Sep 3, 2026 10:44 AM
In Memoriam: Cassandra Wilson, 1955–2026
Cassandra Wilson, a singer, songwriter and producer who was one of the most acclaimed and successful jazz vocalists of…
Dave and son Chris Brubeck with broadcast journalist Walter Cronkite in a historic photo from the archive.
(Photo: Courtesy The Brubeck Collection)July 1 was the 65th anniversary of the biggest-selling jazz song of all time, “Take Five,” recorded that day in 1959 by the iconic Dave Brubeck Quartet.
The world can now see and hear Dave Brubeck’s archive of 22,000-plus items online at brubeckcollection.org.
While digging through boxes left behind by the late pianist and composer, Brubeck’s son Chris and his wife, Tish, uncovered a treasure trove of recordings, manuscripts, photos and memorabilia for The Brubeck Collection, established by late jazz legend Dave Brubeck and his wife, Iola, as a “living archive” of Dave’s long and illustrious career as a celebrated musician and composer. It is housed at The Wilton Library in Wilton, Connecticut, the New England town where Dave spent the last part of his life.
Chris says he remembers crawling under his father’s piano as world-class musicians played in the family living room with his dad and watching him shoot baskets with Miles Davis and others he simply knew as his dad’s musician friends. His father taught him piano in between tours, and his brothers learned guitar and bass. They would all gig together when the youngest was only 11.
A Grammy-nominated composer and performer in his own right, Chris now hopes to pass along his dad’s legacy to future musicians, fans, historians and anyone who is curious about Dave’s journey from growing up as a California rancher’s son in the 1920s to his Civil Rights involvement to becoming a champion of jazz education and one of the most celebrated musicians in jazz history.
In a gesture of “giving back” to music education, Chris set up the Brubeck Jazz Summit with his wife. He continues to tour the world in the Brubeck Brothers Quartet, whose recordings have landed in the Top 10 on Jazz Radio Charts. His compositions have been commissioned by the Boston Symphony, New York Pops, Kennedy Center, Baltimore Symphony and many others.
To view The Brubeck Collection, CLICK HERE. DB
Wilson’s ability to connect to audiences helped her to win two Grammy awards and multiple other accolades. She was named an NEA Jazz Master in 2022.
Sep 3, 2026 10:44 AM
Cassandra Wilson, a singer, songwriter and producer who was one of the most acclaimed and successful jazz vocalists of…
“The love from the jazz and music community restored my faith in humanity,” Walia wrote in an online post upon his release from detention at an ICE facility.
Aug 18, 2026 2:15 PM
Indian jazz guitarist and composer Pritesh Walia has been released after being unexpectedly detained by ICE and taken…
Bertoncini was a specialist and advocate for the nylon-string acoustic guitar, turning down high-profile opportunities that were unsuited to the sound and techniques that he used with that instrument.
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Gene Bertoncini, an esteemed jazz guitarist, composer, arranger and educator, died Aug. 29 at the Lillian Booth Actors…
A solo concert by saxophonist Joshua Redman will close the first night of the Hyde Park Jazz Festival on Sept. 26.
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The Hyde Park Jazz Festival will take place for the 20th time on the final weekend of September 2026. Beginning half…
“It was just that suddenly … I could hear it,” Ravi Coltrane said of an epiphany he experienced during his late teens regarding his father’s music. “And it was almost like a calling, like something saying, ‘Hey, man, come on. It’s time to get serious.’ And the first time you really tune in and dial in and focus like that, it can be very life-changing.”
Sep 22, 2026 1:39 PM
Editor’s Note: Tomorrow, Sept. 23, is the 100th anniversary of John Coltrane’s birth. In honor of the tenor and…
