Podcast 780: Dave Brubeck @ 100

Miles Davis once famously challenged Dave Brubeck, "Your band don't swing, but you do." I'm not sure that's quite true, but as we look back on the life of Dave Brubeck, born this December 6th 100 years ago today, it is something to consider.  Of the important jazz musicians who came out of the 1950's, Dave Brubeck wrote and played the piano, making music that personified "Cool Jazz," the laidback sound the blew in from California with the likes of Chet Baker, Brubeck, and Gerry Mulligan. It was something of a mirror image to the hard bop that became popular at the time, coming off as thoughtful and calm instead of sweaty and danceable.  Brubeck never played music that was down and dirty that way, but he could swing when he wanted to. However, today he is best known for much of his groundbreaking work with writing and playing in different time signatures (something he borrowed from Max Roach) to create the classic Time Out in 1959.  He found other "gimmicks" as well - his Dave Digs Disney opened up the door to exploring more of the studio signature tunes, and his tours of college campuses, with resulting live albums (Jazz at Oberlin, Jazz Goes to College) paved the way for greater exposure to the boomers coming of age during the fifties. When he appeared on the cover of Time magazine in 1954, with the cover title "The joints are really flipping" more than a few African-American veterans of the bandstand must have gritted their teeth as they read: Pianist David Brubeck, described by fans as a wigging cat with a far-out wail and by more conventional critics as probably the most exciting new jazz artist at work today, has strong ideas about how his audiences should behave while he plays.... Brubeck seemed to build his music from European Art Music more than the Delta Blues, but he had a great sense of knowing the songs to carry forward, as well as how to write original material in any number of genres. He stood up for his fellow musicians as well, passing on lucrative southern gigs when his integrated band was told they could not eat and sleep in the same places. He wrote at least one standard, "In Your Own Sweet Way." and had a jukebox hit with his quartet's recording of hte Paul Desmond Composition, "Take Five." Brubeck was a favorite of my late father's, so I dedicate this Podcast to him, as you enjoy an hour of Dave Brubeck, tunes that he wrote and tunes that he interpreted or brought to the public, including: "Blue Rondo a la Turk" "It's a Raggy Waltz" "In Your Own Sweet Way" "Cassandra" "Dizzy's Dream" "Deep in a Dream" "Forty Days" "The Duke" "Balcony Rock" "Three to Get Ready (Outtake)" "Take Five"