Legendary jazz pianist and composer David Warren Brubeck, better known as Dave Brubeck, passed away Dec. 5 in Norwalk, Conn., just one day shy of his 92nd birthday. He leaves behind a legacy of jazz that includes "Take Five," probably the most played jazz standard in the world.
Brubeck, who was designated a living legend by the Library of Congress, died of heart failure on the way to see his cardiologist. He was accompanied by his son Darius Brubeck at the time.
Brubeck was best known for his experimentation with jazz time signatures, becoming the first jazz musician to add a fifth beat the standard 4/4 time, according to Ted Gioia. This 5/4 time can be heard on the famous "Take Five" track.
"I talked in terms then, of doing things polyrhythmically. The harmonic approach was polytonality, rhythmically I wanted to do things polyrhythmically because I thought jazz was much too tame," Brubeck explained in an old black-and-white interview.
"The way I wanted to set up the group was that the drummer would be playing one rhythm, the bass player another rhythm, and Paul and I could play in either of those rhythms or a new rhythm."
Brubeck's best known album was "Time Out," recorded by the Dave Brubeck Quartet back in 1959. "Time Out" went on to help revive jazz and became the first jazz album to sell a million copies. Alongside his more famous originals such as "Blue Rondo à la Turk" and "It's a Raggy Waltz," Brubeck also produced timeless covers such as "All The Things You Are" and "Pennies From Heaven."
After recording more than 100 albums, Brubeck's influence and role in popularizing modern jazz will last for decades to come. Brubeck was a prolific performer, playing until just a few months ago, well into his 92nd year. Still, there comes a time when even Take Five has to take a final bow. Rest in peace.
Read Dave Brubeck's full bio at DaveBrubeck.com.
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