Change my number where I'm stopping at. I'm Dave Davies, in for Terry Gross. He was born 100 years ago this Sunday. Details the entire non Jazz compositions, songs written by Dave Brubeck - Choral, Chorus & Orchestra, Ballet, String Quartet and Orchestral. And I think it was then that you studied with the French composer Darius Milhaud. Nobody wants you when you're old and gray. Dave Brubeck died in 2012. And he used to kid the other cowboys and said, I would have been a great pianist like my nephew Dave had I not lost this finger. Dave Brubeck wrote Blue Rondo a la Turk, The Duke, In Your Own Sweet Way, Sixth Sense and other songs. Nothing about me is going to be the same. GROSS: The problem was that you were white or that one of the musicians in the band was Black? Then, of course, I later wrote the words to it. BRUBECK: Well, I could send you pictures. I didn't ever want to leave my dad or my dad's ranch. And my uncle, who was also a rodeo roper, got his finger caught between the saddle horn and the rope, and it took his finger right off. Change in the weather. And I named it "Take Five," and he objected to that name. Walk will be different, my talk and my name. You want to say anything else about this composition before we hear it? Music Hello, Sign in. Did she give you lessons? But he's also a great singer of swing tunes and standards. GROSS: Yeah, so do I. BRUBECK: I avoided participation. This Sunday marks the centennial of Brubeck's birth. BRUBECK: I was on tour with Jimmy in England. Love Songs: Brubeck, Dave: Amazon.ca: Music. And Dr. Bodley (ph) went in and said, you're wrong. And I was on the wrong side of the lines. Mexico City; 5/12/67–5/14/67 (7:12) 5. Brubeck concentrated on the song as much as the performance, which is one of the reasons why he appealed to such a wide audience and it's also the reason why Greatest Hits is such an entertaining and effective sampler. And I think in part because that record was "Jazz Goes To College" and in part because of those kind of thick plastic glasses, you maybe had the image of being what was known in those days as an egghead. Featuring such familiar items as "Take Five," "In Your Own Sweet Way," "The Duke," "Trolley Song," "Unsquare Dance," and "Blue Rondo à la Turk," the collection provides a fine introduction to Brubeck 's collegiate jazz for the uninitiated. I said, let me see what you've got. GROSS: (Laughter) OK. He was still performing in his 90s. So that's exactly what I did on the GI Bill. Brubeck died in 2012 on the eve of his 92nd birthday. So eventually, after "Brubeck Time," we did "Time Out," which had "Take Five" and "Blue Rondo" and "Three To Get Ready." And it was sessions recorded at three different colleges. BRUBECK: All of them, yeah, when they were real cowboy songs like "Strawberry Roan" and "Little Joe, The Wrangler" - tunes that people don't sing anymore. DAVIES: This is FRESH AIR. GROSS: The recording we just heard was released 45 years ago, which was the same year that you were on the cover of Time magazine. So I argued with him, and I kept that title, which I think is a great title. What does it mean? It wasn't so bad for my brothers, but I kind of rebelled. This is FRESH AIR. And that's the way I've gotten through life is having to substitute (laughter) other things for not being able to read well. And it became the biggest seller they ever had in jazz. Track listing " Blue Rondo à la Turk " – 6:44 "Strange Meadow Lark" – 7:22 " Take Five " – 5:24 BRUBECK: Yeah. So we were riding in the train for about three hours. And that's what I did. It's really been a pleasure. Dave Brubeck being honored at the 32nd Kennedy Center Honors. GROSS: Well, I want to play a 1956 recording. And I'm going to set this up at Columbia Records as soon as we get back. And those are important things to remember. View credits, reviews, tracks and shop for the 2000 CD release of Love Songs on Discogs. And we integrated many, many universities in this country. 2004 One Alone: Solo Piano. And this really surprised me because you wouldn't have heard that, probably, any other conservatory in the country. Why do you want to give it up and become a classical composer? Mulligan: Lullaby de México | Dave Brubeck Quartet featuring Gerry Mulligan … 8 Songs. It's hard for me to imagine you as a cowboy. Genres: Cool Jazz, Jazz, Bebop. And this is from the recently re-issued 1960 recording "Brubeck & Rushing," the Dave Brubeck Quartet featuring Jimmy Rushing. Tell me how you managed to do this session with Jimmy Rushing, who had sung with Basie. And I think that's a good reason not to become a teacher in a university or college (laughter). Featuring such familiar items as "Take Five," "In