Dave Brubeck and Wynton Marsalis

Dave BrubeckDave Brubeck was born in 1920. He was considered to be one of the foremost exponents of cool jazz. He wrote a number of jazz standards. His music is known for its unusual time signatures.

College and Professional

CareerBrubeck attended the College of the Pacific which is now known as The University of The Pacific. He was studying veterinary science but changed to music on the urging of one of his professors.

He was nearly expelled when one of his professors discovered he couldn’t read music.

Several other professors argued that his ability for counterpoint and harmony compensated. They agreed to let him graduate. After graduating, he was drafted into the U.S. Army and created one of the first racially integrated bands, “The Wolfpack”

Take FiveComposed by Paul

Desmond, the Dave Brubeck Quarter performed this on the 1959 album “Time Out”. Two years later it became an unlikely one hit wonder and the best-selling jazz single of all time. Written in the key of Eb minor it is famous for it’s distinctive two chord piano vamp, catchy blues-scale saxophone melody, imaginative drum solo and use of the unusual quintuple (5/4) time from which its name is derived

While Take Five was not the first jazz composition to use quintuple meter, it was one of the first that did and achieved mainstream significance in the U.S. It was re-recorded and performed live multiple times by the Dave Brubeck quarter through their career. It’s been included in numerous movies and television soundtracks.

Blue Rondo

Ala TurkBlue Rondo a la Turk is a jazz standard composition by Dave Brubeck. It appeared on the album Time Out in 1959. Brubeck heard this unusual rhythm performed by Turkish musicians on the street. Upon asking the musicians where they got the rhythm, they replied, “This is what the blues is to you” Hence the title

Meter, rhythm in Blue Rondo

The rhythm consists of three measures of 2+2+2+3 followed by one measure of 3+3+3 and then the cycle repeats. The same rhythmic pattern is in the last movement of Brahms’ A minor String Quartet

Wynton MarsalisWynton Marsalis was born in 1961. He’s been awarded 9 grammys in both classical and jazz genres and a jazz recording of his was the first to win the Pullitzer Prize for Music

EducationHe graduated from Benjamin Franklin High School with a 3.98 GPA and at age 17 was youngest musician admitted to Tanglewood’s Berkshire Music center. He won their award for outstanding brass student

In 1979 he moved to NY to attend Juilliard and picked up gigs around town.. He received a grant from the National Endowment of the Arts to spend time and study with trumpet innovator Woody Shaw, one of his major influences.

In the years that followed he performed with Sarah Vaughan, Dizzy Gillespie, Sweets Edison, Clark Terry, Ron Carter, Herbie Hancock, and countless other jazz musicians.