December 5, 2012

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Legendary jazz composer and pianist Dave Brubeck has died at age 91.

The Chicago Tribune quotes Brubeck's manager as saying the musician died of heart failure Wednesday morning at Norwalk Hospital in Norwalk, Connecticut. He would have been 92 on Thursday.

Brubeck rose to prominence in the 1950s, breaking new ground with innovative rhythms seldom heard in jazz performance, in the process exposing the form to a broader audience and in many ways, helping earn it respectability as a "serious" music form.

Brubeck's best-known popular work is the 1959 album Time Out, with The Dave Brubeck Quartet. The album featured unusual time signatures and combined various jazz styles into a signature sound, exemplified by the album's best-known track, "Take Five" -- the name itself taken from the track's 5/4 time signature.

Donald Fagen of Steely Dan name-checked Brubeck in his 1982 solo album The Nightfly. On the song "New Frontier," he sings, "I hear you're crazy about Brubeck/Like your eyes, I like him, too."

Brubeck was also an early proponent of racial immigation in America, and took pride in playing black jazz clubs in the South in the 1950s, reports the Tribune.

Brubeck is survived by his wife, five children and various grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

RIP

R.I.P. One day short of his 92nd birthday. I shall "Take Five" in his honor today.

silverchild said:

R.I.P. One day short of his 92nd birthday. I shall "Take Five" in his honor today.

Indeed. P incorparated that into some live shows awhile back.

One of those acts where you think you don't know any of their stuff, but really you probably do.

RIP.

RIP Dave.

""Take Five" -- the name itself taken from the track's 5/4 time signature." I never knew that.

For those unfamiliar...

I hear Dave's signature jazz piece an untold number of times weekly on LA's 94.7 The Wave. They wear it out!

The late Grover Washington, Jr did a hypercool cover version of "Take Five" on his 1982 album Next Exit.

wWoWw RIP Dave, loved this guys music

RIP Jazz Legend

I always place Time Out on my top 10 albums list.

[Edited 12/5/12 12:32pm]

So sad. Loved him. Talent was obvious, but he was a pretty stellar man, too.

R.I.P. ~ Time Out, indeed.

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Rest in Peace, D.B.....

Dave Brubeck, with Leonard Bernstein and the NY Philharmonic - "Dialouges" -Jazz and Orchestral Music (1959)

...

...

RIP Dave Brubeck.

Take 5 was one of the most iconic jazz tunes ever. There are so many covers of this tune the mind boggles.

Not many people know the tune actually had lyrics but the most popular versions were just the instrumental, probably because Dave didn't have call for a vocalist as most of his tunes were instrumentals so why bear the expense of a singer for just one or two tunes? That's my speculation anyway.

Al Jarreau does fine job with it in his inimitable style:

Identity said:

I hear Dave's signature jazz piece an untold number of times weekly on LA's 94.7 The Wave. They wear it out!

Btw, I hate that station.

88.1 (KJAZZ) is a better station for Jazz.

Anyway, they could at least be a little less lazy and play the other popular tune from that album...

...Blue Rondo à la Turk

Music for adventurous listeners

tA

Tribal Records

theAudience said:

Identity said:

I hear Dave's signature jazz piece an untold number of times weekly on LA's 94.7 The Wave. They wear it out!

Btw, I hate that station.

88.1 (KJAZZ) is a better station for Jazz.

The Wave certainly ranks very high on the Suck-O-Meter.

I'd wager good money that the station programmer has never heard of Carmen McRae.

THIS SHOULD BE A STICKY. I think more folks would post.

What an eloquent player and person. Stuck to his guns on his integrated band at a critical time.

Red Hot and Cool is a really cool live record.

But THIS will be my enduring memory of Dave Brubeck.

Amazing life, catalog of work, and contribution to the artform.

namepeace said:

But THIS will be my enduring memory of Dave Brubeck.

Another classic moment in the documentary was Brubeck explaining how embarrassed he was to have made the cover of Time in 1954. To the point where he went to Ellington's room and apologized (if I remember correctly), knowing that if their races were reversed, Ellington would have made the cover first.


Music for adventurous listeners

tA

Tribal Records

R.I.P.

theAudience said:

Another classic moment in the documentary was Brubeck explaining how embarrassed he was to have made the cover of Time in 1954. To the point where he went to Ellington's room and apologized (if I remember correctly), knowing that if their races were reversed, Ellington would have made the cover first.

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[Edited 12/9/12 18:13pm]

theAudience said:

Identity said:

I hear Dave's signature jazz piece an untold number of times weekly on LA's 94.7 The Wave. They wear it out!

Btw, I hate that station.

88.1 (KJAZZ) is a better station for Jazz.

Anyway, they could at least be a little less lazy and play the other popular tune from that album...

...Blue Rondo à la Turk

Music for adventurous listeners

tA

Tribal Records

And since Brubeck didn't write Take Five, your choice is maybe more appropriate as a tribute to him

DakutiusMaximus said:

RIP Dave Brubeck.

Take 5 was one of the most iconic jazz tunes ever. There are so many covers of this tune the mind boggles.

Not many people know the tune actually had lyrics but the most popular versions were just the instrumental, probably because Dave didn't have call for a vocalist as most of his tunes were instrumentals so why bear the expense of a singer for just one or two tunes? That's my speculation anyway.

Al Jarreau does fine job with it in his inimitable style:

Jarreau also did this one, which is has got to wear out a set of lungs!!