Dave Brubeck Quartet

Mere Noisemakers

by Troy Hoffman
July 13, 2024

Drummers used to be predominantly known as mere noisemakers (not musicians) coming out of the Vaudeville-era, where percussionists were seen as background tools. They often carried out sound effect cues, sent from studios to theaters, for silent films. This left drummers with the responsible task of mimicking the sounds of hurricanes, car crashes and thunderstorms from ...

Jazz Fest Deemed A Success (Three Years In A Row): A Look Back At The Virginia Beach Jazz Festival 1959-1961

by Troy Hoffman
June 20, 2024

They say that music is the “great communicator," and if so then jazz is the most fluent. Just a few miles away from the famous jazz club, The Jolly Roger, in Virginia Beach, the Robert E. Lee Amphitheater was newly built to seat 2,000 and was the location of the area's first Virginia Beach Jazz Festival ...

Dave Brubeck Quartet: Debut In The Netherlands 1958: The Lost Recordings

by Chris May
February 2, 2023

For some people, the Dave Brubeck Quartet's catalogue starts with 1959's Time Out (Columbia) and ends with Time Further Out (Columbia) two years later. Verily, they know not what they are missing. The band was burning from 1951, when Brubeck and alto saxophonist Paul Desmond founded it, until 1967 and the breakup of the “classic" lineup. ...

Paul Desmond

Born: November 25, 1924

Paul Desmond was revered for the pure, gentle tone of his alto saxophone, and the elegant lyricism of his improvisations. For seventeen years he was the lead soloist in the most commercially successful jazz combo ever, the Dave Brubeck Quartet. In an era that worshipped the frenetic, bebop style of Charlie Parker, Paul Desmond found his own sound, a tone that he claimed imitated a "dry martini." It was a sound that made him a favourite with critics and fans alike, and won him jazz poll after jazz poll. "I have won several prizes as the world's slowest alto player, as well as a special award in 1961 for quietness." He was a modest, retiring man, known to his friends for his wit and charm

5 Videos: Dave Brubeck Quartet

August 27, 2021

After my post on Alan Broadbent's new album, Broadbent Plays Brubeck, I spent a chunk of time yesterday listening to the Dave Brubeck Quartet. I also slid onto YouTube for a bit. Here's what came up in my net: Here's the Dave Brubeck Quartet playing Lover on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1955... Here's the Dave ...

Dave Brubeck Quartet: Time OutTakes

by Chris May
November 23, 2020

Few albums in jazz history are as giant as the Dave Brubeck Quartet's Time Out (Columbia, 1959). Deftly balancing experimentation with accessibility and containing amongst its many pleasures one of the most thrilling drum solos ever recorded, Time Out has become so familiar to us that the magnitude of its greatness has become near inaudible.

Brubeck Brothers Quartet: Timeline

by Dr. Judith Schlesinger
April 5, 2018

This album by the Brubeck Brothers--led by Chris and Dan Brubeck, sons of legendary pianist Dave Brubeck--commemorates the 60th anniversary of “President Eisenhower's Special International Program for Cultural Presentations," the 1958 State department tour in which prominent jazz musicians traveled to 14 countries to give 80 concerts in 90 days. This grueling schedule was endured by ...

Etta James, Sarah Vaughan & Brecker Bros Box Sets Due in August from Legacy

July 15, 2012

The ultimate year-round jazz festival from Legacy Recordings continues to set a new industry standard with three new Complete Album Collections from the Sony Music archives family of labels, by the greatest names in modern jazz: THE BRECKER BROTHERS - THE COMPLETE ARISTA ALBUMS COLLECTION (Arista/Legacy) �C 8 titles, 8 CDs ETTA JAMES �C THE COMPLETE ...

Mingus, Monk & Weather Report: From Legacy in July

June 12, 2012

The ultimate year-round jazz festival of Legacy Recordings continues to set a new industry standard with three new Complete Album Collections from the Columbia and RCA archives by the greatest names in modern jazz: Charles Mingus: The Complete Columbia & RCA Albums Collection: 7 titles, 10 CDs The Thelonious Monk Quartet: The Complete Studio Albums Collection: ...