Your Own Sweet Way," "The Duke," "Trolley Song," "Unsquare Dance," and "Blue Rondo à la Turk," the collection provides a fine introduction to Brubeck's collegiate jazz for the uninitiated. GROSS: Let me get back to what we were talking about, which is life on the cattle ranch. Albums include Time Out, Time Further Out, and Take Five / … It was being done some. And then he said, look; if you're going to compose, you have to use the jazz idiom or you won't represent this country. One show I had to turn down Duke Ellington took because he - at the moment, he had an all-Black band. Newport; 7/4/64 (5:58) 3. These sessions highlight Brubeck's widely accepted jazz/pop combination achieved through tracks like "Take Five," "Blue Rondo a la Turk," and "Summer Song." I'm not that smart. ∙ The Dave Brubeck Quartet’s 1959 LP Time Out, which features the classics “Take Five” and “Blue Rondo a la Turk,” was the first jazz album to sell more than 1 million copies. Nothing about me is going be the same. Change my number where I'm stopping at. BRUBECK: Well, my brother was his assistant - Howard. GROSS: And Ellington also, you know, was wonderful at connecting classical form and jazz. Sunday marks the centennial of his birth. Originally broadcast in 1999. Change my long, strong for a little, short fat. We're listening to Terry's interview with Dave Brubeck recorded in 1999. So it's - it is documented. Decade-End Top Artists; Decade-End Top Artists - Interactive; Decade-End Hot 100 Songs; Decade-End Billboard 200 Albums; All Decade-End Charts; BANDSINTOWN X BILLBOARD . BRUBECK: Yeah. This Sunday marks the centennial of his birth. Bring back everything you hear. Did you see combat? You're free. And then the first part is just kind of my impression of Duke's wonderful band. And this is FRESH AIR. BRUBECK: Oh, yeah. Did you have really strong arms and hands from the work, and do you think that that helped you as a piano player? All rights reserved. His 1959 album … So my mother allowed me to stop taking lessons when I was 11, and we moved to a 45,000-acre cattle ranch, where I spent my last year in grammar school and my high school years. We're remembering jazz pianist and composer Dave Brubeck. Dave Brubeck discography and songs: Music profile for Dave Brubeck, born 6 December 1920. BRUBECK: We couldn't do some television shows because in those days, you couldn't have Black and white together. Your mother was a classical piano teacher. Concord, CA (Concord Pavillion); 8/8/82 (8:49) 8. DAVIES: Coming up, best books of the year, fiction and nonfiction. But in my senior year, they said, you have to take piano. So I had a little bit to do with this tune. BRUBECK: Some of my friends played guitar, cowboy songs. What was the impact of this recording, "Brubeck Time," on your career? And the second theme is where I use Milhaud kind of influences with polytonality, which wasn't being done too much in early jazz. I'm Dave Davies in for Terry Gross. GROSS: Now, you grew up in Concord, Calif. dave brubeck lullabies In 2010, Dave recorded these heartfelt versions of well-known children’s songs, beloved standards and originals as a gift to his grandchildren. ∙ “Take Five” has been covered by The Specials, Al Jarreau, Stevie Wonder, Chet Atkins, and The String Cheese Incident. BRUBECK: He - I guess he'd just seen me become kind of blank and be listening to the - everybody practicing and the music and drifting away from what he was trying to teach me. But against their wishes, I forced them to put "Time Out" out. And so the truck driver just took the wrong turn. With his unique piano style and songwriting abilities, Dave Brubeck earned the respect of such lofty peers as Miles Davis, Charles Mingus and Cecil Taylor. Moscow (Rossiya Concert Hall); 3/87 (9:28) 10. But when you mentioned "Audrey," it was Audrey Hepburn that we had in mind. They started with Brubeck's composition "Three To Get Ready" from the "Time Out" album, which illustrates how the Dave Brubeck Quartet approached counterpoint and eccentric rhythms. GROSS: You know, I'm used to seeing you behind the piano. Here's a track from his album "Brubeck Time," composed by Brubeck and alto saxophonist Paul Desmond. NYC; 9/15/75–9/16/75 (5:56) 7. We'll also hear what our book critic Maureen Corrigan has selected as the best books of the year. BRUBECK: Yeah, so I could - that - I had to go to college, according to my mother, like my brothers. (SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "THERE'LL BE SOME CHANGES MADE"). Change my long, strong for a little, short fat. GROSS: So it sounds like he gave you some good advice. Dave Brubeck originally did Take Five, One Moment Worth Years, In Your Own Sweet Way, The