Jazz musician Dave Brubeck dies in Connecticut aged 91

JAZZ GIANT Dave Brubeck died in Connecticut on 5th December. The 91 year old pianist, composer and band leader, best known for his '60s pop hits "Take Five" and "Unsquare Dance", died on his way to a cardiology appointment with one of his sons at Connecticut's Norwalk Hospital. Brubeck became a committed Catholic Christian in 1980 after being asked to compose a musical setting for the Mass. Brubeck composed other music with religious themes, including the music for the entrance procession during Pope John Paul's Mass in San Francisco in 1987.

Born in Concord, California, on 6th December 1920, Brubeck grew up the son of an East Bay cattle rancher, took piano lessons from his mother. Brubeck studied at the College Of The Pacific (now University Of The Pacific) in Stockton. He originally planned to be a veterinarian but eventually turned to conservatory studies. He graduated in 1942, played with the Army band at Camp Haan in Southern California, briefly served overseas in George Patton's Third Army and was steered away from the front by a commanding officer who appreciated his piano skills. Instead, Brubeck played for the troops and later wound up at Mills College in Oakland. There, he studied under the jazz-influenced French composer Darius Milhaud.

Dave Brubeck began to incorporate complex rhythms and harmonies into his compositions. After founding his Dave Brubeck Quartet in 1951 with Army buddy alto saxophonist Paul Desmond, he recorded and toured steadily. He landed on the cover of Time magazine in 1954. A born communicator, he famously said, "One of the reasons I believe in jazz is that the oneness of man can come through the rhythm of your heart. It's the same anyplace in the world, that heartbeat." In 1959 the Quartet achieved a huge pop success with the instrumental "Take Five" in 5/4 rhythm. Another success was "Blue Rondo A La Turk" (penned by Brubeck and loosely based on a Mozart theme) in 9/8.

He went on to compose some 250 jazz pieces and songs. Brubeck also wrote music for ballet ("Points Of Jazz"), orchestral works ("Elementals"), oratorios ("The Light In The Wilderness") and other sacred music. His jazz opera for John Steinbeck's 'Cannery Row' premiered in Monterey, California in 2006, and in 2009 he co-wrote a new orchestral work 'Ansel Adams: America' which saluted the celebrated artist. Brubeck continued to be considered one of the most influential composers in modern jazz, helping to expand the horizons of the genre. He also proved to be an influence on musicians outside the jazz sphere. Billy Joel once said that what the Beatles' seminal 'Sergeant Pepper 'album was to most other rock musicians, "Take Five" was to him.

In France, Brubeck was made an Officer of the Order of Arts and Letters in 1990. His home country gave him the National Medal of Arts in 1994, and two years later he was awarded a Grammy for lifetime achievement. Brubeck continued to compose, play and record in his later years. His final release was the 2007 solo piano album 'Indian Summer'. He told The Associated Press in 1995, "When you start out with goals - mine were to play polytonally and polyrhythmically - you never exhaust that." The musician is survived by his wife, Iola, four sons, a daughter and his grandchildren.