Dave Brubeck
He made jazz both intellectually adventurous and wildly popular, selling millions of records with complex rhythms wrapped in unforgettable melody.
1920–2012 (age 92)·American jazz pianist and composer·Birthday: December 6·The Greatest Generation
Biography
Dave Brubeck was a jazz revolutionary who looked like a college professor and played like a man possessed by rhythm. Growing up on a California ranch, he was slated to follow his father into veterinary work until a music professor heard his raw talent. After serving in Patton's army during WWII, he formed the Dave Brubeck Quartet, a group that would become one of the most successful in jazz history. With saxophonist Paul Desmond, Brubeck crafted a sound that was both cool and complex, weaving classical influences into jazz and experimenting with time signatures most musicians avoided. The 1959 album 'Time Out,' featuring the indelible 'Take Five' in 5/4 time, became the first jazz LP to sell a million copies. Brubeck's tours for the U.S. State Department broke cultural barriers during the Cold War, and his compositions, from the 'Blue Rondo à la Turk' to sacred works, displayed a relentless creative curiosity that lasted into his ninth decade.
The Greatest Generation
1901–1927
Grew up during the Depression, fought World War II, and built the postwar economic boom. Defined by shared sacrifice, institutional trust, and a belief that hard work and loyalty would be rewarded.
Dave was born in 1920, placing them squarely in The Greatest Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Dave Was Born
The biggest hits of 1920
#1 Movie
Way Down East
Dave's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1920Born
Women gain the right to vote in the US
Home: $3,395President: Woodrow Wilson"Swanee" — Al Jolson
1925Started school
The Scopes Trial debates evolution in schools
Home: $4,366President: Calvin Coolidge"Sweet Georgia Brown" — Ben Bernie
1933Became a teenager
FDR's New Deal launches; Prohibition ends
Gas: $0.18/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Stormy Weather" — Ethel WatersBest Picture: Cavalcade
1936Could drive
Jesse Owens wins four golds at the Berlin Olympics
Gas: $0.19/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"The Way You Look Tonight" — Fred AstaireBest Picture: The Great Ziegfeld
1938Could vote
Kristallnacht and the escalation toward WWII
Gas: $0.20/galHome: $2,850Min wage: $0.25/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Begin the Beguine" — Artie ShawBest Picture: You Can't Take It with You
1941Turned 21
Pearl Harbor attack brings the US into WWII
Gas: $0.19/galHome: $3,060Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Chattanooga Choo Choo" — Glenn MillerBest Picture: How Green Was My Valley
1950Turned 30
Korean War begins
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,354Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Goodnight Irene" — Gordon Jenkins & The WeaversBest Picture: All About Eve
1960Turned 40
Kennedy-Nixon debates become first televised presidential debates
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,900Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Theme from A Summer Place" — Percy FaithBest Picture: The Apartment
1970Turned 50
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
1980Turned 60
John Lennon shot and killed in New York
Gas: $1.19/galHome: $47,200Min wage: $3.10/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Call Me" — BlondieBest Picture: Ordinary People
1990Turned 70
Hubble Space Telescope launched; Germany reunifies
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.80/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Hold On" — Wilson PhillipsBest Picture: Dances with Wolves
2000Turned 80
Y2K passes without incident; contested Bush-Gore election
Gas: $1.51/galHome: $119,600Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Breathe" — Faith HillBest Picture: Gladiator
2012Died at 92
Curiosity rover lands on Mars; Sandy Hook shooting
Gas: $3.64/galHome: $143,200Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Somebody That I Used to Know" — GotyeBest Picture: Argo
Key Achievements
- His album 'Time Out' (1959) was the first jazz album to sell over one million copies.
- Composed 'The Gates of Justice,' a large-scale oratorio blending jazz, scripture, and the words of Martin Luther King Jr.
- Awarded the National Medal of the Arts by President Clinton in 1994.
- His quartet's 1958 college tour was documented in the first live jazz album recorded on a university campus, 'Jazz Goes to College.'
Did You Know?
He initially studied veterinary science in college before switching to music.
Brubeck's mother was a classically trained pianist who taught piano to support the family.
He survived a near-fatal swimming accident in 1951 that left him with a residual heart rhythm problem.
The Dave Brubeck Quartet was featured on the cover of Time magazine in 1954.
“There's a way of playing safe, there's a way of using tricks and there's the way I like to play, which is dangerously where you're going to take a chance on making mistakes in order to create something you haven't created before.”
