Post by Rob Durkee on Dec 5, 2012 22:52:34 GMT -5
By ROCKIN' ROBIN
Dave Brubeck, the jazz pioneer/pianist who was most famous for leading the Dave Brubeck Quartet with the 1961 instrumental hit, "Take Five," died on Wednesday, December 5, 2012. He was a day away from turning 92.
According to writers Hoard Reich and Amy Hubbard as well as the Associated Press, Brubeck died of heart failure at a Norwalk, Connecticut, hospital. He'd reportedly suffered a heart attack while traveling from his Wilton, Connecticut, home to his heart doctor.
"Take Five" only reached #23 on the Cash Box pop chart in the fall of 1961 but set standards jazz musicians and fans still covet today.
For instance, "Take Five" was the first million-selling single whose tempo was in the unusual 5-4 musical time. In fact, "Take Five" to this day is believed to still be the only Top 40 hit song done in 5-4 time.
The late Paul Desmond, Brubeck's alto saxophonist, wrote "Take Five" based on his experiences with a Las Vegas slot machine. Desmond was trying to recoup his financial losses after pulling the arm of a one-armed bandit too many times. Plus, it was the sound of that slot machine that inspired Desmond to write "Take Five" in 5-4 time.
Coming up with weird musical time frames was nothing new for Brubeck. According to Wikipedia, Brubeck also had songs done in 6-4, 7-4, 9-8 and even 13-4 time.
And he backed his music to the hilt. When one disc jockey accused him of "selling out" with "Take Five," Brubeck responded with a live- on-the-air challenge. He recalled, "So I said to him, 'OK, let's play the 'Take Five' record and you follow along and count it.' The DJ then had this huge blank. When I asked him, 'Well, why don't you do it?'…he didn't say anything. Had this huge blank and didn't answer. At that time, hardly any musicians could play 'Take Five.' Now, a grammar school kid can play it."
Brubeck and Desmond formed the Dave Brubeck Quartet in 1951. The other two main members of the group would eventually be drummer Joe Morello and bassist Eugene Wright. In 1954, Brubeck became the second jazz musician to grace the cover of Time Magazine. The first was Louie Armstrong.
The group's 1959 LP, "Time Out," became the first jazz album to sell a million copies. Perhaps the best of Brubeck's numerous awards was a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1996.
The accolades poured in after the news of Brubeck's passing broke. Professor David Baker of Indiana University noted, "Dave Brubeck was one of the giants of music. He changed the way people listened to music."
Ramsey Lewis observed, "Dave could swing in any time signature. It seemed like forward motion was born in his blood."
As a tribute to Dave Brubeck, I invite you to "Take Five" to listen to "Take Five"…
www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmDDOFXSgAs
Dave Brubeck, the jazz pioneer/pianist who was most famous for leading the Dave Brubeck Quartet with the 1961 instrumental hit, "Take Five," died on Wednesday, December 5, 2012. He was a day away from turning 92.
According to writers Hoard Reich and Amy Hubbard as well as the Associated Press, Brubeck died of heart failure at a Norwalk, Connecticut, hospital. He'd reportedly suffered a heart attack while traveling from his Wilton, Connecticut, home to his heart doctor.
"Take Five" only reached #23 on the Cash Box pop chart in the fall of 1961 but set standards jazz musicians and fans still covet today.
For instance, "Take Five" was the first million-selling single whose tempo was in the unusual 5-4 musical time. In fact, "Take Five" to this day is believed to still be the only Top 40 hit song done in 5-4 time.
The late Paul Desmond, Brubeck's alto saxophonist, wrote "Take Five" based on his experiences with a Las Vegas slot machine. Desmond was trying to recoup his financial losses after pulling the arm of a one-armed bandit too many times. Plus, it was the sound of that slot machine that inspired Desmond to write "Take Five" in 5-4 time.
Coming up with weird musical time frames was nothing new for Brubeck. According to Wikipedia, Brubeck also had songs done in 6-4, 7-4, 9-8 and even 13-4 time.
And he backed his music to the hilt. When one disc jockey accused him of "selling out" with "Take Five," Brubeck responded with a live- on-the-air challenge. He recalled, "So I said to him, 'OK, let's play the 'Take Five' record and you follow along and count it.' The DJ then had this huge blank. When I asked him, 'Well, why don't you do it?'…he didn't say anything. Had this huge blank and didn't answer. At that time, hardly any musicians could play 'Take Five.' Now, a grammar school kid can play it."
Brubeck and Desmond formed the Dave Brubeck Quartet in 1951. The other two main members of the group would eventually be drummer Joe Morello and bassist Eugene Wright. In 1954, Brubeck became the second jazz musician to grace the cover of Time Magazine. The first was Louie Armstrong.
The group's 1959 LP, "Time Out," became the first jazz album to sell a million copies. Perhaps the best of Brubeck's numerous awards was a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1996.
The accolades poured in after the news of Brubeck's passing broke. Professor David Baker of Indiana University noted, "Dave Brubeck was one of the giants of music. He changed the way people listened to music."
Ramsey Lewis observed, "Dave could swing in any time signature. It seemed like forward motion was born in his blood."
As a tribute to Dave Brubeck, I invite you to "Take Five" to listen to "Take Five"…
www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmDDOFXSgAs