The only true great from jazz's golden era that I got to see live, back in 1998 in Hartford. And he was awesome. RIP
Tomorrow would've been his 92nd birthday, as I think I posted on one of the music threads. One of the great things about him is the devotion to the music AND his willingness to let his sidemen shine. In the recording of "Take Five," he lays down the rythm and carries it all the way through and lets everyone else go to town (IIRC that's Paul Desmond's tune).
If you haven't seen it already you should check out one of the recent documentaries about him, Dave Brubeck: In His Own Sweet Way.
RIP, one of my two jazz favorites the other being Joao Gilberto. I was fortunate to see Brubeck at the beautiful Walt Disney Hall in downtown LA about 3/4 years ago. My favorite from Take Five:
I'll be watching this again soon: if you like jazz but are unfamiliar with the "Jazz Icons" series, look into it. Live performances from the 40's through the 60's with pretty solid sound and image quality for the most part. Generally taken from televised live performances in Europe. This one is a cracker, one of my three favorites of the series (the other two featuring Mingus and Coltrane, respectively but not necessarily in that order).
The only jazz icons I have are Nina Simone and Thelonious Monk. I want the entire series but it's expensive.
Rest in Peace Dave Brubeck and thank you for the wonderful music. I listened this afternoon to Time Out.