Preview

Short Biography: Dave Brubeck

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
807 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Short Biography: Dave Brubeck
Dave Brubeck
The late Dave Brubeck left behind a legacy as a jazz pianist, composer, bandleader, husband, and father. He wrote everything that ranged from opera and ballet, to a contemporary mass. Brubeck was well known for experimenting with time signatures unusual to the traditional jazz sound. The uneven meters, along with the incorporation of all kinds of different rhythms in his music, is how he captivated the attention of younger listeners. The significance of Brubeck in the history of jazz is unambiguous. The Dave Brubeck Quartet helped spark an obscure interest in Jazz after World War II, and was a fundamental part of the “West Coast Cool Jazz” style of music that jazz in the fifties and sixties would be known for.
David Warren Brubeck, born on December 6, 1920 in Concord, California, “was one of Jazz’s first pop stars.”(Brown) In his younger years, his mother Elizabeth played an immense role in the conditioning of his music career. His two older brothers were musicians and Brubeck himself would eventually be playing at weekend dances by the age of fourteen. His schedule was from nine at night to as late as four in the morning. The strenuousness of it caused him to find playing unappealing, and he pursued his dream of being a rancher. His family had moved to a ranch in Ione, California when he was eleven, so he knew how things on the ranch worked. By the time he was eighteen, though reluctant to leave, he attended The College of Pacific in Stockton, California with the intent to study to become a veterinarian and return to the ranch. After only a year, he decided to change his major to music. While in still enrolled in college he, along with a man by the name of Darius Milhaud, whom Brubeck’s first son would eventually be named after, led a twelve piece band. By 1942, he met his wife Iola Whitlock and graduated that year with a degree in music. Immediately following, he enlisted in the Army. In 1944, Brubeck was sent to Europe, however, he never actually

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Dave Brooster, a 19-year-old male, came into my practice today after being referred by the military hospital for further evaluation. He was referred by a military physician to get a comprehensive evaluation of his hearing after failing a hearing screening on his base. Dave reports having a ringing in his right ear and but is still hearing normally. In his left ear, Dave reports not hearing as well as before where he isn’t able to catch some words in a conversation as well as he could before. His Drill Sargent reports that they have been training with firearms over the past week before Dave reported any problem with his hearing. Dave mentioned that the hearing protection that was provided to them did not fit in his ears very well and would frequently fall out during practice. Since then, there has been no improvement in his hearing accompanied by the tinnitus and no change in his re-screening. Dave is worried that his military career will be short lived and his life after leaving the…

    • 577 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Dave Matthews Band Bio

    • 323 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Formed in Charlottesville, Virginia in 1991, Dave Matthews Band, or DMB, is an enormously successful rock, jazz and jam band that has had various tours around the United States and around the world. Originally from South Africa, Dave Matthews was working as a bartender in downtown Charlottesville when approached about forming a band, for he was already known as a good songwriter. This set the wheels in motion for Dave to meet other future members of DMB. DMB’s drummer, Carter Beauford, grew up in Charlottesville and agreed to join upon Matthews’ project. At about the same time as Beauford, Matthews recruited prominent Charlottesville saxophonist Leroi Moore, who also agreed to join. Moore, due from complications suffered in an ATV accident, died in 2008. DMB’s latest album, “Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King”, is dedicated to Moore’s memory. With a drummer and saxophonist secured, Matthews approached bassist Stefan Lessard, who also grew up in Charlottesville. Lessard, who was enrolled at Virginia Commonwealth University, eventually dropped out due to becoming so involved in the band. Boyd Tinsley, DMB’s violinist, was studying at the University of Virginia when asked by Matthews to join the collaboration. With the band now fully formed, Dave Matthews Band started playing local joints and bars and eventually released their first studio album “Under the Table and Dreaming” in 1994. With 5 albums released between their first and their latest, DMB has shown immense longevity in the music scene. DMB is also heavily involved in philanthropy, always supporting local Charlottesville charities and Habitat for Humanity across the country. With Leroi Moore’s unfortunate passing in 2008, Jeff Coffin became the band’s new saxophonist but has not yet been named an official member. DMB has released more than 15 live albums, which often include improvisation on some of their most recognizable songs and lyrics. The band has won one Grammy Award, and has sold…

    • 323 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Glenn Miller – successful band leader. Signature music: "In the Mood." Played trombone in the Dorsey brothers. Played in Ben Pollack's band.…

    • 1823 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Bix vs. Louis

    • 453 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Bix Beiderbecke was one of the most popular Jazz musicians of the 1920’s. He was born Leon Bix Beiderbecke on March 10, 1903 in Davenport, Iowa. His father was a coal and lumber merchant and his mother a church organist. Although he did take lessons for a short time, his teacher grew frustrated with him and his improvisations and refusal to read the music. He learned to play by ear. He was the first great white Jazz cornetist. He was inspired by records of the Original Dixieland Jazz Band and by hearing bands on the Mississippi riverboats. His love for music caused him to be sent away to military school in 1921 because his father thought that music was not a real job that would earn him respect and money. The school was close to Chicago which at the time was the center of jazz music. He was kicked out of military school because he often missed curfew due to him being out listening to bands. He joined his first Jazz band the Wolverines in 1923. Over the years he played with many different Jazz and dance bands. He died from Pneumonia complicated by his alcoholism in 1931.…

    • 453 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Bebop Research Paper

    • 1640 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Over the years jazz music has gone through many musical evolutions throughout its history. At its height in the 20s and through the 40s, jazz big bands were one of the most popular forms of musical entertainment in America. After World War II, there seem to be a shift within the jazz community as more and more jazz musician broke away from the big band genre. Many of them created smaller more intimate groups that wanted to put more of an emphasis on solo improvisation, instrumental virtuosity, and complex chord progressions. This new genre would become known as Bebop through innovators such as Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk, Charlie Parker and others.…

