Iconography: Dave Brubeck

(image taken from BBC)

(image taken from Vail Summer)

(image from Tune Up Space)

(image taken from PRX)

(image taken from Moving Image Archive News)

Perhaps it is because I first listened when I was rather young, to me, the opening to Time Out is one of the most memorable and recognizable sonic experiences I have had, particularly within the wild and wonderful jazz genre. I had never the great pleasure of seeing him actually perform live, but those first few moments, I could imagine an elegantly furious dance upon the white and black keys, hear it in my spine, that melody frantic and optimistic, a pure unadulterated energy. Staccato, and smooth, simultaneously. Dave Brubeck, along with other genius musical giants Miles Davis and Duke Ellington, was my foray into the jazz scene, this passionate and dynamic, sometimes maniacal, sometimes elegiac and tranquil, original art form, into its textures and its characters and its infinitely rich history. Today, he passed away, joining in the heavens, in some other celestial or even visceral world those other beautiful pioneers, just one day shy of his birthday. A long and full life, one that will continue to be studied and admired, jazz amateurs and connoisseurs alike eternally grateful for his oeuvre.