Take Five, Dave.

This is the album.

THE album

 

 

This is an album

that you owned even if you weren't into jazz. 

This, and Kinda Blue from Miles Davis.

 

Today, December 5th, 2012,

just into the 9 0'Clock hour, I found out that

Dave Brubeck had just died.

 

I have very little to say on this.

Yet so much, I think.

 

Tears come to my eyes

each time I see another facebook post,

or reply of some sort. Dave Brubeck was a great,

great man in the world of music He explored

something outside of the norm, yet maintained

a feel that remained pleasing.

 

SO many artists of ANY sort

lose this in desperation to do their own thing.

Brubeck's thing - was in his timing.

Time signatures, specifically.

 

(((ahhh, now at 10:05am PST,

I finally hear the first on air announcement with NPR news headlines)))

 

(((SO glad I bought this some years back)))

 

Dave Brubeck,

beyond exploring alternatives

to the world of commonplace meter,

also had impeccable comic timing as well.

Somewhere out there, there's a recording of

Dave playing at the Monterrey Jazz festival. I forget

the year, but it's on a couple of collections. Dave's

playing (I think) For All We Know. In the

middle of it, a plane flies over. A LOUD plane. Like

twin props or some big cargo plane or something.

Anyway. Dave continues the song while the plane

flies over, then... once the noise of the plane has

died down JUST enough, ya hear Dave playing

"...off we go... into the wild blue yon-der...".

The crowd laughed it up a LOT, then

Dave finished the tune

he started with.

 

My favorite Dave Brubeck album

is Moscow Night, out on Concord Records.

Oddly enough, ass I type this, a friend from KVCR

just sent me an e-mail mentioning "The Un-square dance"

- on Moscow Night. So many great ones though.

The "college albums", Young Lions and Old Tigers,

Dave Digs Disney... Far too many greats out

there to choose just one

as a favorite.

 

 

 

But always... Always... go back to Time Out.

 

Dave Brubeck died

within a day or so of his 92nd birthday.

He died of heart failure. He didn't go down in a plane.

He didn't lose it to the needle, or some other kind of abuse.

He was not someone who died in his 20's or 30's or 40's

and died "far too soon", with "so much of his life

ahead of him". Although if he had not died

until well past 120... it would have

been far too soon.

 

He was still performing. He was still introducing

people to his passions. 

 

 

I'll mention again the

"Young Lions and Old Tigers" release.

This came out in the mid 90's on Telarc, and

featured Roy Hargrove, Joe Lovano, Christian McBride, Michael Brecker... no matter who I mention, I'll be

leaving someone out. So I'll stop here. Dave Brubeck

wanted to be remembered as someone who opened doors.

 

He did.

It's not gonna stop the tears though.

 

As soon as

I found out about Brubeck's death,

I sent a message to a friend, Tarik Townsend.

Tarik was someone who stumbled into KVCR one

day to ask about Ozzy and Harriet. We were talking

jazz REAL soon, and it was ever so apparent that his knowledge of Brubeck exceeds any encyclopedia entry anywhere. It's Tarik's words I leave you with.

I'm putting them in without

even reading them.

 

"To many, Dave Brubeck was an innovator of musical time. To others, he was a bombastic pianist who couldn’t swing and played in the wrong key. Multiple wrong keys. But to me, a 15 year old school boy, Mr. Brubeck was a musician who embodied all the qualities of jazz, and then some.
 
I actually thought Mr. Brubeck was black when I first heard him, playing from a stereo in the office of my school. Thanks to the secretary, who gave me the C.D., a love (or obsession) of all things Brubeck was sparked. Brubeck became my hero and role model, not to mention my favorite musician ever, transcending genre, time period, or what have you. The fact that he stayed true to himself in everything he did made a big impression on me. The quality of his that sealed the deal with me was his staunch stance against Jim Crow, highlighted by his hiring of a black bassist in 1958, the thick of the Civil Rights movement. To me, a black young man, this was more remarkable than his musical innovations. A white jazz musician who hired a black bassist and made toe-tapping, head-bobbing music? Was Dave Brubeck a real person?

In short, Dave Brubeck was and is my hero, the musician to which all others are compared. His music has provided the soundtrack to my life for the past seven years, and, along with his Quartet (with alto saxophonist Paul Desmond, my 2nd favorite musician) has become more than a great jazz group. I learned many lessons from him, his group, and his lifestyle. Up to that point, I thought of white jazz musicians as being ‘also-rans’, cute but not to be taken seriously. He completely changed that thought process, introducing me to the West Coast ‘Cool Jazz’ movement of the 1950’s and forcing me to look at Bill Evans and others with new eyes and ears. Above all, he has become family. Though I’ll miss him terribly, I think Brubeck got the last laugh. After playing Desmond’s hit ‘Take Five’ for over 50 years, Brubeck took five."

 

Tarik Townsend
12/5/2012 

Thank you Tarik.

 

And thank YOU for reading this.

Although it may be old news by now.
When Richard Wright passed away,
my night was full of Floyd. With Adam Yauch,
it was the Beasties.

Tonight I know it's gonna be Dave.
Try it. And YOU... go find some Brubeck.
And listen with just a BIT of a different ear.