Dave Brubeck was a prominent American jazz pianist and composer born in 1920 known for developing cool jazz. He wrote several jazz standards featuring unusual time signatures. He attended the University of the Pacific where he initially studied veterinary science but switched to music. After graduating, he created one of the first racially integrated military bands. His 1959 album "Time Out" featured the hit single "Take Five" written in 5/4 time, which became the best-selling jazz single ever. The album also included "Blue Rondo a la Turk" which sampled a Turkish rhythm.

2. Dave
Brubeck
Dave Brubeck was
born in 1920. He
was considered to be
one of the foremost
exponents of cool
jazz. He wrote a
number of jazz
standards. His music
is known for its
unusual time
signatures.

3. College and
Professional
Career
Brubeck attended
the College of the
Pacific which is
now known as The
University of The
Pacific. He was
studying
veterinary science
but changed to
music on the
urging of one of
his professors.

4. He was nearly
expelled when
one of his
professors
discovered he
couldn’t read
music.
Several other
professors argued
that his ability for
counterpoint and
harmony
compensated. They
agreed to let him
graduate. After
graduating, he was
drafted into the U.S.
Army and created
one of the first
racially integrated
bands, “The
Wolfpack”

5. Take Five
 Composed by Paul Desmond,
the Dave Brubeck Quarter
performed this on the 1959
album “Time Out”. Two years
later it became an unlikely one
hit wonder and the best-selling
jazz single of all time. Written
in the key of Eb minor it is
famous for it’s distinctive two
chord piano vamp, catchy blues-
scale saxophone melody,
imaginative drum solo and use
of the unusual quintuple (5/4)
time from which its name is
derived
 While Take Five was not
the first jazz composition
to use quintuple meter, it
was one of the first that did
and achieved mainstream
significance in the U.S. It
was re-recorded and
performed live multiple
times by the Dave Brubeck
quarter through their
career. It’s been included
in numerous movies and
television soundtracks.

6. Blue
Rondo
Ala Turk
Blue Rondo a la
Turk is a jazz
standard
composition by
Dave Brubeck. It
appeared on the
album Time Out in
1959. Brubeck
heard this unusual
rhythm performed
by Turkish
musicians on the
street. Upon asking
the musicians
where they got the
rhythm, they
replied, “This is
what the blues is to
you” Hence the
title

7. Meter, rhythm in Blue
Rondo
 The rhythm consists
of three measures of
2+2+2+3 followed by
one measure of 3+3+3
and then the cycle
repeats. The same
rhythmic pattern is in
the last movement of
Brahms’ A minor
String Quartet

8. Wynton
Marsalis
Wynton Marsalis
was born in 1961.
He’s been
awarded 9
grammys in both
classical and jazz
genres and a jazz
recording of his
was the first to
win the Pullitzer
Prize for Music

9. Education
He graduated
from
Benjamin
Franklin High
School with a
3.98 GPA and
at age 17 was
youngest
musician
admitted to
Tanglewood’s
Berkshire
Music center.
He won their
award for
outstanding
brass student

10.  In 1979 he moved to NY
to attend Juilliard and
picked up gigs around
town.. He received a
grant from the National
Endowment of the Arts
to spend time and study
with trumpet innovator
Woody Shaw, one of his
major influences.
 In the years that followed
he performed with Sarah
Vaughan, Dizzy
Gillespie, Sweets Edison,
Clark Terry, Ron Carter,
Herbie Hancock, and
countless other jazz
musicians.