his songs are upbeat, current, and inspiring, not just intellectually but emotionally, helping audiences to see the world better and keep their dreams alive.

Under Glaubers spell, listeners cannot just listen; they are captivated and drawn into la musica en accion, transformed into participants and performers themselves. It starts with the children, who love Glauber like the children of Hamlintown loved the Pied Piper. Kids grin. They clap and sing and move. Some follow the troubadour as he walks around. Glauber's gift extends not only to the young but to all those who have ever been young. Parents smile, then join in song. They remember their youth and experience it again through their children. And they grasp the insight and wisdom in Glauber's lyrics that are ageless. Rich Glauber is that rare entertainer who wins the affection of all ages, who does not condescend to kids or grate on grown-ups. Few performers who do not live on Sesame Street can make such a claim.

Glauber is a musical magi. His songs can be comical, as in his hilarious ballad of eating dinner at his grandmother's house, which is literally "over the top." They can be political yet nonpartisan, as in his tribute to Martin Luther King, "Keep the Dream Alive." And they can be religious yet nonsectarian and multicultural, as they invariably celebrate themes of inclusiveness and fellowship. But mostly, Rich Glauber and his rollicking performances are about fun. He is a master conductor of an orchestra that is the entire audience, or a master choreographer who sets the audience itself in motion.

Rich Glauber, bricoleur, maestro of music-in-action, impresario extraordinaire: all these terms might get lost in translation. But Glauber speaks a musical lingua franca that reaches us all.

Matthew Dennis, Professor of American History, University of Oregon