Duke and other songs. Time Out remains the best place to start a Brubeck appreciation, but this is an excellent single-disc sampler. There was no communication like that. In honor of the late great Dave Brubeck, who was born a century ago on this day December 6, 1920, here’s “Take Five.” I went directly after I got out of the Army back to Mills College and studied with him. BRUBECK: Well, it's a wonderful time in my life because we had been struggling for years to get to be more known. Account & Lists Account Returns & Orders. Show all songs by Dave Brubeck Popular Dave Brubeck albums Indian Summer. We'll hear more of Terry's interview with Dave Brubeck in the second half of the show. GROSS: Now, your first record that I think really made an impression on the record buying public - I mean, it got bought a lot - was "Jazz Goes To College." There'll be some changes made today. So he showed me what he had, and I said, I can put this together, and it'll be great. (SOUNDBITE OF DAVE BRUBECK'S "TAKE FIVE"). TERRY GROSS, BYLINE: Dave Brubeck, welcome to FRESH AIR. Dave Brubeck, popular American jazz pianist who brought elements of classical music into jazz and whose style epitomized the ‘West Coast movement.’ His compositions included ‘The Duke,’ In Your Own Sweet Way,’ and ‘Blue Rondo a la Turk.’ The Dave Brubeck Quartet had great success with Paul Desmond’s ‘Take Five.’ Had you known Milhaud's work very well? BRUBECK: We didn't know where we were. DAVIES: Jazz pianist and composer Dave Brubeck speaking with Terry Gross, recorded in 1999. And also, they would have trouble reaching guys that, in the morning, were going to face a terrible kind of life. And as you mentioned, the cover of Time magazine was really something that helped us a lot. Two years later it became a surprise hit and the biggest-selling jazz single ever. I'd take - the other instruments were cello and clarinet, and so the - I was just playing scales and getting by and doing the subjects I had to pass in. And there were two cattle ranches in your life, the one your father owned and the larger one that he managed. And when some of the younger teachers heard this, they went to the dean and they said, you're making a big mistake because he writes the best counterpoint that I've ever had, said Dr. Brown (ph). And he said, nobody knows what "Take Five" means. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record. Copyright © 2020 NPR. Change in the sea. And this is your recording of "The Duke," which you've described as your tribute to both Duke Ellington and Darius Milhaud. We played the so-called Black clubs all through the South where there - where no white people came in. This is FRESH AIR. So the dean said, you know, you're a disgrace to the conservatory. It's called "Audrey.". Paul has done a radio show in Canada before he died where he said, I'm so fortunate that Dave assigned me to do the section in 5/4 because that was the one track I wanted Paul to do as a solo for my percussionist, the great drummer Joe Morello, because Joe would often play in 5/4 time backstage, which is a time signature that was very rarely, if ever, used in jazz. And so it made it a lot easier for the soldiers to accept my band. And so I said, just write some of the melodies, the ideas that you're doing, and bring it to rehearsal in a few days. DAVIES: This is FRESH AIR. Live in Belgium 1964 Paul Desmond (alto sax), Joe Morello (drums), Eugene Wright (bass) and Dave Brubeck (piano) His career lasted nearly 70 years. While greatest-hits albums from jazz artists are sometimes dubious propositions, Dave Brubeck is the rare exception to the rule. BRUBECK: Yeah. And the piano teacher, in five minutes, ran downstairs to the dean and said, Brubeck can't read at all. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. The USO people usually didn't go up that close. But, you know, I was in the Battle of the Bulge. But people forget that at the same time, we had a huge following at places like the Apollo Theater, the Howard Theater in Washington and the universities that they used to call Black universities, Afro-American universities. THE DAVE BRUBECK QUARTET FEATURING JIMMY RUSHING: (Singing) There's a change in the weather, change in the sea. My mother would not allow my dad to have me rope anything larger than a yearling because she didn't want my fingers to become hurt. Montreux; 7/22/82 (9:54) 9. Listen to albums and tracks from Dave Brubeck. GROSS: Let me play what might be the most famous of the Brubeck Quartet recordings, and that's "Take Five," which you recorded in 1959. Berlin; 11/6/66 (8:05) 4. Terry interviewed Dave Brubeck in 1999. 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