There was life before Time Out and one of my all-time favorites of the group (before Eugene Wright even) is Dave Brubeck 01 Nomad – Recorded at Columbia 30th Street Studios, New York, New York on July 28 & 30 and August 23, 1958.
I plugged my phone into a set of mini-speakers yesterday and my classes listened to Brubeck while they studied. I told them why they were listening, and they understood. A few even put away their own music to listen to Dave. I’m slowly working my way through the collection at home. I only own 30 some odd Brubeck recordings, so it shouldn’t take too long.
I just heard that this morning on the local NPR jazz station. Brubeck said that he was on tour and heard music outside his hotel window in Kabul. He looked out and saw traders, camels and the like. It inspired him to write that piece.
You older folks may be able to help me remember some novelty tune from the late 50’s or early 60’s where this alien is talking to a beatnik (too early to have been a hippie, I wager) about some music and the beatnik says something like, “Naw, man, I ain’t into that jazz. I’m into Brubeck, Shearing and the Modern jazz Quartet…” That may be my first awareness of the MJQ and Brubeck, but I was aware of Shearing as a toddler. That novelty tune may have been Freberg’s but I haven’t found it on YouTube yet.
Does anybody have references to Brubeck in other songs? I can’t get Donald Fagen New Frontier (HQ) out of my head for some reason. 
Found the lyrics to The Mummy (not an alien) at
They may repeat this show again soon, but here’s an hour with another of the old folks, Marian McPartland: Dave Brubeck On Piano Jazz (Originally broadcast Jan. 18, 1997.)
Not only was Brubeck a jazz genius, but a social pioneer–He would pass up gigs that insisted on an all white band, including a tour of South Africa.
We may see him as a social pioneer, but he just saw himself as an artist, with no patience for distractions from his art. Jazz performers have been refusing to play segregated venues long before Brubeck came along, he being only next in the line of those who see music as transcending prejudice. It’s why so many artists moved to - or at least lived in - France for many years, since in that country musicians were appreciated for their art, not their skin color.
When I was sixteen I saw him at and outdoor concert with a bunch of my friends. When I told my step dad I was going to see Dave Brubeck, he was surprised I knew who he was, this was in the early seventies:D
Today at work, in honour of Brubeck’s memory and his birthday, I played the “Time Out” CD and ate some chocolate (I heard he was a chocoholic. 
)
I just listened to Take Five on the radio (it was played as an homage of course).
My dad had his albums… that’s how i learned about Dave… (And for some reason Chad Mitchell… my dad was a interesting black dude lol)
Jazz goes to College… Jazz goes to Junior college… great albums…
Dave’s interview on Ken Burn’s Jazz was so memorable when he recounted his father introducing him to a black man who was a former slave… who still had numbers carved into his skin. Dave was one of the first to have an integrated band… and… damn his sound was beautiful…