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Paul Desmond (alto sax), Joe Morello (drums), Eugene Wright (bass) and Dave Brubeck (piano) Live in Belgium, 1964 One of the most iconic Jazz songs of the 1950s/1960s. The song's title came about when drummer Joe Morello asked the sax player, Paul Desmond, to write a song in 5/4 time, rather than the conventional 4/4 or 3/4. Morello played an unforgettable drum solo in the middle of the song.

Jazz pianist Dave Brubeck died at age 92. The man and his quartet showed sheer genius. My old guitar teacher once sat in with him and it was one of the highlights of his life. Brubeck was a Christian who composed a great deal of sacred music. From David A. Anderson: “I approached the composition as a prayer,” jazz pianist and composer Dave Brubeck said of his “To Hope! A Celebration,” a contemporary setting for the Roman Catholic Mass, “concentrating upon the phrases, trying to probe beneath the surface, hoping to translate into music the powerful words which have grown...

Requiescat in pace: Dave Brubeck, jazz giant and convert to Catholicism from "nothing" Dave Brubeck, legendary jazz pianist and pioneer, died earlier today on the cusp of his 92nd birthday. From the Chicago Tribune: Dave Brubeck, a jazz musician who attained pop-star acclaim with recordings such as "Take Five" and "Blue Rondo a la Turk," died Wednesday morning at Norwalk Hospital, in Norwalk, Conn., said his longtime manager-producer-conductor Russell Gloyd. Brubeck was one day short of his 92nd birthday. He died of heart failure, en route to "a regular treatment with his cardiologist,” said Gloyd. Throughout his career, Brubeck defied...

(Reuters) - Jazz pianist Dave Brubeck, whose choice of novel rhythms, classical structures and brilliant sidemen made him a towering figure in modern jazz, has died at the age of 91, his longtime manager and producer Russell Gloyd said on Wednesday. Brubeck died of heart failure on Wednesday morning after he fell ill on his way to a regular medical exam at Norwalk Hospital, in Norwalk, Conn., a day short of his 92nd birthday, Gloyd said. His Dave Brubeck Quartet put out one of the best selling jazz songs of all time: "Take Five," composed by alto saxophonist Paul Desmond....

Pioneering jazz composer and pianist Dave Brubeck has died. Russell Gloyd, Brubeck's manager, says he died Wednesday morning of heart failure, after being stricken while on his way to a cardiology appointment with his son. He would have turned 92 on Thursday. The Dave Brubeck Quartet's pieces such as "Take Five" caught listeners' ears with exotic, challenging rhythms and became enduring standards. In 1954 he was the first modern jazz musician to be pictured on the cover of Time magazine. The quartet's 1959 album "Time Out" was the first ever million-selling jazz LP. "Take Five," a cut from that album...