R.I.P. Dave Brubeck

engelbach · December 7th, 2012, 02:33 PM

R.I.P. Dave Brubeck

Brubeck was one of my earliest experiences with jazz, which included his album Time Out, and Miles Davis's Blackhawk albums and Kind of Blue.

But after becoming better acquainted with jazz I found that Brubeck was no longer to my taste. I found his style heavy-handed and his improvisations clichéd and, despite the unusual time signatures, not really exploratory.

Brubeck's tune In Your Own Sweet Way was a standard for my band and is still in my repertoire. And I occasionally play Strange Meadowlark as a solo ballad.

Possibly his most important achievement was to introduce a great many people to modern jazz, through a series of concerts at colleges in the 1950s and then his reaching a mass audience with the immensely popular album Time Out and Paul Desmond's tune Take Five.

I saw his quartet live only once, in the early 1960s, when I was still an avid fan. It featured the gimmick of the entire band leaving the stage for Joe Morello's drum solo on Take Five and then coming back in a few minutes later. A real crowd pleaser.

Not the greatest of jazz musicians, but a winning personality, strong advocate for civil rights, and the only one in modern times with so much mass appeal.

EGBDF · December 7th, 2012, 06:28 PM

I go to Oberlin College, one of those colleges you mentioned.

Yeah, I've never gotten much into him or had a taste for his playing, but Take Five was the first piece of jazz I fell in love with, along with the rest of Time Out. I didn't go straight into playing jazz from that, but it's definitely possible I never would have if it weren't for Take Five.

It's funny, not a week before he died, I was thinking "man Brubeck is getting old, let me check his wiki page to make sure he's still alive" and he was.

I also saw his quartet back around 2007 back before I played jazz, and of course he played Take Five. He must have gotten tired of it, but with a hit like that, you can expect to disappoint the audience if you don't play it.

Tom K · December 8th, 2012, 01:21 AM

Of course I love Take Five, as almost everybody does. I also like Blue Rondo a la Turk, although I've always regretted that as soon as the solos start, it's just a 4/4 blues. - Some of Brubeck's albums I really like - but I've always said that the best thing about Brubeck is Desmond. - As for Brubeck the pianist, I have my doubts about his taste: The way he sometimes bangs those block chords into the piano - two-over-three, endlessly! - can really get on your nerves.

But, as I said: Desmond - aaaah!

Tenorman · December 8th, 2012, 12:24 PM

As someone who only ever reached the stage of an amateur / weekend occasional gigs musician, I found Brubeck a very accessible Jazz musician. He did things with rhythm that seemed natural and easy to follow. To me it was new and I couldn't get enough of it.

Like most musician composers, there are some albums better than others: some I don't like, but there are none I don't get

jjo · December 8th, 2012, 02:32 PM

My favorite composition of Brubeck's is Summer Song. I version I first heard, and still my favorite, it by Marion McPartland. Really a piece on the level of Debussy.

I was also fortunate, I believe in 1977, to catch a reunion concert in New York with Brubeck and Desmond. That was, at the time, one of my favorite concerts.

Vaughan · December 8th, 2012, 04:09 PM

I'm somewhat surprised by the luke warm reaction to Brubeck. To me he is obviously one of the true greats of Jazz, and his passing is to the detriment of the music we love.

Like every musician there's ever been, some of what he did was better than other things, but when at the top of his game he was clearly among the elite. His music can be complex, yet accessible - which is a skill few can achieve.

RIP Mr. Brubeck.

December 7th, 2012, 02:33 PM	#1
engelbach Piano/Compose/Arrange Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Pátzcuaro, Michoacán, México Posts: 7,190	R.I.P. Dave Brubeck R.I.P. Dave Brubeck Brubeck was one of my earliest experiences with jazz, which included his album Time Out, and Miles Davis's Blackhawk albums and Kind of Blue. But after becoming better acquainted with jazz I found that Brubeck was no longer to my taste. I found his style heavy-handed and his improvisations clichéd and, despite the unusual time signatures, not really exploratory. Brubeck's tune In Your Own Sweet Way was a standard for my band and is still in my repertoire. And I occasionally play Strange Meadowlark as a solo ballad. Possibly his most important achievement was to introduce a great many people to modern jazz, through a series of concerts at colleges in the 1950s and then his reaching a mass audience with the immensely popular album Time Out and Paul Desmond's tune Take Five. I saw his quartet live only once, in the early 1960s, when I was still an avid fan. It featured the gimmick of the entire band leaving the stage for Joe Morello's drum solo on Take Five and then coming back in a few minutes later. A real crowd pleaser. Not the greatest of jazz musicians, but a winning personality, strong advocate for civil rights, and the only one in modern times with so much mass appeal. __________________ Jerry Engelbach, piano/arrange/compose Engelbach Music Weaver of Dreams Artwork

December 7th, 2012, 06:28 PM	#2
EGBDF Registered User Join Date: Jun 2011 Posts: 62	I go to Oberlin College, one of those colleges you mentioned. Yeah, I've never gotten much into him or had a taste for his playing, but Take Five was the first piece of jazz I fell in love with, along with the rest of Time Out. I didn't go straight into playing jazz from that, but it's definitely possible I never would have if it weren't for Take Five. It's funny, not a week before he died, I was thinking "man Brubeck is getting old, let me check his wiki page to make sure he's still alive" and he was. I also saw his quartet back around 2007 back before I played jazz, and of course he played Take Five. He must have gotten tired of it, but with a hit like that, you can expect to disappoint the audience if you don't play it. __________________ A live recording of my band (drum 'n bass influenced jazz): http://subprimesloane.bandcamp.com/ if you enter "0" after clicking "name your price", it's a free download. No sign up necessary.

December 8th, 2012, 12:24 PM	#4
Tenorman AAJ's Spammer Exterminator Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: London - expat Scot Posts: 12,126	As someone who only ever reached the stage of an amateur / weekend occasional gigs musician, I found Brubeck a very accessible Jazz musician. He did things with rhythm that seemed natural and easy to follow. To me it was new and I couldn't get enough of it. Like most musician composers, there are some albums better than others: some I don't like, but there are none I don't get __________________ Birth Controller to the Jazz Community. (click on the underlined text for more information)

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December 8th, 2012, 01:21 AM	#3
Tom K Registered User Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: 7°29' E; 47°14' N Posts: 5,826	Of course I love Take Five, as almost everybody does. I also like Blue Rondo a la Turk, although I've always regretted that as soon as the solos start, it's just a 4/4 blues. - Some of Brubeck's albums I really like - but I've always said that the best thing about Brubeck is Desmond. - As for Brubeck the pianist, I have my doubts about his taste: The way he sometimes bangs those block chords into the piano - two-over-three, endlessly! - can really get on your nerves. But, as I said: Desmond - aaaah!

December 8th, 2012, 02:32 PM	#5
jjo Registered User Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 67	My favorite composition of Brubeck's is Summer Song. I version I first heard, and still my favorite, it by Marion McPartland. Really a piece on the level of Debussy. I was also fortunate, I believe in 1977, to catch a reunion concert in New York with Brubeck and Desmond. That was, at the time, one of my favorite concerts.

December 8th, 2012, 04:09 PM	#6
Vaughan Registered User Join Date: Aug 2008 Posts: 1,485	I'm somewhat surprised by the luke warm reaction to Brubeck. To me he is obviously one of the true greats of Jazz, and his passing is to the detriment of the music we love. Like every musician there's ever been, some of what he did was better than other things, but when at the top of his game he was clearly among the elite. His music can be complex, yet accessible - which is a skill few can achieve. RIP Mr. Brubeck.