I have to confess I’ve never really listened to Dave Brubeck. I’m sure I’ve heard his music without knowing who performed it. I did a Google search and the first video result was “Take Five,” which sounded pretty familiar. I’ve been meaning to listen to some of his stuff, but just never got around to it. I do know he was hugely influential on jazz and popular music.

A quote from here –

Brubeck believed that jazz presented the best face of America to the world.

“Jazz is about freedom within discipline,” he said in a 2005 interview with The Associated Press. “Usually a dictatorship like in Russia and Germany will prevent jazz from being played because it just seemed to represent freedom, democracy and the United States.

“Many people don’t understand how disciplined you have to be to play jazz. … And that is really the idea of democracy – freedom within the Constitution or discipline. You don’t just get out there and do anything you want.”

When was the last time you heard an artist or celebrity say anything like that?

Title of post from “New Frontier” by Donald Fagen, an avowed Brubeck fan.