Today, the jazz world and the greater music world lost a true legend in the art of composing and performing on the piano, Dave Brubeck. Brubeck, 92, died of heart failure in Norwalk, Connecticut.
The self-proclaimed "composer who plays the piano" traveled the world for over 60 plus years with a sound and an artistry that transcended the jazz genre and appealed to music lovers of all stripes. His seminal piece, Take Five, written by the brilliant alto saxophonist, Paul Desmond, and arranged by Brubeck, sits equally amidst such jazz piece heavyweights as John Coltrane's, A Love Supreme, and Miles Davis's, Kinda Blue.
I was lucky enough to hear Brubeck several times at the Monterey Jazz Festival. In fact, Brubeck was one of the founding musicians behind the longest continuous running jazz festivals in the world, MJF. Brubeck always delivered the goods and with that trademark joyful smile of his. He made music which made his audience happy and made himself delirious with joy. He truly loved his art. And for that, we all loved him.
Brubeck was born in Northern California into a musical family. His mother taught piano. His brothers were both musicians. Brubeck enrolled at the University of Pacific with an interest in veterinary science. But quickly changed his major to music.
After graduating from college in 1942, Brubeck was drafted in the Army. It was this moment of time that changed his life's path. He met Desmond in the Army which furthered his love of and talent for music, and as they say "the rest is history."
In 1959, Desmond and Brubeck collaborated in producing Take Five. Desmond with his restrained white "cool school" saxophone style melded with Brubeck's riff-like block chords created this timeless masterpiece we enjoy today, 53 years later. With it's truly renegade (at that time) quintuple time 5/4, hence the name Take Five, Desmond and Brubeck gave us all something to cherish in forever time.
After listening to this piece, can you imagine these two cool cats together in the same barracks in the Army?
RIP Dave Brubeck.
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