Contents
Dave Brubeck
Leading the quartet behind Take Five and the rhythmically adventurous album Time Out.
Time Out · Blue Rondo à la Turk
- Born
- 6 December 1920
- Birthplace
- Concord, California, United States
- Died
- 5 December 2012
More people
Dave Brubeck
Dave Brubeck was an American pianist and composer who brought unusual metres and classical influences into jazz. His quartet found a large audience without abandoning rhythmic experimentation.
Early life
Musical household
Learned piano from his mother and grew up partly on a California cattle ranch.
Composition studies
Studied music at the College of the Pacific and later with Darius Milhaud.
Career
- 1940s
Army and study
Led a band during military service before returning to advanced musical study.
- 1951
Quartet formed
Established the Dave Brubeck Quartet with saxophonist Paul Desmond.
- 1950s–1960s
International touring
Built audiences through college concerts, recordings and overseas tours.
- Later career
Beyond the quartet
Continued touring while composing orchestral, choral and sacred music.
Selected work
Time Out
Album exploring metres uncommon in mainstream jazz.
Blue Rondo à la Turk
Composition alternating a 9/8 rhythmic pattern with swing.
The Gates of Justice
Cantata connecting Hebrew texts with the civil-rights struggle.
Beyond work
Integrated ensembles
Refused performances that required him to exclude Black bassist Eugene Wright.
Creative partnership
His wife Iola Brubeck worked as a lyricist, collaborator and manager.
Sources & photo credit
Biography ↗Life and work ↗Time Out: Library of Congress ↗Photo: Jack de Nijs for Anefo / Anefo. CC BY-SA 3.0 · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.
.jpg){kind=link}