# Hey jazz fans...whats your take on Dave Brubeck? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 15, 2003, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-jazz-fans-whats-your-take-on-dave-brubeck/175475 "2003-05-15T17:03:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Zenster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/cdc98d/32.png) [@Zenster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zenster)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2003, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-jazz-fans-whats-your-take-on-dave-brubeck/175475/21 "2003-05-16T18:48:20Z")
I’ve seen Brubeck a few times. I feel that Paul Desmond was one of the finest sax players to grace this earth. His fluid stylings were second to none. Listen to **Time Out** and you’ll hear ground being broken. Sadly, Brubeck’s side men on bass and drums were not the most stellar performers. Competent? Yes. Inspired? Perhaps not. Albums I recommend: Time Out Time Further Out Jazz Red Hot and Cool The Commuter Album with Cal Jader Tunes: Take Five Time Out Kathy’s Waltz Blue Rondo a la Turk (derived from Mozart’s Rondo) Lover (great sax work) Morning Meadowlark (longest piano intro on earth) Squeeze Me Indiana I’d have to go look at my album covers to tell you a few more titles. Brubeck’s music was easlily digested but not pablum, especially for white folk who weren’t ready to go into downtown Harlem and listen to Jazz being produced outright. As a sax player, not seeing Paul Desmond play is one of my great regrets in life. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2003, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-jazz-fans-whats-your-take-on-dave-brubeck/175475/22 "2003-05-16T20:56:30Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Zenster \* > \*\*Sadly, Brubeck’s side men on bass and drums were not the most stellar performers. \*\* You’re, uh, talking about Gene Wright and Joe Morello here? Because they were the guys in the rhythm section on _Time Out_. This may be the first time I’ve heard anyone say anything against them as musicians. Morello, especially, is considered a phenomenal jazz drummer. > [@](#): > > **Brubeck’s music was easlily digested but not pablum, especially for white folk who weren’t ready to go into downtown Harlem and listen to Jazz being produced outright.** I’m speechless. ---
**Author:** ![Moe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moe/32/2972_2.png) [@Moe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moe)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2003, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-jazz-fans-whats-your-take-on-dave-brubeck/175475/23 "2003-05-17T18:40:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Wumpus \* > \*\*Brubeck had a hit single, was on the cover of Time magazine, and had a contract with Columbia records for more than a decade. That’s as mainstream as real jazz gets. > \*\* I asked a friend who knows a lot more about jazz than I do and he agreed that Brubeck was more of a mainstream guy than an avante garde one (though I’m still not sure I’d say he’s “as mainstream as real jazz gets”). I’ve only heard “Time Further Out” once a long time ago, and don’t remember it well, but another friend once told me that it, as the title suggests, goes a lot further than its predecessor in terms of odd meters on most, if not all, tracks. Now there’s no way an entire album of odd metered jazz is going to make it into the mainstream world. But the real reason I believed (and perhaps still do) that he was avante garde was because I could’ve sworn that’s the way he was characterized on a recent documentary I saw about him on PBS (not Ken Burns). Did anyone see this? Besides **Wumpus** , I would imagine Coltrane met all of your criteria for being mainstream and more, yet throughout most of the 60’s he was undeniably avante garde. Anyway, I wasn’t around during his heyday so I’d take someone’s word who was over mine. Perhaps he was both. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-jazz-fans-whats-your-take-on-dave-brubeck/175475.md?page=1)