Brubeck, Dave (David Warren) (1920- )

US jazz pianist and composer. He was the leader of the Dave Brubeck Quartet (formed 1951). A student of composers Darius Milhaud and Arnold Schoenberg, Brubeck combines improvisation with classical discipline. The internationally popular Take Five, written in 1953 by Paul Desmond, Brubeck's alto saxophone player, was recorded by Brubeck in 1962, and helped contribute to his popularity.

During the 1980s and 1990s, he organized several new quartets and continued to appear at the Newport, Monterey, Concord, and Kool Jazz Festivals. Brubeck performed at the White House in 1964 and 1981 and at the 1988 summit in Moscow, Russia, honouring the Gorbachevs. He is the recipient of the 1988 American Eagle Award presented by the National Music Council. Considered a jazz legend, Brubeck toured Europe again in 2003, aged 83.