Dave Brubeck, legend who helped define jazz, dies

Jazz legend Dave Brubeck dies a day shy of 92

You don’t have to be a jazz aficionado to recognise “Take Five,” the smoky instrumental by the Dave Brubeck Quartet that instantly evokes swinging bachelor pads, hi-fi systems and cool nightclubs of the 1950s and ‘60s.

“Take Five” was a musical milestone, a deceptively complex jazz composition that managed to crack the Billboard singles chart and introduce a new, adventurous sound to millions of listeners.

Brubeck died Wednesday of heart failure at a hospital in Norwalk, Connecticut. He was a day shy of his 92nd birthday.