The Dave Brubeck Quartet

The Dave Brubeck Quartet was a jazz quartet, founded in 1951 by Dave Brubeck; featuring Paul Desmond on saxophone, and Brubeck on pianoTake Five: The Public and Private Lives of Paul Desmond] . They took up a long residency at San Francisco's Blackhawk nightclub and gained great popularity touring college campuses, releasing a series of albums with such titles as "Jazz at Oberlin", "Jazz Goes to College", and "Jazz Goes to Junior College".

By 1958, after a handful of different drummers and bassists, the "Classic Quartet" — so-called because it remained as such virtually consistently until the group dissolved — had been assembled; consisting of Brubeck, Desmond, Joe Morello on drums, and Eugene Wright on bass. In 1959, the Dave Brubeck Quartet released "Time Out", an album their label was enthusiastic about but nonetheless hesitant to release. The album contained all original compositions, almost none of which were in common time. Nonetheless, on the strength of these unusual time signatures (the album included "Take Five", "Blue Rondo à la Turk", and "Pick Up Sticks"), it quickly went platinum. The quartet followed up its success with several more albums in the same vein, including "Time Further Out" (1961), "Countdown: Time in Outer Space", and "Time Changes". These albums were also known for using contemporary paintings as cover art, featuring the work of Neil Fujita on "Time Out", Joan Miró on "Time Further Out", Franz Kline on "Time in Outer Space", and Sam Francis on "Time Changes". A high point for the group was their classic 1963 live album "At Carnegie Hall", described by critic Richard Palmer as "arguably Dave Brubeck's greatest concert".

The Dave Brubeck Quartet broke up in 1967, except for a 25th anniversary reunion in 1976.

Members

Main lineups:

; (1951-1956)

* Dave Brubeck - piano
* Paul Desmond - alto saxophone
* Bob Bates - double bass
* Joe Dodge - drums

; (on "Jazz at Oberlin", 1953)

* Dave Brubeck - piano
* Paul Desmond - alto saxophone
* Ron Crotty - double bass
* Lloyd Davis - drums

; (1956-1958) Transitional quartet - enter Joe Morello

* Dave Brubeck - piano
* Paul Desmond - alto saxophone
* Norman Bates - double bass
* Joe Morello - drums

; (1958-1967) Classic quartet - enter Eugene Wright

* Dave Brubeck - piano
* Paul Desmond - alto saxophone
* Eugene Wright - double bass (also credited "Gene Wright")
* Joe Morello - drums

And after the breakup:

; (1968-1972) Quartet as "The Dave Brubeck Trio & Gerry Mulligan"

* Dave Brubeck - piano
* Gerry Mulligan - baritone saxophone (almost permanent member)
* Jack Six - double bass
* Alan Dawson - drums: +
* Paul Desmond - alto saxophone (October 1972 quintet for "We're All Together Again")

; (1972-1976) As "The Darius Brubeck Ensemble" - with his three sons and one guest

* Dave Brubeck - piano
* Darius Brubeck - piano, electric piano
* Chris Brubeck - bass trombone, electric upright bass, electric fretless bass
* Dan Brubeck - drums (also credited "Daniel Brubeck"): +
* Paul Desmond - alto saxophone (guest soloist on some concerts)
* Gerry Mulligan - baritone saxophone (guest soloist on some concerts)

; (1976-1976) Classic quartet reunion - 25th anniversary

* Dave Brubeck - piano
* Paul Desmond - alto saxophone
* Eugene Wright - double bass (also credited "Gene Wright")
* Joe Morello - drums

; (1977-2006) As "The New Brubeck Quartet" - with his three sons and varying guests

* Dave Brubeck - piano
* Darius Brubeck - piano, electric piano
* Chris Brubeck - bass trombone, electric upright bass, electric fretless bass
* Dan Brubeck - drums (also credited "Daniel Brubeck"): +
* Matthew Brubeck - cello (guest on a few sets)
* Bill Smith - clarinet (guest, such as 1987's "Moscow Nights" and "In Moscow")
* Bobby Militello - alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, flute (guest, such as 1993's "Late Night Brubeck")
* Jack Six - double bass (guest on some sets)
* Randy Jones - drums (guest on some sets)

(Not every temporary lineup is listed.)

Partial discography

*"Jazz at the College of the Pacific" (1953) Fantasy Records
*"Jazz at Oberlin" (1953) Fantasy Records
*"Jazz Goes to College" (1954) Columbia Records
*"Time Out" (1959) Columbia Records/Legacy
*"Time Further Out" (1961) Columbia Records/Legacy
*"Countdown Time in Outer Space" (1962) Columbia Records
*"Jazz Impressions of Japan" (1964) Columbia Records/Legacy
*"DBQ In Berlin" (1964) Columbia Records
*"Dave Brubeck's Greatest Hits" (1966) Columbia Records/Legacy
*"Time In" (1966) Columbia Records
*"Jackpot" (1966, live in Las Vegas) Columbia Records
*"Adventures in Time" (1968) Columbia Records
*"DBQ 25th Anniversary Reunion" (1976) A&M Records
*"Vocal Encounters" (2001) Sony Records

Notes and references