Brubeck, Dave (1920-2012), was an American pianist and composer. Brubeck’s forceful, harmonically intricate, and rhythmically complex piano style and diverse compositions reflect his early studies with the classical composers Darius Milhaud and Arnold Schoenberg. In 1951, Brubeck founded a quartet featuring Paul Desmond, an alto saxophonist. The group toured and recorded until 1967. It introduced such Brubeck compositions as “In Your Own Sweet Way,” “The Duke,” and “Blue Rondo a la Turk,” as well as Desmond’s “Take Five.” The quartet became famous for its “cool” sound, classical precision, and rhythmic experimentation.
David Warren Brubeck was born in Concord, California, on Dec. 6, 1920. Among Brubeck’s most ambitious compositions are The Real Ambassadors (1962), a musical play; The Light in the Wilderness (1968), an oratorio; and The Gates of Justice (1969), a cantata. He often performed in a quartet with his three sons. Brubeck died on Dec. 5, 2012.
