R.I.P. Dave Brubeck

DECEMBER 6, 1920 – DECEMBER 5, 2012

Legendary jazz pianist and composer Dave Brubeck has passed away at the age of 91, due to heart failure while on the way to “a regular treatment with his cardiologist,” said longtime manager Russell Gloyd.

Best remembered for the song “Take Five”, which was recorded with the Dave Brubeck Quartet for their breakthrough 1959 album Time Out and went on to become a jazz standard, Brubeck was also known for his pioneering experimentation with unique time signatures and rhythms, as evidenced on songs like “Unsquare Dance”, and “Blue Rondo a la Turk”.

His influence and popularity was such that he was the second jazz musician selected to appear on the cover of Time Magazine on November 8, 1954, five years after Louis Armstrong first graced the cover on February 21, 1949.

After disbanding the Quartet in 1967, Brubeck devoted more time to composing extended orchestral works, which included themes of religion (‘The Light in the Wilderness’, 1968), race and social justice (‘The Gates of Justice’, 1969), and violence (‘Truth is Fallen’, 1972).

In every phase of his career, Dave Brubeck pushed beyond the boundaries of American jazz music, influencing scores of musicians for generations to come. Join us as we say goodbye to this groundbreaking musician.