Dave Brubeck has passed away, and I felt compelled to share a few thoughts about the man and his music. I first heard about him when a friend of mine in Tennessee played some songs off the album Take Five for me. I had heard the song the album takes its name from before and associated with a Norwegian commercial for café cookies, so I wasn't too thrilled about it. However, after hearing the song in its entirety and enjoying the excellent solo performances of Paul Desmond and Joe Morello I could tell there was something more to it than the pickled and processed 20 second cut I had heard earlier. One of my absolute favorite drum solos ever has been performed as part of this song:

Blue Rondo al Turk was more of an immediate revelation the first time I heard it, and really shows off Brubeck's own chops. It's probably the second most famous song off of the album, and for good reason. It, like Take Five, has an immediately recognizable melody, but manages at the same time to be interesting enough for repeated listens. I'll leave you with a slightly less known track off the album, which really embodies the honesty and playful tone I love about his music. Rest in peace, Dave. You had a good run.