Dave Brubeck, 1920-2012
Dave Brubeck, in 2009
Photo by Craig Lovell
Clint Eastwood, left, and president Roger H. Brown (right) present a Berklee honorary doctorate to Dave Brubeck at the 2009 Monterey Jazz Festival.
Photo by Craig Lovell
Robert Share, pianist Dave Brubeck, and Berklee founder Lawrence Berk, circa 1961
Pianist, composer, and bandleader Dave Brubeck, who had a monumental influence on jazz and on musicians across the world, died December 5, the day before his 92nd birthday.
Known for writing a string of jazz standards, including "In Your Own Sweet Way" and "The Duke," Brubeck experimented with time signatures throughout his career; two of his compositions, "Take Five" (5/4) and "Blue Rondo à la Turk" (9/8), appear on Time Out, the 1959 Brubeck classic that ranks as one of the best-selling jazz albums of all time.
Brubeck’s enduring friendship with Berklee began in the the early 1960s and continued to present day. He received an honorary doctor of music degree from the college at the Monterey Jazz Festival in 2009. Brubeck's son Dan, a critically acclaimed drummer and bandleader, is a Berklee graduate.