Dave Brubeck Accomplishments

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American pianist and song writer, Dave Brubeck is best known for his unconventional meters that contributed to his appeal as a Jazz musician. Brubeck 's style ranged from refined to bombastic, reflecting his mother 's attempts at classical training and his improvisational skills. His music has been known for unusual time signatures, and superimposing contrasting rhythms, meters, and tonalities. Born in December of 1920, David Warren Brubeck was the youngest of three boys (Henry and Howard) born to cattle rancher, Peter Brubeck and piano teacher, Elizabeth Brubeck. Originally Brubeck did not intent to be come a musician like his older brothers, that had already begun down that road. Instead he took lessons from his mother even though he could not read music during these early lessons, …show more content…

Though he later changed his major to music on the request of the head of zoology, Dr. Arnold, who has previously told him "Brubeck your minds not here. It 's across the lawn in the conservatory. Please go there. Stop wasting my time and yours." Not long after he began, he was nearly expelled when one his professors discovered that he could not read music on sight. There had been several professors that came forward on his behalf and argued his ability to write counterpoint and harmony more than compensated, and demonstrated his familiarity with music notation. College of the Pacific was still afraid that it would cause a scandal, and begrudgingly agreed to let Brubeck graduate only after he had promised to never teach piano. Not long after graduating in 1942, Brubeck was drafted into the U.S. Army, serving in Europe as a part of the Third Army. After volunteering to play piano at a Red Cross show he was spared from combat service and ordered to form a band due to its tremendous hit. "The Wolfpack" was created by Brubeck as one of the U.S. Armed Forces first racially integrated