Incomparable Jazz pianist Dave Brubeck died of a heart attack yesterday, one day shy of his 92nd birthday today.  He died on the way to a cardiologist appointment.  It’s hard to argue with the loss of a life at 90, but the Jazz universe will miss Dave Brubeck’s intense energy and dedication to cause because he brought mainstream popularity to chunky and abruptly pleasing music.

When you think of Dave Brubeck’s biggest mark on music, you immediately recall the atonality of “Take Five” — written by alto saxophonist, and chronic heroin addict, Paul Desmond — as the swing and irregular beat takes over your body:

“Take Five” is also a great, but fun, challenge to play on the guitar.  As well, once you hear “Take Five” you sing it in your head for the rest of your day, and it replays within your heart for the rest of your life.

Dave Brubeck was a good man who belonged to us during a great time of social turmoil:

Genial as Mr. Brubeck could seem, he had strong convictions. In the 1950s he had to stand up to college deans who asked him not to perform with a racially mixed band (his bassist, Gene Wright, was black). He also refused to tour in South Africa in 1958 when asked to sign a contract stipulating that his band would be all white. With his wife as lyricist, he wrote “The Real Ambassadors,” a jazz musical that dealt with race relations. With a cast that included Louis Armstrong, it was released on LP in 1962 but staged only once, at that year’s Monterey Jazz Festival.

The measure of a good man is marked by the length of moral deeds he leaves trailing behind him — a grand path of function and pain and of overcoming overwhelming odds to do the right thing in life.

Dave Brubeck led a long and delightful life, and he leaves us a bright and proper pathway into the future by lighting our way in the distance of our dark times.

3 Comments

  1. Gordon Davidescu – Born in Perth Amboy, Gordon Davidescu lives in Queens with his wife, children, cat, and plush bears. He loves reading a good book whether it is cloth and paper or digitally.
    Gordon Davidescu says:

    I have been a fan of Brubeck since I was in high school. What a touching tribute. Well written.

    1. David Boles – New York City – David Boles was born in Nebraska and holds an MFA from the Oscar Hammerstein II Center for Theatre Studies at Columbia University in the City of New York. He is an author, dramatist, editor, publisher, and teacher who writes across the live stage, print, radio, television, film, and the web. With more than 50 books in print, David continues to write 2MM words a year and has authored over 25K articles. He is a member of the Dramatists Guild, the Authors Guild, and PEN America, and founded The United Stage advocacy platform on the principle that playwrights have a duty to direct their own work. Read the Prairie Voice Archive at Boles.com | Buy his books at David Boles Books Writing & Publishing at BolesBooks.com | Study with Script Professor at ScriptProfessor.com | Touch American Sign Language mastery at Hardcore ASL at HardcoreASL.com | Explore the Human Meme podcast at HumanMeme.com | Train with Boles Bells at BolesBells.com.
      David W. Boles says:

      You could tell just by watching him play the piano that he was a great guy. We need more people like him in the world!

  2. Pingback: Tony Bennett and Dave Brubeck, Live at the White House in 1962 « Boles Blogs

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