We have updated our Privacy Policy Please take a moment to review it. By continuing to use this site, you agree to the terms of our updated Privacy Policy.

Dave Brubeck: A Life in Time

ebook / ISBN-13: 9781472272485

Price: £12.99

Disclosure: If you buy products using the retailer buttons above, we may earn a commission from the retailers you visit.

NOMINATED FOR THE JAZZ JOURNALISTS ASSOCIATION BOOK OF THE YEAR 2021

WINNER OF THE PRESTO JAZZ BOOK OF THE YEAR 2020

An articulate, scrupulously researched account based on first-hand information, this book presents Brubeck’s contribution to music with the critical insight that it deserves – ***** BBC Music Magazine

This is the writing about jazz that we’ve been waiting for – Mike Westbrook

The sheer descriptive verve, page after page, made me want to listen to every single musical example cited. A major achievement – Stephen Hough

‘Definitive . . . remarkable. Clark writes intelligently and joyously.’ – Mojo

In 2003, music journalist Philip Clark was granted unparalleled access to jazz legend Dave Brubeck. Over the course of ten days, he shadowed the Dave Brubeck Quartet during their extended British tour, recording an epic interview with the bandleader. Brubeck opened up as never before, disclosing his unique approach to jazz; the heady days of his ‘classic’ quartet in the 1950s-60s; hanging out with Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker, Louis Armstrong, and Miles Davis; and the many controversies that had dogged his 66-year-long career.

Alongside beloved figures like Ella Fitzgerald and Frank Sinatra, Brubeck’s music has achieved name recognition beyond jazz. But finding a convincing fit for Brubeck’s legacy, one that reconciles his mass popularity with his advanced musical technique, has proved largely elusive. In Dave Brubeck: A Life in Time, Clark provides us with a thoughtful, thorough, and long-overdue biography of an extraordinary man whose influence continues to inform and inspire musicians today.

Structured around Clark’s extended interview and intensive new research, this book tells one of the last untold stories of jazz, unearthing the secret history of ‘Take Five’ and many hitherto unknown aspects of Brubeck’s early career – and about his creative relationship with his star saxophonist Paul Desmond. Woven throughout are cameo appearances from a host of unlikely figures from Sting, Ray Manzarek of The Doors, and Keith Emerson, to John Cage, Leonard Bernstein, Harry Partch, and Edgard Varèse. Each chapter explores a different theme or aspect of Brubeck’s life and music, illuminating the core of his artistry and genius.

What's Inside

Read More Read Less

Reviews

The definitive biography of one of jazz's most successful pianists
The Guardian
A Life in Time is that rare beast: an uncompromisingly analytical study that absorbs and entertains, illuminating both its subject and his social context.
London Jazz News
Contains fascinating new material... Brubeck left a magnificent jazz legacy that is well served by Clark's impressive book.
uDiscoverMusic
An enlightening read
Music Matters, BBC Radio 3
An engaging new biography... Clark makes an eloquent case
The Sunday Telegraph
Compelling
Jazz Times
Illuminating as it is lyrical
Irish Times
This is a very fine book ... Clark enables the reader to understand Brubeck the pianist. Myths are demolished. It is the kind of writing that will drive the reader back to the records enabling the reader to hear the music as if for the first time.
Jazzviews.net