Jazz rather than soul or R&B music brought Dave Brubeck fame. However, Brubeck, who died on Wednesday a day before his 92nd birthday, was one of the few jazz performers who managed to achieve mainstream fame during the rock era. Brubeck’s notoriety came as a result of his tireless work to bring jazz music to college campuses. “Take Five,” one of the songs from the 1959 album Time Out, became an unexpected crossover hit for the Dave Brubeck Quartet. The album featured songs arranged in time signatures such as 9/8 that were inspired by Middle Eastern music. “Take Five” is one of the most recognizable tunes in the jazz music canon.
Jazz rather than soul or R&B music brought Dave Brubeck fame. However, Brubeck, who died on Wednesday a day before his 92nd birthday, was one of the few jazz performers who managed to achieve mainstream fame during the rock era. Brubeck’s notoriety came as a result of his tireless work to bring jazz music to college campuses. “Take Five,” one of the songs from the 1959 album Time Out, became an unexpected crossover hit for the Dave Brubeck Quartet. The album featured songs arranged in time signatures such as 9/8 that were inspired by Middle Eastern music. “Take Five” is one of the most recognizable tunes in the jazz music canon.
Brubeck had a deep commitment to racial justice after witnessing the mistreatment of blacks during his youth. He canceled performances and TV appearances when venue owners and television executives refused to allow his newly integrated band to perform. Brubeck added Eugene Wright, the black bassist who became the final piece of the classic quartet. Brubeck became the second jazz musician to be featured on Time magazine – an honor Brubeck believed should have gone to his hero Duke Ellington. On a personal note, I had the pleasure of interviewing Brubeck and his sons on separate occasions in 2006. The elder Brubeck was in concert at the University of Notre Dame in 2006, and his sons performed at nearby Goshen College a couple of weeks later. Brubeck, was 86 at the time and frail. He needed assistance to and from the stage. Once he sat behind the piano, it was 1959 all over again. We honor Brubeck’s work as a jazz musician, and his commitment to making sure that black musicians were treated fairly and received the respect that they so richly deserved.
By Howard Dukes
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