If there’s any question as to how off-the-cuff, how gloriously in the moment, this ultra-rare one-off concert collaboration in fact was, one need only hear the lead tune — a fizzy, improv-filled take on “Lullaby of Birdland.” You May Also Like: Jazz Reedist Daniel Bennett on How Musicians Can ThriveRead More

We stop today to remember those who left the world of music in 2012.

Dave Brubeck, convention-defying jazz pianist and author of the standards “In Your Own Sweet Way” and “The Duke,” among others, has died — just one day shy of his 92nd birthday. You May Also Like: Desmond White, “Dream Girl” from Glace (2017): One Track Mind Lyle Mays (1953-2020): An AppreciationRead More

The bonds of family glide into place on LifeTimes, a splendid tribute to the music of Dave Brubeck presented by the Brubeck Brothers Quartet. You May Also Like: The Wood Brothers – ‘One Drop of Truth’ (2018) Chris Greene Quartet – ‘PlaySpace’ (2019) Anthony Braxton – ‘Quartet (Standards) 2020’ (2021)

by Mark Saleski I’m not one to quote Wikipedia, but this time around it makes perfect sense: “Smooth jazz is a sub-genre of jazz which is heavily influenced by R&B, funk, rock, and pop music styles (separately, or, in any combination).” This is an interesting definition because it highlights theRead More

  by S. Victor Aaron For a lot of us, our first exposure to jazz was those Charlie Brown TV specials featuring the piano trio music of Vince Guaraldi. Then again, some Disney films like 101 Dalmations, Lady And The Tramp and especially The Aristocats contained jazz or jazz-y tunes.Read More

by S. Victor Aaron Even early on, from the time I first began to explore jazz, I sensed there was something different about the Dave Brebeck Quartet’s drummer, Joe Morello. When I began to spin my Dad’s scratchy old Brubeck records, I’ll never forget hearing weird time signatures for the firstRead More

by Nick DeRiso Masterpieces seem to come at us all at once, like epiphanies and summer storms. But the making of such things is more a journey than a lightning bolt, with ideas and elements to mix and match along the way. That’s the case with Dave Brubeck’s superlative 1959Read More

“Trio Brubeck,” though not the first time that Dad Dave had collaborated with the kids, had the randy feel of a whole new direction for the legendary pianist. Following the 1970s recording “Two Generations of Brubeck,” and the more recent “Quiet as the Moon” with son Darius (also on MusicMasters),Read More