Dave Brubeck Essentials

Dave Brubeck Essentials

Pianist and composer Dave Brubeck's innovative time signatures and irresistible melodies minted him as one of the superstars of jazz in the '50s and '60s. A California native, Brubeck helped define the breezy West Coast cool jazz sound. His biggest hit, 1959's "Take Five," perfectly encapsulated his style: an unusual 5/4 time signature that wound Paul Desmond's intricate saxophone melody around his blocky piano chords and hard-swinging beat. The song earned Brubeck the first million-selling jazz record and a career that lasted more than a half-century before his death in 2012.