Dave Brubeck: A Life in Time

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Blocks of harmony passing between the brass and the saxophones, that was how arrangers tended to think, and i loved those arrangements. Philip Clark has produced an excellent book about Dave Brubecks progressive career and although it is a bit technical at times to a non musician like myself, it is never boring.

Hotjar sets this cookie to know whether a user is included in the data sampling defined by the site's daily session limit. Clark shows no such reluctance, which means that readers unfamiliar with “polytonal chords” – a favourite Brubeckian device – may find themselves struggling, although the author’s sheer enthusiasm generally preserves the momentum. Some of the data that are collected include the number of visitors, their source, and the pages they visit anonymously. In his laudable desire to enlighten and convince, Clark describes many of Brubeck’s piano solos in detail. I suppose that for some readers this will be very simple and an excellent narrative, but I can't see it myself.The author is clearly a genuine fan and deeply knowledgeable of all of Brubecks music over the years and with this in mind be warned! The book was enjoyed all the more while playing Brubeck’s great recordings, bringing back many good memories of the ’60s. In 1938 Dave started as a veterinary student at "The College of the Pacific" but quickly changed to take music classes. Unlike many jazz musicians, he was a student of modern music pioneer Darius Milhaud and his compositions and playing always had one foot in the realm of modernism, with its polytonality.

All fans of Brubeck will treasure this, though if you are not a musician, the descriptions of the execution of songs and concerts will leave you lost.Brubeck opened up as never before, disclosing his unique approach to jazz; the heady days of his "classic" quartet in the 1950s-60s; hanging out with Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker, Louis Armstrong, and Miles Davis; and the many controversies that had dogged his 66-yearlong career. However after reading the biography especially regarding polytonality and polyrhythms both of which I was aware of, I felt the need to actually listen to the particular piece of music that he was talking about to totally understand what he was referring to. Alongside beloved figures like Ella Fitzgerald and Frank Sinatra, Brubeck has achieved name recognition beyond jazz.