Indeed. This is from www.Schirmer.com:
Born on 6 December 1920 in Concord, California, jazz legend Dave Brubeck is equally distinguished as composer and pianist. Studies at the College of the Pacific and with Milhaud at Mills College led to the founding, with fellow students, of the experimental Jazz Workshop Ensemble which recorded in 1949 as the Dave Brubeck Octet. Later, in 1958, the combination of Brubeck with drummer Joe Morello, double bassist Eugene Wright, and alto saxophonist Paul Desmond quickly achieved an overwhelming popular success as the Dave Brubeck Quartet. The Quartet's experimentation with time signatures unusual to jazz produced works like Blue Rondo a la Turk and Take Five, introducing millions of enthusiastic young listeners to unexplored regions of jazz. The group recorded and performed together continuously through 1967.
As composer, Brubeck has written and, in some cases, recorded several large-scale works including two ballets, a musical, an oratorio, four cantatas, a mass, works for jazz combo and orchestra, and many solo piano pieces. In the last 20 years, he has organized several new quartets and continued to appear at the Newport, Monterey, Concord, and Kool Jazz Festivals. Brubeck performed at the White House in 1964 and 1981 and at the 1988 Moscow summit honoring the Gorbachevs. He is the recipient of four honorary degrees, the BMI Jazz Pioneer Award, and the 1988 American Eagle Award presented by the National Music Council.
It is often said in jazz circles that Erroll Garner was the last great jazz musician who never learned to read music.
I found an article where Brubeck mentions reading and playing jazz. He did mention he was able to "get by" with just having a great ear in school, but by writing music, he became a better reader.
http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=359
"Everyone knew Errol Garner couldn't read a note, same with Dave McKenna, and those are two of my favorites who each created complex music. Louie Armstrong wasn't a great reader, and Duke Ellington even had some problems with it. So look at whom I've named. Maybe if you start finding all these great musicians who can't read, maybe their approach to music is just as important, because look what they turned out in their lives. Certain musicians start by training their eye hand coordination. Others like me train their ears and hands."
It makes no sense to me for a musician to not be able to read/write music. It's like a novelist who can't read or write. There will always be a need for someone else to do it for him. I read that Errol Garner's father was a pianist, so it really is perplexing (or quite misleading at worst) when great piano players deny being able to read music, particularly when parents play the same instrument. I mean, the piano is "the composer's instrument" and being a strict ear player is fine, but there is a very basic understanding of the rudements of music composition that would seem to require at least knowing what a Bb looks like on paper. Now, a horn player that can't read/write really would be a hinderance since transposition is so frequently required.
Garner is said to have been self-taught, as was Hampton Hawes, which is quite different from not being able to read. I wonder if some of this "can't read music" business is jazz lore, you know? Sort of the, "He was that good and he couldn't read a single note?! I know rock-and-roll fans like to point out that Hendrix couldn't read music, but seriously, comparing Hendrix to, say, Grant Green or Kenny Burrell is kinda ridiculous (and, yes, I know Miles Davis was a Hendrix fan). Maybe it appeals to the desire in people to be able to just sit down and play like these fantastic musicians.
In fact, I heard that J.S. Bach couldn't read/write music. (snort) :)