David Warren Brubeck
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Dave Brubeck, a jazz composer and pianist, formed the Dave Brubeck Quartet and achieved mainstream success with the 1959 album Time Out, which featured the hit Take Five written by saxophonist Paul Desmond. In 1954, he became the second jazz musician to appear on the cover of Time Magazine. He received numerous awards including the National Medal of Arts in 1994 and the Kennedy Center Honors in 2009. Brubeck died one day before his 92nd birthday in 2012.
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Dave Brubeck by the numbers — life, work, and family.
Dave Brubeck — early life, career, personal life, and legacy.
David Warren Brubeck entered the world on December 6, 1920 in Concord, California, the son of a cattle rancher and a piano teacher. His mother’s lessons shaped his early musical training. He attended Shasta High School and later the University of the Pacific. Brubeck studied with composer Darius Milhaud at Mills College, receiving an honorary Master of Fine Arts in 1946.
Brubeck formed the Dave Brubeck Quartet in 1951, featuring saxophonist Paul Desmond. The quartet’s 1959 album Time Out used unconventional time signatures and included the Paul Desmond composition Take Five, which became a surprise hit single. Brubeck appeared on television shows like The Ed Sullivan Show and The Mike Douglas Show. In 1954, he became the second jazz musician to appear on the cover of Time Magazine, an honor he felt should have gone to Duke Ellington. He also composed classical works alongside his jazz output.
Brubeck married Iola Brubeck and together they had six children: Darius, Chris, Dan, Matthew, Catherine, and Michael. He dedicated the track Kathy’s Waltz to his daughter Catherine and Charles Matthew Hallelujah to his son Matthew. Brubeck named his son Darius after his former teacher Darius Milhaud. He and his wife are buried at Umpawaug Cemetery in Redding, Connecticut.
Dave Brubeck’s 1959 album Time Out brought jazz to a mainstream audience. He received the National Medal of Arts in 1994, the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Kennedy Center Honors in 2009 alongside Bruce Springsteen, Robert De Niro, Mel Brooks, and Grace Bumbry. The University of the Pacific hosts an annual Brubeck Festival, and the Brubeck Institute preserves his creative legacy. Brubeck is remembered for his innovative use of time signatures and for popularizing jazz composition.
Browse the complete filmography of Dave Brubeck — every film, TV show, and documentary credit, ranked by popularity.
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Every award, honor, and recognition received by Dave Brubeck — Grammys, hall-of-fame inductions, civic honors, lifetime achievements.
Dave Brubeck's bibliography — every authored, edited, and co-written book, ranked by edition count.
A wall of memorable lines from Dave Brubeck — lyrics, interviews, and off-the-cuff remarks captured over a lifetime.
I’m Beginning to Understand Myself. but It Would Have Been Great to Be Able to Understand Myself When I Was 20, Rather Than When I Was 82.
One of the Reasons I Believe in Jazz Is That the Oneness of Man Can Come Through the Rhythm of Your Heart. It’s the Same Anyplace in the World, That Heartbeat. It’s the First Thing You Hear When You’re Born or Before You’re Born and It’s the Last Thing You Hear.
Little-known facts about Dave Brubeck — origins, oddities, and behind-the-scenes details from a public life.
Take Five from 1959 was Brubeck’s biggest selling single, but it was composed by his saxophonist Paul Desmond, not by Brubeck.
In 1954, Brubeck became the second jazz musician on the cover of Time Magazine; he felt embarrassed because he believed Duke Ellington was more deserving.
Brubeck dedicated two album tracks to his children: Kathy’s Waltz to daughter Catherine and Charles Matthew Hallelujah to son Matthew; Columbia misspelled Catherine as Kathy.
His father was a cattle rancher and his mother was a piano teacher.
Brubeck studied with composer Darius Milhaud and later named his son Darius after him.
He composed a large body of both jazz and classical works.
Brubeck was awarded the National Medal of Arts in 1994 by the National Endowment of the Arts.
He was a pianist, band leader, and composer.
Brubeck won the first Benjamin Franklin Award for Public Diplomacy from the US State Department in April 2008.
He was born at 6:35pm PST.
Brubeck was a jazz pianist.
He was inducted into the Big Band and Jazz Hall of Fame in 1986.
Brubeck graduated from the University of the Pacific; the Conservatory holds an annual Brubeck Festival and there is a Brubeck Institute.
He fathered six children: Darius, Chris, Dan, Matthew, Catherine, and Michael.
Brubeck received an honorary MFA in 1946 from Mills College; a statue of him stands in the Music Department.
Four of his six children became musicians: Darius, Chris, Dan, and Matthew.
He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Recording at 1716 Vine Street.
Brubeck was the younger brother of Howard Brubeck.
He was one of five winners of the 2009 Kennedy Center Honors, along with Bruce Springsteen, Robert De Niro, Mel Brooks, and Grace Bumbry.
Brubeck and his wife are buried at Umpawaug Cemetery in Redding, Connecticut, beside actress Barbara Baxley.
Quick answers to the questions readers ask most about Dave Brubeck.
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