Dave Brubeck Dies at 91
 

Today jazz great Dave Brubeck died, a day before his 92nd birthday. In May 2011 Ted Z. and I, and our two wives, got to see him play at Princeton. He was 90 at the time, and although he had trouble walking, he could still play beautifully. Have a listen to a classic performance of his signature number Take Five:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQLMFNC2Awo

that was pretty good music.....kind of good background music though I am not sure I would want a 2 -3 hour concert of it...

Rest in Peace
 

One of my dad's favorite artists. I had Blue Rondo a la Turk as a ringtone a few years back. The guy was special.

Leon- when Brubeck recorded that in 1959, it was a huge hit, and is considered a major composition in modern jazz. It is laid back but it's not elevator music. Of course, music is a personal thing.

Barry, I know he was one of the greats. I don't really care for that kind of music in general. Me saying that I liked his, is something. When I clicked on the link you gave and started listening to it I clicked over to a news site and started reading it. That is why I made the comment I did. I am sure he was a great man and a great musician. My comment might have come off as a bit disrespectful and I would apologize to him for that. It wasn't meant that way. It was actually a compliment.
It would be analogous to someone saying that I "sort of" collect pre-war cards..... :) ....Music is indeed a personal thing.

Everyone's musical taste is different. And Brubeck's jazz was a little too pop oriented for some and was not universally praised. But his "Time Out" album, by far his most successful, has sold over two million copies. That's nearly unheard of for a jazz album.

Barry

That was a great time we had in Princeton, 1 1/2 years ago. We had a great seafood dinner, followed by a tremendous Jazz concert. At age 90, Dave Brubeck was amazing.

Dave Brubeck's "Take Five" is the biggest-selling jazz single of all time. Over 2 Million records, tapes, and CD's have been sold. It was written by Paul Desmond.....Brubeck's
alto Saxophonist; and, was their signature piece in The Dave Brubeck Quartet's 1959 "Time Out" album. Along with their sweet Jazz songs "Strange Meadowlark", and "Blue
Rondo a la Turk". The Quartet included Joe Morello on Drums and Eugene Wright on the Bass.

Brubeck made an exciting impact on the Jazz scene in the late 1950's and the '60s with his inovative music style. It was a great time for Jazz enthusiasts. In the Northeast
with New York's world-renowned Birdland and Jack Teagarden's The Metropole. And, in Chicago you were treated to some great Jazz sounds at The Pershing.

Unfortunately, all those great Jazz Nightspots are long gone.

Thanks for reminiscing, Barry

TED Z

Back around 2002, the Infiniti car company had a commercial for one of their new models. In the commercial, the new model was cruising the rainy streets at night while a cool, smooth jazz tune with a tasty sax played in the background. I didn't know the song, but the melody stayed in my head. I had hoped to one day figure out the title of the song.

Later that year I was down in Cleveland to catch my favorite band, Rush, at Gund Arena. During intermission I was outside having a smoke, and off in the distance I could hear that melody -- the same jazz song from the Infiniti commercial. I walked around the corner and saw a street musician playing a sax in downtown Cleveland, on the corner, with a tip hat in front of him. I walked up and had to ask, "Hey there, what song is that??" "Take Five by Dave Brubeck!" the tall, older gentleman replied. I threw a buck into his hat and listened to the song a bit more -- it sounded perfect as it echoed through the city streets, the notes bouncing off the tall buildings. I went back in the for the 2nd set of the Rush show, and later that week I picked up Time Out on CD.

RIP Mr. Brubeck.

I agree Ted, it was a great concert and a very enjoyable night. I don't think he performed too many times after May 2011, so what we saw was among his very last shows. But he still could play!

One of the greats. I had to work through hating jazz before I could come to some appreciation. One of the virtues of a small combo (like Brubeck) is that the listener can focus on each instrument individually or on the group as a whole, or both at the same time, in which case it helps if you live in Washington state or Colorado.:)

My father introduced me to Jazz at an early age. Bruebeck was and is my favorite. Take 5...amazing!

Dave Brubeck
 

I always thought Brubeck has gotten lost in recent years when people talk about great jazz musicians. Dave Brubeck is without a doubt one of the top jazz if not all musicians of all time. An absolute classic and under appreciated in recent years

The Koufax piece in Ken Burns Baseball one of my favorite moments in the series. I thought the use of Brubeck music in the background while showing Koufax pitch would have been more appropriate...and very cool:cool: