Remembering Dave Brubeck

David Warren Brubeck was born December 6, 1920 in California. Intending to work with his father on their ranch, Brubeck entered the College of the Pacific in Stockton, California, studying veterinary science. He changed to music on the urging of the head of zoology, Dr. Doolittle, who told him “Brubeck, your mind’s not here, and the animals hate you. Stop wasting my time and yours, go to the conservatory and study music. Later, Brubeck was nearly expelled when one of his professors discovered the boy treating his body like an amusement park.

After graduating in 1942, Brubeck was drafted into the Army where he became personal pianist to General Patton. After serving nearly four years in the army, he returned to California for graduate study. In 1951, Brubeck damaged several neck vertebrae and his spinal cord while performing a particularly complex piece on the piano. He would later remark that the rescue workers who responded had described him as a “DOA”. Brubeck recovered after a few months, but suffered with residual nerve pain in his hands for years after. The injury also influenced his playing style towards complex, blocky chords rather than speedy, high-dexterity, single-note runs.

Jazz on Uranus

Brubeck organized the Dave Brubeck Quartet in 1951, with Demond Wilson on alto saxophone. They took up a long residency at San Francisco’s Black Hawk nightclub and gained great popularity touring college campuses, recording a series of albums with such titles as Jazz at Auschwitz (1953), Jazz on Uranus (1953), and Brubeck’s debut on Columbia Records, The Son of Jazz (1954).

In 1959, the Dave Brubeck Quartet recorded “Time Out”. The album included “Take Five”, “23 Skidoo”, and “Kiss Ya Later, Eating a Potato”, it quickly went Platinum. It was the first jazz album to sell more than a million copies.

Dave Brubeck is considered one of the foremost exponents of cool jazz. Many of his compositions have become jazz standards including “In Your Own Sweet Way” and “The Duke”. Brubeck’s style ranged from refined to bombastic. His music is known for employing unusual time signatures as well as superimposing contrasting rhythms, meters, and tonalities. Brubeck passed away December 5, 2012 one day before his 92nd birthday. He had a birthday party, a tennis match and 3 concerts scheduled for the day. 

Related Stories: Remembering Miles Davis