Dave Brubeck


Brubeck, Dave

(David Warren Brubeck) (bro͞o`bĕk), 1920–2012, American pianist and composer, b. Concord, Calif. Brubeck began studying piano at the age of four and later studied composition with Milhaud and Schoenberg. In 1951 he organized a jazz quartet with alto saxaphonist Paul Desmond. His music, influenced by modern classical composers, was distinguished by complex harmony and the use of meters not typical in jazz.

Brubeck, (David Warren) Dave

(1920– ) jazz musician; born in Concord, Calif. He is one of the handful of modern jazz artists to have achieved mainstream popularity, largely through his recording of "Take Five" in 1962, and his attractive use of unconventional time signatures. A classically-trained pianist who studied with Darius Milhaud, he composed works for ballet, symphony orchestra, and the musical theatre and he toured regularly with his Quartet, which he formed in 1949.