Dave Brubeck Biography
As much as any jazz musician of his era, Dave Brubeck has balanced artistic achievement and commercial success. The San Francisco-bred pianist’s groundbreaking, trend-setting 1950s work was a major cornerstone in establishing the West Coast school of cool jazz, while winning a level of mainstream acceptance that was unprecedented in the jazz world at the time. Early in his career, Brubeck developed his distinctive approach to counterpoint and harmony while employing polyrhythms and polytonality, often playing and composing in unorthodox time signatures. In the years since, Brubeck has remained both popular and creatively vital, without ever diluting his music for mass appeal.
Brubeck received some crucial early training from his pianist mother, but avoided learning to read music by simply memorizing his lessons. He studied music at the College of the Pacific between 1938 and 1942, before being drafted into the army and serving in General Patton’s Third Army during World War II. After the war, Brubeck returned to the Bay Area to study at Mills College with classical composer and jazz supporter Darius Milhaud, who would be a major influence on the pianist. Brubeck made his first recordings with the Dave Brubeck Octet, and then formed a trio, which eventually became a quartet with the addition of alto saxophonist Paul Desmond. That lineup quickly became nationally popular, thanks in large part to the vibrant interplay between Brubeck’s heavy chording and Desmond’s fluid, lyrical playing. The quintet benefited from being one of the first jazz groups to perform regularly on college campuses, winning a substantial youthful audience as a result.
In 1954, the same year that Brubeck appeared on the cover of Time magazine, the Dave Brubeck Quartet began recording for Columbia Records, releasing such highly-regarded albums as Jazz Goes to College, Brubeck Time, Jazz: Red, Hot and Cool, Brubeck Plays Brubeck, Jazz Impressions of the U.S.A., Distinctive Rhythm Instrumentals, Dave Brubeck Plays and Plays and…, The Dave Brubeck Quartet in Europe, Jazz Impressions of Eurasia, Gone with the Wind and Time Out and its sequel, Time Further Out. Time Out, released in 1959, became one of the biggest-selling albums in jazz history, reaching Number Two on Billboard’s pop album chart. Time Out featured Desmond’s “Take Five,” which became a hit single and remains one of the best known tunes in jazz history.
The Dave Brubeck Quartet continued touring and recording, releasing The Riddle, Southern Scene, Brubeck Plays Bernstein Plays Brubeck, Tonight Only, Take Five Live, Bossa Nova U.S.A., Angel Eyes, Countdown: Time in Outer Space, Music from West Side Story, The Dave Brubeck Quartet at Carnegie Hall, Time Changes, Jazz Impressions of Japan, Jazz Impressions of New York, Dave Brubeck in Berlin, Time In, Anything Goes: The Music of Cole Porter, Jackpot!, My Favorite Things, Compadres and Time In, before disbanding in 1967.
Brubeck returned the following year with a new quartet featuring saxophone giant Gerry Mulligan, although he would periodically reunite with Desmond as well. In the ’70s, Brubeck performed frequently with his sons, keyboardist Darius, bassist Chris and drummer Danny, while continuing to compose in a variety of formats, including classical and orchestral pieces. Never content to rest on his considerable laurels, Brubeck has remained active, both on stage and on record, well into his 80s.
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