Jazz pianist Dave Brubeck dead at 91

Reuters ^ | Dec 5, 2012 | Christine Kearney

[Revolting cat!]

IBHWA (In Before ‘He Was Amazing’!)

[edpc]

He’s an artist, a pioneer
We’re gonna need some music
On the new frontier

[Betis70]

So sad. Watched this today and am still impressed by the quality of these musicians.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cA5UEGKZoGA

[MD Expat in PA]

Nice Donald Fagen (Steely Dan) reference. :)

[Tucker39]

I went into the Army in 1957 as a Rock & Roll fan, but after Basic, my advanced training put me in an outfit with mostly Joe College types.

It was one of those guys who put me onto progressive jazz, by introducing me to Brubeck and Desmond for openers, which led to Miles Davis, Gerry Mulligan, Ella Fitzgerald, The Four Freshmen, Julie London, and many more I’ve forgotten. Great memories. Want to dig out my old vinyl albums!

[chajin]

It was listening to Brubeck and Jimmy Smith that made me love jazz as a teenager. I only saw Brubeck live once, in 1972 when I was 18, with Gerry Mulligan on baritone sax. He lived as long as he did, in part because in 1944 he was pulled out of Patton's Third Army to play background piano for a Red Cross function in Paris. There he met Darius Milhaud, who had studied with Widor but who also loved American jazz, and for whom Dave named his son Darius. Darius Brubeck went to South Africa as apartheid was ending, and taught music at the University of KwaZulu-Natal for almost 20 years; one of his students was the singer Pamela (de Menezes) Myburgh of the girl-band duo The Arrows. Dave wrote the cantata “The Gates of Justice,” and today he went through those gates. I'm sure his Lord was able to take five and meet him.

[stop_fascism]

Tniversity of the Pacific. Actually, it was probably College of the Pacific when he attended its music conservatory.

[Quick Shot]

He played a concert in my high school in 1974 or 75. Our school had the best acoustics 2000 seat auditorium in the area. He was scheduled to play that night, and at the last minute added a couple hours during the day for the students. Was incredible, what a talent. That day they had fun. (also the place had an incredible smell of burning leaves all day).

When I play practice golf now always have him on in earphones. Helps as the rhythms keep changing.