    • 1640 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Essay On Dave Barry

    • 517 Words
    • 3 Pages

    In this excerpt of “Dave Barry Does Japan” Dave Barry shows the lack of care American tourists have for the culture and country they are visiting and satirizes stereotypes of both American and Japanese people through his use of repetition, anecdote, and self-deprecating humor. Dave Barry uses repetition throughout his story to add focus to specific ideas. An example of this is in the beginning of the story when he repeats his overexaggerated versions of the Japanese word for thank you, to satirize how the stereotypical American tourist won’t put in the effort to learn even the most basic words and phrases correctly. Another example of Dave Barry’s use of repetition is later on, when he is unable to communicate that he wants ketchup to the people working at Kentucky…

    • 517 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Sidney Finkelstein, scholar and well-known music critic outlines the origins of jazz and its development in his essay “A People’s Music”. African-American musician and columnist for the Chicago Defender, Dave Peyton, also describes the different types of jazz in his article, “A Black Journalist Criticizes Jazz”. Finkelstein and Peyton both have experience in music critiquing and acknowledge the skill and musicianship required for jazz. However, Peyton argues that jazz is a lesser form of other music genres and states “jazz is on the wane” (Walser 62), while Finkelstein disagrees and declares “jazz has given us a liberal education” (Walser 138), arguing that jazz music is on par with other genres and allows the listener to appreciate aspects…

    • 234 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Buddy Rich Research Paper

    • 636 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Bix Beiderbecke (1903-1931), was an American jazz cornetist, jazz pianist, and composer. He was one of the great Jazz musicians, and also one of the most influential jazz soloists of the 1920’s. “Singin’ the Blues” and “I’m coming, Virginia” are examples of his significant works. He demonstrated his unusual tone and also his talent in improvisation in these tunes. With his unusual tone and his original improvising style, Louis Armstrong is the only competitor among all the cornetists in the 1920’s, but due to their different styles and sound, we could not tell who is better than…

    • 636 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    “Louis Armstrong: An American Success Story” is a biography of one of America’s most important musicians, who was born in extreme poverty and never had a real music lesson, but became world famous for his singing and trumpet playing. Armstrong’s greatest obstacle was defying his presumed fate, “He was born in the South at a time when a black boy could expect nothing but to grow up, work hard at the lowest jobs all his life, and hope that he could somehow, somewhere, manage to stay healthy and get a little something out of life for himself” (Collier, 1). Louis was born into abject poverty in a slum in New Orleans at the turn of the century. He did not own a pair of shoes, his toys were twigs and pebbles, and food was very hard to come by. Both his mother and father had left him around birth leaving him to live with his grandmother. As Collier states Louis was at the “absolute bottom of American Society-there was nobody lower but the dogs, and even many dogs in the United States lived better than he did”(Collier, 1). Shockingly, Armstrong never had a real music lesson in his life, was too poor to buy a musical instrument of his own until he was seventeen, would not learn how to read music until he was over twenty, and for the whole of his long career would play so incorrectly that he would ruin his lip. Not only…

    • 1103 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Jazz Concert Report

    • 409 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The second piece I wanted to pay attention to is “Take the A Train” that was originally composed by Billy Strayhorn. At the Sac State Jazz Combos Concert it was performed by Oliver Graham Combo band. It so happened that 2 days before this concert I read about Billy Strayhorn in my Music class and it was very interesting to listen how these guys would perform it. The composition starts with all instruments playing. Then pianist improvised first. After pianist, alto took turn to improvise. One could notice a very interesting and a little bit unusual exchange between guitarist…

    • 409 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    In 2010, the Buselli-Wallarab’s album Basically Baker was acknowledged by Down Beat Magazine as one of the top 100 jazz album’s recorded of the past decade. The Buselli-Wallarab Orchestra also has six other recordings that have received international attention and rave critical reviews. The program consisted of seasonal holiday arrangements by Brent Wallarab.…

    • 727 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Louis Armstrong has always had a love for music. He attended Fisk School for Boys, where he had exposure to music. Although he dropped out of school at the age of eleven, he didn’t end his musical career. Armstrong preformed with many musicians including, Joe “King” Oliver, who acted as a father figure and mentor for the young inspiring musician. Eventually, Joe “King” Oliver soon became upset with the fact that Armstrong began to over play him during many of their performances.…

    • 1442 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Developed in the 1940's, bebop jazz expanded upon the restrictive and structured arrangements of big band music, changed the way music was enjoyed, and provided a foundation for future innovators of jazz music. Bebop was a revolutionary sound that captivated the audience due largely to the new found creative freedom of musical expression allowed by extensive improvisation. According to John Andrews (1998), "Bop marked the point at which both the musicians and their audience became widely conscious that jazz was an art form." Andrews also goes on to mention that bebop's main focus was for people to seriously listen, instead of dancing. After bebop other styles of jazz developed, such as progressive jazz, cool jazz, and hard bop. These three styles of jazz, in the opinion of many people, imparted a substantial influence on current jazz, and will likely impact future generations as well.…

    • 745 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Louis Armstrong is widely known as a founding father of jazz. His abilities and inventive musical mind have given to music a style that still dominates jazz today. His innovations changed the face of jazz music and have influenced many, filtering down and contributing to rock and roll.…

    • 1143 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Good afternoon everyone. I am Tom and today we will be looking at how great composers use fascinating rhythm. Let's take a look at two fantastic songs, The Beatles, Strawberry Fields Forever, and the other by Dave Brubeck, Unsquare Dance.…

    • 1704 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays

Related Topics