One of America’s most revered and respected jazz and classical pianists and composers, Dave Brubeck had a prolific career spanning six decades of performing on stages across the world.
Dave Brubeck’s Early Days
Born in Concord, California, on December 6, 1920, David Warren Brubeck seems to have entered the world with music in his blood. The Brubeck family also produced two more professional musicians, Brubeck’s two elder brothers. Young Dave took to the keys at an early age, taught by his mother who had studied classical piano in England.
Almost abandoning music when his family moved to a sprawling cattle ranch, Brubeck ventured off to The University of the Pacific to pursue a career as a veterinarian, never intending to travel beyond the Stockton, California campus.
However, a side job as a performer in a dance group proved too great to pass up and Brubeck soon let the piano decide his path; however, during his initial music classes, he revealed that he had never learned to read sheet music, instead relying on intuition and natural ability.
After graduation, he served in World War II, where he ended up leading the Army’s first integrated band—a stint that would profoundly influence his future collaborations.
Sources in this Story
- Dave Brubeck’s Official Web site
- PBS: Jazz by Ken Burns – Dave Brubeck
- WNYC: An Hour with Dave Brubeck
- Pure Desmond
- YouTube: Dave Brubeck – Take Five
- Time: Dave Brubeck
- PBS: Rediscovering Dave Brubeck
- University of the Pacific: About the Brubeck Institute
- Brubeck Music
- New York Times: Dave Brubeck, Whose Distinctive Sound Gave Jazz New Pop, Dies at 91
Brubeck’s Notable Accomplishments
Returning home to join new wife Iona Whitlock, Brubeck began studying at Mills College under Darius Milhaud, who helped direct the young pianist toward incorporating jazz into his compositions.
This push led to Brubeck forming what would become the first of many jazz combos, The Dave Brubeck Octet, made up of fellow students. A trio was next, and then a quartet including saxophonist Paul Desmond, an association that would last for years to come.
While years of notoriety and fame would follow, thanks in part to relentless touring and performances with jazz greats from Duke Ellington to Charlie Parker, Brubeck’s lasting place in jazz history came from his collaboration with Desmond.
In 1959, the saxophonist composed a collection of catchy tunes set in 5/4 time—a rarity at the time—that were released as the album “Time Out.” It would be two years before the album reached the Billboard Top 100, but since then, the LP has become a jazz staple and been rerecorded countless times. At the time of its release, it helped to spur a resurgence of jazz in America.
Although written by Desmond, the collection has become synonymous with Brubeck and his varied jazz combos ever since.
Featured on the cover of Time as the face of new jazz, Brubeck was also a voice of integration in music, which began with his involvement in the military band. For years after, the pianist resisted pressure to remove African-American members of his group for concerts across the American South and abroad, going so far as to turn down a planned tour in South Africa when notified that one of his fellow performers would not be allowed to perform.
“I wasn’t allowed to play in some universities in the United States and out of twenty-five concerts, twenty-three were cancelled unless I would substitute my black bass player for my old white bass player, which I wouldn’t do,” he told PBS years later.
The Man and his Work
- “Time Out”
- “Dave Brubeck Quartet: The 25th Anniversary Reunion”
- “The Dave Brubeck Quartet at Carnegie Hall”
- “For All Time”
- “It’s About Time: The Dave Brubeck Story” by Fred Hall
The Rest of the Story
In the years that followed the eventual breakup of the Dave Brubeck Quartet, the legendary pianist continued to perform and compose with a host of other musicians, often reuniting with Desmond before the saxophonist passed away in 1977.
Continuing to add elements of jazz to classical and operatic compositions, Brubeck traveled the world well into his 80s.
His alma mater, the University of the Pacific, became home to the Brubeck Institute, a place to study and enjoy all things Dave Brubeck. The center was established in 2000 to “build on Dave Brubeck’s legacy and his lifelong dedication to music, creativity, education, and the advancement of important social issues including civil rights, environmental concerns, international relations, and social justice” through concert series, scholarships and academic programs to study jazz.
Brubeck’s sons, too, have carried on the family torch, performing a host of instruments as solo artists and together as combos. They also occasionally performed alongside their father.
Brubeck died December 5, 2012, one day before his 92nd birthday.
This article was originally written by Christopher Coats; it was updated December 6, 2017.
